Iran pushing Hezbollah to escalate to gain leverage in US talks - Axios

An Iranian lawmaker urged officials on Monday to preserve unity and support the negotiating team despite differing views over talks with the United States.

“We may have different views on the negotiations, but we must all help the negotiating team,” Mehrdad Lahouti said.

He added that the country had paid heavy costs in the war, making unity an “undeniable necessity.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its Aerospace Force targeted the air base from which a recent US attack was launched after what it described as an American strike on a telecommunications tower on Sirik Island in Hormozgan province.

In a statement, the IRGC said the retaliatory operation destroyed pre-designated targets linked to the attack.

The force warned that any further US military action would trigger what it described as a “completely different” response.

The statement came after the United States said it had carried out strikes on Iranian radar and drone command-and-control sites over the weekend, citing self-defense and the protection of regional shipping.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it conducted strikes on Iranian radar installations and drone command-and-control sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island over the weekend in response to what it described as aggressive Iranian actions.

According to CENTCOM, the strikes took place on Saturday and Sunday after Iran allegedly shot down a US MQ-1 drone operating over international waters.

The US military said fighter aircraft subsequently targeted Iranian air defenses, a drone ground control station and two one-way attack drones that it said posed threats to ships transiting regional waters.

CENTCOM described the strikes as measured and deliberate acts of self-defense.

The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Army said on Sunday that the country's air defenses are currently confronting what it described as hostile missile and drone attacks.

In a statement, the military said any explosions heard by residents are the result of air-defense systems intercepting incoming projectiles.

Kuwaiti authorities did not immediately provide details about the origin of the missiles and drones or whether any damage or casualties had been reported.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed diplomatic efforts between Israel and Lebanon with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and proposed a plan aimed at achieving a gradual de-escalation, a US official said on Sunday.

Under the proposal, the Iran-backed Hezbollah group would halt all attacks on Israel as a first step, while Israel would refrain from further escalation in Beirut.

“This would create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities,” the official said.

According to the official, Aoun sought to advance the proposal and secure agreement from the parties involved.

However, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who said he could guarantee Hezbollah's commitment to a ceasefire, argued that Israel should first stop initiating military action.