strikeMar 18, 2026

"Lebanon regrets taking sides in the U.S.-Iran war": Lebanon’s Ambassador Hadi Jaber to India Today

Summary

"Lebanon regrets taking sides in the U.S.-Iran war": Lebanon's Ambassador Hadi Jaber to India Today As the U.S.-Israel-Iran war expands across the region, Lebanon's Ambassador to India tells India Today Global's Geeta Mohan that Beirut was dragged into a conflict it never chose—now paying the price in lives, displacement, and devastation, while urgently pushing for a ceasefire and direct negotiations under international sponsorship. The widening U.S.-Israel–Iran conflict has engulfed Lebanon in ways its government insists it neither intended nor approved. As Israeli strikes intensify and Hezbollah’s actions pull the country deeper into hostilities, Lebanon is facing one of its gravest humanitarian crises in recent history. In an exclusive conversation with India Today Global’s Senior Executive Editor Geeta Mohan, Lebanese Ambassador Hadi Jaber offers a candid and sobering assessment: Lebanon has been “dragged” into a war not its own, suffering massive civilian casualties, large-scale displacement, and widespread destruction. With over a million people displaced and entire villages in southern Lebanon reduced to rubble, Beirut is now scrambling for an exit. Jaber outlines a four-point peace proposal, calls for international intervention, and admits that Lebanon’s past decisions—including Hezbollah’s actions—have come at a heavy cost. Q: We are seeing buildings destroyed and civilians impacted. How is Lebanon assessing the situation right now? I would like to say that no war is good. Always wars are very bad. However, unfortunately, the war has started without even the will of the Lebanese government. We didn't decide to go into it. We were dragged into it, as you said. Unfortunately, we're suffering. As you know, the Israeli aggression and the destruction that they are doing to Lebanon is very huge. It's taking its... It's tall on the number of martyrs and injuries. You said above 800. Now it has reached 912 martyrs, more than 2,200 injuries. We have more than one million displaced Lebanese. They are leaving their homes, their houses, their lands in the south, because they are going to safer places, to shelters. The destruction is very vast. There are so many villages in the south. They have been destroyed, destructed, and demolished. Many, many houses, buildings demolished completely. We hope that this will come to an end very soon, with the help of the international community. Hopefully, we'll see it very soon. And India, of course, is one of the friendly countries to Lebanon. Q: Lebanon recently moved to ban Hezbollah’s armed wing. How does the government balance this with Hezbollah’s political presence? Actually, Hezbollah had a very important, crucial role in liberating the south of Lebanon until the year 2000. Unfortunately, after that period, Hezbollah still has their independent entity, regardless of the country, of the government. On the eve of March 2nd, Hezbollah has launched six rockets against Israel, without the willing or even informing anybody. And we all know that the effects of a few rockets against Israel will do nothing. It will only entail a huge destruction to Lebanon, knowing that Israel is a very brutal... They have a very brutal arsenal, and we have previous examples, and we have very bad experiences with them. So, we didn't want to go into this war. The government, the cabinet meeting, presided by His Excellency, President of Lebanon. They convened, and they had the decision to outlaw the security and military branch of Hezbollah, because they cannot go on like this decision of gauging a war. The decision of having peace or war should be exclusively done by the state. So, they are not... They consider them illegal. They cannot go on like this. Now, how to came to have this balance? The government was clear. Hezbollah, they are not allowed anymore to perform their operations freely. The Lebanese army tried very, very keenly for the last few months, in order to stop the war. In order to take control of all the storages, the facilities of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. But, unfortunately, what happened now, the war has raged now between Hezbollah and Israel, and the Lebanese government cannot do anything for the time being. All what we can do is calling upon the international community to put restraints also, to put some pressure on Israel, to stop their aggression, and to help us to deal with the issue. The Lebanese army should be supported by the international community so that it will undertake their duties as well. Q: There is concern about a growing refugee crisis. What are the numbers and where are people moving? The vast majority of the people now displaced are, as I told you, over one million. We're talking about 20% of the population of the country. Imagine 20% of the Indian population. Imagine this number. So they're being forced to flee their villages. So far, we cannot see a considerable number of Lebanese crossing the borders. They are being displaced over the territory of Lebanon. The people from the south Lebanon, let's say, and the Dahiyeh, the suburbs of Beirut, they're trying to flee to Beirut, the capital, and other areas in Lebanon, other cities in the north, in the middle of Lebanon. But we don't have a considerable number of Lebanese who are crossing the borders so far. Q: Lebanon has proposed negotiations. What is the status of outreach to Israel and what does the plan include? Actually, His Excellency, the president of Lebanon, he had a virtual meeting with the leaders of the EU and the leaders of Israel. The leaders of the Arab world. Also Turkey and other countries. And they had the... Our president, he put through a plan of four points plan, which is very, very important if it can be implemented. It had actually four points. I may read it so that you may see. Yes, absolutely. The first point is establishing a complete ceasefire, including the cessation of all Israeli land, air, and naval attacks on Lebanon. Point two, rapidly providing necessary logistical support to the Lebanese armed forces. The third, the Lebanese armed forces would immediately take control of the areas of recent tensions, seize all weapons present there, and dismantle Hezbollah's weapons depots and stockpiles, based on the information available to them. The fourth point, which is also very important, simultaneously Lebanon and Israel would begin direct negotiations under international sponsorship to implement the details of these arrangements. Q: Does this proposal open the door for diplomatic ties with Israel? Yes, under international sponsorship. Q: Would this also mean diplomatic ties with Israel? Not for the time being. We don't know. Now we're talking about direct negotiations to see what it takes for the safety of Lebanon. What we care about now is the safety and security of our people, of our land. And we can deem that this is the most important way how to go through this. Because we experienced so many things in the past. We came to a conclusion and to a belief that war will not be good to anybody. But any tango needs to be... If you want to dance a tango, you need two tangos, as they say. So Israel also should understand and should reach a conclusion that maybe at least ceasefire would start a step towards a peaceful end for this conflict. But they need to come to a conclusion, Israel, to stop their attacks against Lebanon, to start these direct talks, as we said, under international sponsorship. Q: Has Hezbollah’s involvement compromised Lebanon’s security and stability? As I said, according to what happened on March 2nd, it was quite very bad, because Lebanon was dragged into this war. And we all know that balance of power is not against us. And we tried this war before many times. And we did not succeed. And we came to a real conclusion that we should not go through wars again, one. And second, especially this war, it has nothing to do with us. Why should we interfere with the war between the US, Israel against Iran? So this is very bad. We feel that it was very negative to interfere in this war. Q: What is Lebanon’s broader reading of the ongoing war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran? As I told you in the beginning, no war is good. Wars are very bad. Now, once you are inside, when you are within this war, you cannot say who is right and who is wrong. Because once the war is on, you cannot tell anymore. The fighting is going on, the sufferings of the people, the civilians. So you cannot just say who is right, who is wrong. Q: Has Lebanese territory been used as a proxy battleground in the Iran-Israel conflict? As I said in the beginning, we should not have been dragged into the war. It's not in the interest of Lebanon to go through this war. Now, you name it whatever you want. But we should not have, it's not in the interest of my country. To be into this war. We should not start any war, we shouldn't have launched any rocket, anything at least. It's not our war. Q: How does Lebanon view Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries amid this conflict? Actually, historically, we have very good relations with the Gulf countries. The GCC, they have been doing very good things. They have been supporting Lebanon tens and ten years ago. We have very excellent relations with them. GCC, they used to help, and they are still helping Lebanon. We have excellent relations. We have tourism from the Gulf areas. We have the investments. We have labour. Lebanese, like around half a million or less, working in the GCC. So there is no agenda between Lebanon and the GCC. We have only brotherly relations. So what we've seen is really surprising. It's not accepted at all what the Iranian regime has done for the harm that's been inflicted on the Gulf areas, Gulf countries. Targeting the Gulf countries' lands is not acceptable by any means, under any pretext. Q: With oil routes disrupted and prices rising, how sustainable is this war economically? It should not stay for too long, certainly. We are longing to have a peace again. It's not in the interest of anybody. The people of all countries are suffering. We hope that this war will end very soon. Now, the economic impact is huge. You can see now the barrel, the oil barrel now, it has reached more than 110, 110, and may go higher. But hopefully it will end very soon. Because if it goes even higher and higher, it will have a huge effect on the economies and India, as you said, the LPG issue and concern is very bad. Q: Has Lebanon received any response from the U.S. or Israel to its outreach and peace proposal? Regarding the our outreach with the Israelis and the U.S., the president, our president, His Excellency has put this initiative, the four points initiative. We're waiting for a certain feedback from Israel and the U.S. So far, we don't have a clear feedback whether they will work on it or not. Hopefully, we'll see it very soon because it's in the interest of all countries, I think, for this. As for the government of India, the as you know, we've been we have had and still hopefully will have this historically brotherly relations are very good relations with India. And we rely on friends like India. They call always for the cessation of the ceasefire and peace. Hopefully they will continue like this and put pressure on all parties as well.

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Geeta MohanBy Geeta Mohan
"Lebanon regrets taking sides in the U.S.-Iran war": Lebanon's Ambassador Hadi Jaber to India Today As the U.S.-Israel-Iran war expands across the region, Lebanon's Ambassador to India tells India Today Global's Geeta Mohan that Beirut was dragged into a conflict it never chose—n…

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Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIsraelIranProxy

US strikes Iran for 10th consecutive night as Tehran strikes tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, while the United States conducted yet another round of airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic as they struggle over control of the key waterway.

The 10 consecutive nights of U.S. airstrikes haven’t compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait, through which about a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded once passed in peacetime. Even as the U.S. and Iran inch closer to all-out war again, Iran’s interior minister traveled to Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, for talks.

However, it remains unclear just what new deal could be reached to end the fighting. The interim deal signed last month that was meant to end the fighting has crumbled. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled. And as fighting intensifies, both sides have targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people.

“Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world,” the U.S. State Department said in a new warning to Americans. The escalation has pushed oil prices higher in recent weeks.

Benchmark Brent crude traded Tuesday above $88 a barrel and regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed to an average of $4 a gallon, keeping pressure on Americans’ wallets ahead of midterm elections this fall. Meanwhile, the U.S. military identified two soldiers who were killed in Jordan in attacks that left a third person missing.

Separately, the military confirmed another death in Iraq on Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. President Donald Trump took to social media on Monday to warn that “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!

” Trump was planning to attend a ceremony on Tuesday evening at Dover Air Force Base, where at least one service member’s remains were due to arrive. US strikes come as ships attacked The U.S. military’s Central Command said Tuesday it targeted “Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and air defense systems.

” It released more footage of bombings that targeted sites in Iran. “American forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression toward civilian mariners seeking to freely and openly transit the strait,” the command said.

Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard in Fars, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces. However, traffic through the strait has slowed to a crawl during the latest violence. Lloyd's List Intelligence said only three ships transited the strait on Sunday.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed the attack, as well as two other attacks on ships Monday in the waterway.

The route around Oman has been the one the U.S. military has encouraged ships to travel to avoid Iran’s control. The UKMTO separately reported Tuesday that another previously unknown attack on a ship took place early the previous day. Tehran also hit U.

S.-allied countries throughout the Middle East. Jordan military's said Tuesday that Iran targeted it with five drones and three missiles, all of which were shot down. Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens Tuesday afternoon as another Iranian barrage targeted the island kingdom, which is home to the U.

S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Nearly 100 US injuries since early July The Pentagon’s chief spokesperson said nearly 100 U.S. service members have been injured since the U.S. restarted strikes on July 7, and 96% of them have returned to duty.

“The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions,” Sean Parnell posted Monday on X in response to a New York Times report that the Pentagon has withheld information about troop injuries from Iranian strikes. He denied that the Pentagon was hiding data about injuries.

However, the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the military’s clearinghouse for reporting deaths and injuries in conflict, has not been updated as of Monday night with the latest attacks. Yemen rebels threaten attacks on other Mideast waterway Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, said they would block shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by targeting the Bab el-Mandeb, a maritime chokepoint like the Strait of Hormuz, in response to an attack on Sanaa International Airport last week that they blamed on Saudi Arabia.

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to get millions of barrels of oil out to market. The Houthis earlier demonstrated their ability to disrupt shipping there when they targeted ships for months over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with over 100 vessels attacked.

Saudi Arabia’s military said it would keep the waterway open. “All Houthi threats against transiting vessels will be dealt with swiftly and firmly, as such threats are a blatant violation of international law and fall under acts of maritime piracy,” said Maj.

Gen, Turki al-Malki, a Saudi military spokesman. A glimmer of hope for diplomacy Pakistan has intensified diplomatic efforts in recent days to resuscitate the interim deal. Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad on Monday for two days of talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others.

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. is still open to negotiating with Iran but that “it has to be real.” “If the door opens to diplomacy — if the guys that want to do something productive for Iran win and take control of that system, or take control of the negotiations — that’ll be a very positive development,” Rubio said.

“That’s not where we are tonight, unfortunately.” Iranian authorities on Sunday said at least 50 people have been killed and 517 wounded in the latest rounds of U.S. strikes. Since the war began on Feb. 28, 17 U.S. service members have been killed.

JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIranRussiaChina

How the US-Iran conflict has thrown India’s Chabahar plans into doubt

○ 1 source

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted social media images showing damage to a maritime control tower at Iran’s Chabahar port following reported US military strikes, accompanied by the caption “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz.” India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated that the Shahid Beheshti terminal operated by India at the port sustained no damage.

The ministry reiterated its position that civilian infrastructure should not be targeted during conflicts.

Location: Iran

Divya A

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIranProxy

U.S. strikes Iran and Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia shipping as mediators push 10-day ceasefire

○ 1 source

U.S. strikes Iran and Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia shipping as mediators push 10-day ceasefire - The U.S. has carried out its tenth consecutive evening of attacks against Iran. - Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, while Houthi militants in Yemen declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia.

- Rystad Energy has warned about the risk of a significant rebound in oil prices. The U.S. completed a fresh round of strikes against Iran on Monday evening as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis threatened to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, potentially opening a new front in the Middle East conflict.

The latest cycle of tit-for-tat strikes comes amid reports that regional mediators have presented Washington and Tehran with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire, a pitch that could put last month's Memorandum of Understanding back on track. The U.S. Central Command said overnight that it had carried out another round of strikes on Iran at 9 p.

m. ET on Monday. "U.S. forces struck Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking commercial vessels flowing through the Strait of Hormuz," Centcom said in a statement.

It added that commercial vessel transits through the strategically vital waterway were continuing. Centcom forces, the statement said, had facilitated the transit of around 900 commercial vessels and 450 million barrels of crude oil through the strait since early May.

Iran, meanwhile, attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel as it seeks to tighten its control over the waterway, one that typically handles around 20% of the world's oil traffic. Houthi militants in Yemen on Monday declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia effective immediately, a move that could substantially threaten Middle East oil supplies.

The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during the U.S.-Iran war. The strait is a choke point for commercial ship traffic that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets. The militants, in a statement carried by state news, accused the Saudis of laying an "aggressive siege" against them.

Tensions escalated last week after they claimed that Riyadh had bombed Sanaa International Airport. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that it would respond to the Houthis naval blockade with force, reportedly describing such threats as "a blatant violation of international law.

" 10-day ceasefire 'won't be an easy task' Oil prices rose briefly on news of the Houthi statement but later pared gains as energy market participants closely monitored the prospect of a diplomatic breakthrough. International benchmark Brent crude futures with September delivery were last seen trading 0.

5% lower at $88.77 per barrel, having surpassed $90 in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with August delivery, meanwhile, stood 0.4% lower at $82.88. Strategists at ING said there's some hope of de-escalation between the U.S.

and Iran given the reports that mediators are proposing a 10-day ceasefire. "This won't be an easy task," ING's Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey said in a research note published Tuesday. "Large divisions remain between the US and Iran. And President Trump said the US would retaliate following the deaths of several American troops," they added.

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, President Donald Trump said: "Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!" He added that this directive had been passed on to every leader in the military. Saudi Arabia oil risk Jorge León, senior vice president and head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, said the Houthis' threat puts approximately 2.

5 million barrels per day of Saudi Arabian oil at risk at a time when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a standstill. "With the Gulf's primary maritime outlet largely closed, the market is increasingly dependent on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline and Red Sea terminals to maintain export flows," León said Monday in a research note.

Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline network, or Petroline, is a roughly 750-mile system that transports crude across Saudi Arabia, connecting Abqaiq on the oil-rich kingdom's eastern Gulf coast to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea. "Any disruption at Bab el-Mandeb would therefore threaten not only Saudi shipments but one of the few remaining routes capable of compensating for the severe reduction in Hormuz traffic," León said.

"If a ceasefire does not materialize and Hormuz remains largely closed while the Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping intensifies, the risk of a significant rebound in oil prices would be substantial," he added. — CNBC's Chloe Taylor and Spencer Kimball both contributed to this report.

Location: Iran

Sam Meredith

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedIsraelIranProxy

How Houthi Red Sea blockade tightens Iran's grip on energy supplies

○ 1 source

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis announced Monday they would impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, 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.

It is not clear how the Houthis would carry out a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, its northern neighbor along the Red Sea coast, or whether it would include a return to attacks on shipping. Yemen sits on the Bab el-Mandeb strait – the southern gateway to the Red Sea – and closing that would open up a new front in the energy crisis and Iran's overarching conflict with the U.

S. With the Strait of Hormuz already disrupted, the Red Sea has become a critical alternative outlet for Gulf oil and other products. A serious disruption would mean both of the Middle East's major oil export routes are shut simultaneously. Iran's partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Israel and the U.

S. attacked it on Feb. 28 disrupted most oil and other exports from the Gulf, raising prices and delivering a global energy shock. Saudi Arabia responded by diverting more than 70% of its normal daily crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Ships from Yanbu bound for Europe go north through the Suez Canal.

Those heading to Asia go south through Bab el-Mandeb. Shipments from Yanbu averaged 4 million barrels per day in recent weeks according to data from Kpler and Signal Ocean, up from around 973,000 bpd a year earlier. Total petroleum volumes transiting Bab el-Mandeb amounted to 7.

4 million bpd in June, or about 7% of global oil output, according to Kpler data, up from 4.2 million bpd last year. That has provided a lifeline for the energy market, helping to keep down global oil prices. Saudi Arabia is considering an expansion of its crude oil pipeline to the Red Sea coast, Reuters reported last week.

When the Houthis launched attacks on Red Sea shipping in November 2023, Gulf oil exports were flowing freely. The Houthis have been in a civil war against the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government for more than a decade and have attacked Gulf neighbors with missiles and drones.

However, a 2022 truce between the country's warring sides largely held until last week, when Yemen's internationally recognized government said it had struck Sanaa airport to stop an Iranian plane landing. The Houthis said Saudi Arabia was responsible and, in response, fired missiles at Abha airport in the kingdom's mountainous southwest.

A senior Houthi official, politburo member Mohammad al-Farah, then warned in an interview on Iran's Press TV website that if the situation kept escalating, Bab el-Mandeb would be closed. The U.S. says Iran has armed, funded and trained the Houthis with help from Hezbollah.

The Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy and say they develop their own weapons. It is not clear how far the group's stance on Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea stems from its own strategic priorities or is being made on Iran's behalf. After Israel's genocidal campaign in Gaza, the Houthis began firing at Israel and on shipping in the Red Sea, saying they were doing so in support of Palestinians.

The attacks severely disrupted global shipping, prompting Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and other major companies to divert around Africa – a far longer, more expensive route. Red Sea traffic has not recovered since, with traffic through the Suez Canal down 52% in 2025 versus 2023 levels and at its lowest in at least 50 years, Suez Canal Authority data shows.

A U.S.-led mission to restore free navigation in the Red Sea involved repeated strikes on Houthi targets and a campaign that shot down hundreds of drones and missiles. But some Houthi attacks continued until last summer, only ending completely with the Gaza cease-fire in October.

Last month, the Houthis said they would ban ships linked to Israel from the Red Sea after Israel renewed military attacks on Iran. However, that threat was never acted on and shipping groups Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are resuming some Red Sea routes that they had abandoned during the Houthi attacks last year, Maersk said this month.

While Hezbollah and the Iraqi groups joined the war early with rocket and drone fire after the first U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the Houthis had been comparatively quiet. The group's leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on March 5: "Our fingers are on the trigger at any moment should developments warrant it.

" Iranian commanders have repeatedly warned that the Houthis could join the war. The Houthis launched a few missile and drone attacks on Israel in late March and early April. Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Esmaeil Qaani said on June 1 they could choke off the Red Sea.

That may now have changed with their announcement of the blockade on Monday against Saudi Arabia in retaliation for what they called the kingdom's siege of its ports and airports, including last week's strike.

Reuters