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US-Iran strikes: latest developments

Iran and US forces traded new military attacks Tuesday, with Tehran warning of "more decisive and powerful" strikes ahead as the conflict threatened to widen with a blockade of Saudi ports by Houthi rebels in Yemen. - Trump warns Houthis - Trump said he would "take care of" the Houthi rebels if the Iran-backed militant group follows through on its threatened blockade of Saudi ports.
President Trump said the United States was 'not finished at all' with its attacks on Iran

Explainer-How a Houthi blockade in the Red Sea tightens Iran's grip on global energy supplies

July 20 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis will impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, they said on Monday, further throttling a global energy market already greatly restricted by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

This is why it matters and what it means for the Iran war and the global energy crisis:

HOW BIG IS THE RISK TO GLOBAL ENERGY MARKETS?

It is not clear how the Houthis would carry out a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, its northern neighbour along the Red Sea coast, or whether it would include a return to attacks on shipping.

FILE PHOTO: Houthi security personnel stand guard during a demonstration in Sanaa, Yemen, April 17, 2026. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

In Gaza, a mother's hunt for water lays bare a worsening health crisis

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawoud Abu Alkas

CAIRO/GAZA, July 21 (Reuters) - In pre-dawn darkness, Ibtisam Al-Helou leaves her tent on Gaza's seafront on a daily search for fresh water. The Mediterranean lies only a few steps away, but the water she needs to cook, drink and wash will mean a trek across Gaza City.

Setting out before the heat rises to the scorching 33 degrees Celsius (91 F) of midday, the 40-year-old mother of three makes her way through shattered neighbourhoods where word has spread that water might be available.

Omar Rami Halawa, 13, whose right foot was amputated after he was wounded in an Israeli strike while collecting water at Gaza's seaport, poses for a portrait in Gaza, May 25, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

US military completes its latest strikes on Iran, marking the 10th successive night of attacks

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said late on Monday it finished its latest round of strikes on Iran, saying it hit Iranian military command centers, missile and drone launch sites, maritime capabilities and air defense systems.

The U.S. Central Command made the announcement in a post on social media website X.

• The latest round of U.S. strikes on Iran lasted about five hours, according to the U.S. military, marking 10 consecutive nights of American strikes on Iran.

An explosion at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on July 20, 2026. U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS

Trump vows to help Lebanon pursue peace with Israel

US President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to help Lebanon "a lot" as its president, Joseph Aoun, sought Washington's backing for a fragile effort to disarm Hezbollah and forge a path to peace with Israel. Aoun, the first Lebanese president invited to Washington since 2009, asked Trump for political support and continued backing for the Lebanese army, which has begun deploying in southern areas under a US-backed framework agreement with Israel.
US President Donald Trump meets with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office

'All these rashes': chickenpox surges in Gaza camps

Eight-year-old Ruba Saadeh spends her days confined to the tent she shares with her family in Gaza, her body dotted with inflamed red blisters as chickenpox sweeps through overcrowded camps like the one they live in. he said, as he diagnosed a child who had red blisters on his stomach.
UNICEF said health officials had already recorded more than 9,300 suspected cases of chickenpox across Gaza in early July

Hamas names Khalil Al-Hayya as new overall leader

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Eman Abouhassira

CAIRO, July 20 (Reuters) - Hamas has named Khalil Al-Hayya as its overall leader, according to a statement from the Palestinian militant group on Monday, in a move an analyst says could signal a tougher stance by the group towards disarmament calls.

Hayya replaces Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in combat with Israeli forces in October 2024 as Hamas fought a full-scale, two-year war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, stand near a screen displaying Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya during a rally to show support to Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen October 18, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Israel says pilot safe zones begin in southern Lebanon

July 20 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun a pilot programme for safe zones in southern Lebanon in cooperation with U.S. and Lebanese forces, in what a U.S. official called a step toward reasserting Lebanese state authority in the area.

The pilot zones are designated areas in southern Lebanon where a U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon signed last month foresees Iran-backed Hezbollah's disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the deployment of Lebanese troops.

FILE PHOTO: An Israeli military vehicle drives past destroyed buildings in Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, April 30, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem/File Photo

Yemen's Houthis declare naval blockade against Saudi Arabia

By Nayera Abdallah and Timour Azhari

DUBAI, July 20 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, drawing a warning from the Saudi-led coalition that it would respond "firmly", in amove that threatens to disrupt global energy supplies beyond the Gulf.

The Houthis' armed forces in a statement said they were declaring "a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye', effective immediately".

FILE PHOTO: Boats float near the coast of Bab el-Mandeb, Yemen April 2, 2026. REUTERS/File Photo

US-Iran strikes: latest developments

Iran's president said his country is fighting a "full-scale war" with the United States, as Washington expanded its strikes across the Islamic republic and Tehran hit Gulf states. Iran in 'full-scale war' with US Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was in a "full-scale war" with the United States and that Tehran should "accept the natural consequences of this resistance".
Shiite Muslim pilgrims hold a flag bearing the portrait of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei