Iran live updates: US conducts 'self-defense' strikes, Rubio says Strait will re-open

This comes after 87 days of a nationwide blackout.

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal.

Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations are concluded "one way or the other."

Key Headlines

Israel says it is seizing more territory in Lebanon

The Israeli military is seizing more territory as it expands ground operations in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

"We are deepening our operation in Lebanon. The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and is seizing controlled areas," Netanyahu said in remarks at the start of a cabinet meeting.

"We are fortifying the security zone to protect the northern communities," Netanyahu added.

Iran's internet blackout partially lifted

The internet blackout in Iran has been partially lifted after 87 days of a nationwide blackout.

"Following the mission of the esteemed President and in line with the government's promise, the first step towards free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken," Mohammad Reza Aref, the first vice president of Iran, said in a statement Tuesday.

Adding, "With the reopening of the internet, smart services will be facilitated, the demands of the people who stood by the system and Iran will be met, and the obstacles to knowledge-based development and scientific authority will be removed."

IDF urges more evacuations in Lebanon as strikes continue

Israel continues to target Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon and the Beqqa Valley in the east, saying it hit over 100 sites overnight, the Israeli Defense Forces said Tuesday.

The military issued a warning to residents in the village of Mashghara, in the Beqaa Valley, urging them to evacuate to the north.

A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been in place since mid-April, but Israel has continued to target Hezbollah in several regions.

Hezbollah has continued to target Israeli forces in the southern Lebanon and repeatedly fired projectiles at northern Israel.

Khamenei says US will no longer have 'safe haven' in Middle East

A statement posted to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's official X account and read out on Iranian state television on Tuesday said that the countries of the Middle East "will no longer serve as shields for American bases" as a result of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

"The hand of time does not turn back," the statement attributed to Khamenei said. "America will no longer have a safe haven for mischief and the establishment of military bases in the region."

Khamenei has not been seen in public since being elected as the successor to his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb. 28 by airstrikes targeting his office in Tehran in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israeli campaign.

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