As US President Donald Trump’s devastating deadline looms for Iran to open the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the Israeli military warned its citizens that “more weeks” remain in the twin wars against Iran and Hezbollah.
“Citizens of Israel, we face more weeks of fighting against Iran and Hezbollah,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in televised remarks on March 22.
“With each passing day, we are further weakening the terror regime [in Tehran]. We will not allow it or its proxies to threaten the citizens of Israel or the existence of the state of Israel,” said Defrin, who added that the ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon would intensify in the coming week.
“The operation against the Hezbollah terrorist organization has only begun…This is a prolonged operation,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir added in a statement.
The United States has designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization, while the EU has sanctioned the group’s military wing but not its political organization in the country.
Trump’s Hormuz Deadline Looms For Iran
The Israeli comments come in the backdrop of somewhat conflicting remarks from the US side on the potential length of the war.
Looming next is an ultimatum set by Trump on March 21 at 7:44 p.m. Washington time in which the US president demanded Tehran “fully open” the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face dire consequences, a major escalation of tensions in a war that already threatens to spin out of control.
“If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
He did not specify which power plants would be targeted, and the warning came a day after Trump had said he was considering “winding down” military operations with, he asserted, most US goals achieved. The Pentagon is also reportedly sending thousands of additional ground forces to the region.
Iran vowed to retaliate if Trump should carry out his threat on power plants.
Iran’s military command was quoted by state media as saying that if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, all energy infrastructure belonging to the United States in the region will be targeted. Iran also said desalination facilities will be struck.
Separately, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of the Iranian Parliament, warned that “immediately after the targeting of power plants and infrastructure in our country, vital infrastructure and energy and oil infrastructure throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed.”
Such Iranian retaliatory attacks would likely have devastating effects on Gulf Arab countries, which are huge power consumers and rely heavily on desalinated sea water. Bahrain and Qatar get 100 percent of their water from desalination plants, while other countries get 50-80 percent, Reuters reports.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to completely close the Strait of Hormuz, adding that it would only be reopened once any facilities destroyed in US attacks had been rebuilt.
Blockage of the strait has restricted global supplies, sending oil prices surging worldwide and raising the cost of living for hundreds of millions of people. Iranian attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Gulf have also caused fears in the market.
Nations Preparing For Strait Duty: Rutte
Trump has demanded that countries that utilize the strait for transport of their energy resources take the lead in protecting shipping through the waterway by military escort or other means. He has expressed anger with the reluctance of many nations to become involved.
But on March 22, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said more than 20 countries were planning to be involved in the reopening of the strait in the face of the Trump pressure.
“I know the president was angry because he feels that European and other allies have been too slow,” Rutte told Fox News on March 22.
He added that NATO was now looking to work on the issue together with Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
“So we are now planning the military people and others amongst this group of 22 nations and with the US,” Rutte said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been singled out for criticism by Trump, spoke with the US president by phone on March 22, with the leaders discussing the situation in the Middle East and the need to reopen the strait to global shipping, Downing Street said.
A Pause On Embassy Attacks In Iraq?
In Iraq — which is increasingly being pulled into the conflict across its border — an influential pro-Iran Iraqi armed group said on March 23 that it would extend a pause on its attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad by five days.
“The deadline given to the embassy of American evil will be extended by an additional five days,” Kataeb Hezbollah said in a statement.
Pro-Iran militias in Iraq have targeted US sites in the country, while they themselves have been hit by air strikes that they blame on the United States and Israel.
