Updates .............
• Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have assured the US that a counterstrike on Iran will be limited to military targets rather than oil or nuclear facilities, according to a source.
• The Biden administration wrote a letter to the Israeli government, demanding it act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within 30 days. The United Nations has warned that Israel is effectively sealing off northern Gaza and may be carrying out a “large-scale forced transfer” of civilians, which it said would amount to a war crime.
• Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general called on Israelis to accept a ceasefire in Lebanon or face “pain,” while Netanyahu has vowed to keep striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in Beirut. The US “opposes” Israel’s bombing campaign in the capital, largely due to the civilian toll, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday.
• Meanwhile, initial components and military personnel for the advanced air defense system the US is providing to Israel arrived in the country Monday, the Pentagon said, and more will be sent in the coming days.