Israel announces a new wave of raids on Tehran after evacuation warnings… and simultaneous escalation in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army announced late Monday night the start of a new wave of raids on Tehran, in an escalation that comes after evacuation warnings were issued to a number of residents inside the Iranian capital, especially around the headquarters of the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation, indicating an expansion of targets within the city.

At the same time, the Israeli army issued a warning to evacuate dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, announcing that it will move in those areas against Hezbollah, signaling that operations may extend on more than one front simultaneously.

Rubio: No ground forces now… but “the option is on the table”

In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his country hopes that the Iranian people can change the regime in Tehran, but he emphasized that the declared goal of the US mission is to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and ensure it cannot acquire nuclear weapons.
Rubio added that the United States is not ready to send ground forces to Iran at this stage, but he pointed out that President Donald Trump “has these options,” affirming the administration’s belief that its goals can be achieved without ground intervention.

Naval escalation and warning about the Strait of Hormuz

In a parallel development, an Iranian military official was quoted warning that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz and will target any ship attempting to pass through it. This statement is one of the clearest positions since the escalation began and heightens fears of widespread disruption in global shipping and energy flows.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime passage for oil flows, and any prolonged disruption could lead to a sharp rise in oil prices and broaden the economic impacts of the conflict beyond the region’s borders.

Unstable scene

These developments come amid a rapid escalation on aerial, ground, and naval levels, with expanding security warnings in more than one country, while fears grow of the confrontation slipping into an open regional conflict that would be difficult to contain.