US-Iran strikes: latest developments
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".