Overview
- Trump, who will address the nation Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, said the U.S. could finish operations in Iran in about two weeks and claimed Tehran asked for a ceasefire.
- Iran’s foreign minister denied any talks or truce offer, telling Al Jazeera there is no basis for negotiations and calling for a full end to the war with reparations.
- Israel’s defense minister announced plans to demolish homes along the Lebanon border and hold territory up to the Litani River, as Lebanon reports over 1.2 million displaced and about 1,200 killed since March 2.
- Human Rights Watch said the stated plan for southern Lebanon could amount to forced transfer and wanton destruction, which are war crimes under international law.
- Germany’s Bundestag research service deemed the U.S.–Israeli campaign unlawful and warned that use of U.S. bases on German soil could implicate Berlin, while Trump increased pressure on allies by calling NATO a “paper tiger” and, per the Financial Times, threatening to halt Ukraine arms unless Europe helps reopen the Strait of Hormuz.