The War with Iran entered its thirteenth day on Thursday as the U.S. and Israel signal disagreement over how long the war will last.
Trump told Axios on Wednesday that the war with Iran will end “soon” because there is “practically nothing left to target.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz sent a very different signal about the war’s duration, saying it “will continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we accomplish all objectives and achieve victory in the campaign.”
The UN Refugee Agency announced on Thursday morning that up to 3.2 million Iranians have been temporarily displaced due to U.S.–Israeli bombing. Missile attacks on oil depots and refineries have caused toxic smoke and black, acid rain to blanket Tehran, with the WHO warning Iranians of the dangers of both toxic rain and what it calls the “massive release” of harmful substances into the air.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Wednesday threatened to target “economic centers and banks” linked to U.S. and Israeli interests. Ali Fadavi, an Iranian military advisor, warned that Washington and Tel Aviv could face a “long-term war of attrition that will destroy the entire American economy and the world economy.”
Iran’s new supreme leader released his first statement since ascending to power, vowing to avenge those killed in the war and declaring that “every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy constitutes a separate case in the file of revenge.”
Iran continued to retaliate against infrastructure targets across the Gulf, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian civilian water and energy facilities. Kuwait International Airport was hit by drones on Thursday morning while
Three cargo ships were attacked overnight, two off the Iraqi coast and one off the coast of the UAE. Oil prices climbed above $100 in response to the attacks.
The Department of Energy on Wednesday announced that the U.S. will contribute 172 million barrels from strategic oil reserves to join a coordinated 400 million barrel emergency release by the International Energy Agency. The release will begin next week and will take 120 days to deliver, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said.
Gas prices continued to rise on Thursday, with AAA reporting the national average gas price at $3.60.
As a regional war continues in the Gulf, Israel continues its ground invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon and bombing of Beirut. At least 64 people were killed and 142 injured due to Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.
Casualties of the Israeli invasion this week include a Catholic priest, Fr. Pierre al-Rahi, who was killed on Monday by Israeli tank fire after he refused, along with other priests, to obey an order by the Israeli military to evacuate the Maronite village of Qlayaa.
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