Hegseth planning to visit Israel on Wednesday amid concerns over potential F-35 sale to Turkey

The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday’s events as they unfold.

US official confirms Lebanese president invited to visit White House on July 21

The White House has invited Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to visit the United States on July 21, a White House official tells Reuters, after Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement in Washington last month following several days of US-mediated talks aimed at ending fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists.

Aoun’s July 21 visit was revealed a day earlier by Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter. The US has sought to organize a trilateral meeting between Aoun, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump, but Beirut has pushed back on the idea so long as Israel maintains forces in southern Lebanon. After a call last week between Trump and Netanyahu, the Prime Minister’s Office said the pair would be meeting soon in the US, with no date confirmed.

Iranian military command vows ‘crushing response’ to US strikes

Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, says that Iranian armed forces will deliver a “crushing response” after accusing the US military of targeting parts of southern Iran in what it calls a “blatant act of aggression,” and warns that Tehran will not allow US interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

It says that the only safe passage for commercial vessels and oil tankers through the waterway is the route determined by Iran.

US says over 80 targets hit in strikes on Iran, including dozens of IRGC small boats

The US military announces that it has completed a series of strikes in Iran that hit over 80 targets, describing the attacks as “an immediate response” to the latest Iranian strikes on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to US Central Command, the strikes targeted air defenses, command and control equipment, radar sites along the coast, anti-ship missiles and over 60 small boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with the aim of “degrading Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor.”

“CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed,” it adds.

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Hegseth planning to visit Israel on Wednesday amid concerns over potential F-35 sale to Turkey

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to visit Israel on Wednesday, CNN report and Axios report.

The reports say the trip is meant in part to ease Israeli concerns about the possible sale of F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey, which Jerusalem has spoken out against. Iran is also expected to be a topic of conversation.

Hegseth, who will be visiting Israel for the first time as Pentagon chief, is likely to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Ireland passes bill banning Israeli goods from East Jerusalem and West Bank

Ireland’s parliament approves legislation banning imports of goods from Israeli communities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, as Dublin presses ahead with one of Europe’s most far-reaching trade measures against Israel.

The Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) bill prohibits the import of goods from “certain Israeli settlements.”

Those include residential, agricultural and business interests that lie outside of what it claims are Israel’s internationally recognized borders.

While Ireland was the first EU country to propose such a ban, Spain already implemented a package of import restrictions last October.

The center-right coalition government which drafted the legislation has said its wording was guided by an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024, which claims Israel is occupying the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip illegally under international law.

US official says strikes targeted Iranian air defenses, missiles and drone launch sites

The latest US strikes in Iran targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles and drone launch sites, a US official tells Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Iran claims US restoration of oil sanctions violates MOU ending war, vows ‘decisive’ action

Iran’s foreign ministry condemns a US Treasury move to revoke the temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, saying the decision breaches the Islamabad memorandum on ending the war and holding Washington responsible for the consequences.

“Iran is issuing a serious warning about the consequences of America’s breach of the treaty, and will take decisive measures to protect its interests and national security,” the ministry says in a statement posted to Telegram by IRIB News.