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22:38

Lebanese Prime Minister Says IRGC Commanding Hezbollah Fighters

Lebanon's prime minister said members of Iran's hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are commanding pro-Tehran Hezbollah fighters in the country in the group's war against Israel.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in an interview with the Al Hadath network on March 22, slammed Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets toward Israel.

"It was declared that this war was in retaliation for the assassination of Khamenei, so this means this war was imposed upon us," he said, referring to the Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of US-Israeli air strikes on Iran.

Israeli air strikes have blasted sections of Lebanon in the fight against Hezbollah, including Beirut's southern suburbs.

Salam said an incident in which an Iran-made drone hit a British sovereign base in Cyprus earlier this month was initiated by the "Revolutionary Guard, which is present and, unfortunately, is managing the military operation in Lebanon."

"These people have forged passports and entered the country illegally," he added.

Lebanon has banned the activities of the IRGC in the country and has imposed a ban on Hezbollah military activity.

The United States has designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization, while the EU has sanctioned the group's military wing but not its political organization in the country.

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21:24

NATO's Rutte Says More Than 20 Countries Plan To Be Involved In Strait Of Hormuz Reopening

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that more than 20 countries were planning to be involved in the reopening of the key Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump pushed the alliance to increase efforts on the matter.

"I know the president was angry because he feels that European and other allies have been too slow," Ruttetold Fox Newson March 22. He added that NATO was now looking to work on the issue together with Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.

"So we are now planning the military people and others amongst this group of 22 nations and with the US," Rutte said.

SEE ALSO:

Iran's Chokehold On Hormuz And The Limits Of Military Force

His comments came amid a heated exchange between US and Iranian officials concerning the Strait of Hormuz. Trump gave Tehran 48 hours to "fully open" the Strait of Hormuz, or the United States would "obliterate" Iran's power plants. The Iranian military command threatened to retaliate.

Backing up Trump's ultimatum, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessenttold NBCit was "the only language the Iranians understand," adding that "sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate."

Separately, he also addressed Trump's comments about Kharg Island, a major hub for Iran's oil production. Speaking to Fox News, Bessent said that US forces have destroyed Iranian military assets on the island, adding: "We will see what happens with -- whether that eventually becomes a US asset."

Labelled Satellite Images: Kharg Island

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20:30

Netanyahu Says Israel Will Pursue IRGC Commanders 'Personally'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on March 22 to pursue top commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "personally."

"We're going after the regime. We're going after the IRGC, this criminal gang," Netanyahu said while visiting the southern Israeli town of Arad, a day after an Iranian missile strike on the area.