By Enas Alashray, Tala Ramadan and Yomna Ehab

CAIRO/DUBAI, July 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. launched two waves of attacks on Iran's coastal defenses and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Iran struck back by targeting U.S. military sites in neighboring countries in what it called an "existential war" with America.

The latest escalation comes days after a fragile truce collapsed, raising the specter of a return to full-scale war, with Iran once again threatening to shut off more regional energy exports.

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - Recent waves of U.S. strikes on Iran aimed at forcing open the Strait of Hormuz are also targeting Iranian military capabilities the U.S. would want to destroy before executing more complex operations against Iran, three U.S. officials said.

By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives defeated an amendment to cut off aid to Israel on Wednesday, despite nearly half of Democrats supporting it, reflecting a growing rupture between U.S. progressives and Israel over its attacks in Gaza.

The House voted 314 to 104 to defeat the measure, offered as an amendment to a State Department spending bill by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

By Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou

LONDON/ATHENS, July 15 (Reuters) - Shipping companies are avoiding using a U.S. military-guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz after a wave of Iranian attacks on vessels sparked safety concerns, seven maritime security and shipping industry sources said.

For decades ships sailed into and out of the Gulf using a safe set of lanes down the middle of the strait established by the U.N.’s shipping agency in 1968 dubbed the Traffic Separation Scheme.

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - The U.S government issued sanctions on Wednesday targeting individuals and entities that it said were a part of an international network helping Iran procure weapons.

The sanction targets include Iranian and Russian nationals, as well as entities bases in Iran, Russia and Nigeria, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

By Maayan Lubell

ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER, July 15 (Reuters) - Israeli leaders describe the territory now occupied in Lebanon as a war gain, but some military veterans see the so-called "buffer zone" as a deadly replay of a doomed strategy they experienced first-hand.

Gil Shely recalls being told daily by his commanders in the late 1980s, in what was known then as the southern Lebanon "security strip", that he was protecting Israel's north.

"Looking back, it was all fairy tales," he said.

BEIRUT, July 15 (Reuters) - Lebanon and Israel concluded U.S.-brokered talks in Romeon Wednesday, with a U.S. official saying they had made progress on implementing a plan that could see Israeli forces begin to withdraw from some parts of southern Lebanon within days.

The two longtime foes held ambassador-level talks at the U.S. embassy in Rome on Tuesday and Wednesday — their sixth round of face-to-face negotiations since a new war erupted on March 2 between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, triggered by the wider regional conflict.

By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, July 15 (Reuters) - Whoever wins the election in Israel later this year must rein in defence-led state spending that has grown in recent years and invest more in education, infrastructure and other growth engines, Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron said on Wednesday.

Israel is slated to hold a general election on October 27. Polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current ruling coalition losing.