CAIRO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- As the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict entered its 23rd day on Sunday, airstrikes and missile launches continued to inflict heavy casualties and extensive destruction.
In a sharp escalation, the United States threatened to hit Iranian power plants unless Iran fully opens the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iran fired back, warning that any attack on its energy facilities would make power plants in countries hosting U.S. bases legitimate targets.
The following is a brief overview of the latest developments in the escalating crisis affecting much of the region and beyond.
The United States
-- U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants if the country fails to fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" He wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Israel
-- Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the military to "immediately" destroy all bridges over Lebanon's Litani River used by Hezbollah.
-- A rocket fired from Lebanon by Hezbollah struck two vehicles in the Upper Galilee near the Israel-Lebanon border, killing one man, Israeli authorities said.
-- Israel's military chief has approved plans to expand the offensive in Lebanon and said that the military is prepared for a "prolonged" operation. Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir approved the advancement of targeted ground operations on Saturday following a meeting with Northern Command leadership, the military announced in a statement on Sunday.
-- The Israeli military said Sunday that fighting against Iran and Hezbollah was expected to last "weeks," adding that Israel had dropped more than 10,000 munitions on "thousands of targets" across Iran since Feb. 28.
Iran
-- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas spoke by phone to discuss the political, security, and humanitarian fallout from U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran, Iran's Foreign Ministry said.
-- Iran's army said that its air defenses had targeted an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet in the country's southern airspace. In a statement, the army said the invading aircraft was tracked and engaged by a surface-to-air missile as it flew over southern coastal areas near Hormuz Island earlier in the day.
-- Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that energy and oil infrastructure across the region could face "irreversible" destruction if the United States targets Iran's power plants.
-- Iran's primary military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, issued a statement warning that power plants in countries hosting U.S. bases would be considered legitimate targets if the United States attacks Iran's power facilities.
-- Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Strait of Hormuz is open to all "except those who violate Iran's territory." Iran's Foreign Ministry also confirmed that the strait remains open to navigation, with necessary measures in place due to wartime conditions, dismissing concerns that the vital waterway has been blocked.
-- Araghchi called on the United Nations, its nuclear watchdog, and the Security Council to take immediate and decisive action regarding recent U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran's "peaceful" and safeguarded atomic sites and facilities.
He made the plea in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and members of the Security Council, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Iraq
-- The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella body for Iraq's pro-Iranian militias, said it had carried out 21 operations against "occupation bases" in Iraq and the region over the past 24 hours.
-- The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced another 72-hour extension of the country's airspace closure to all arriving, departing, and overflying aircraft, citing ongoing security concerns.
Lebanon
-- A senior Iranian official said that Tehran is carrying out a pre-planned, multi-phase strategy in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks, while setting six conditions for ending the conflict, Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen reported.
-- More than 3,800 people have been killed or injured in ongoing Israeli strikes on Lebanon since March 2, the Health Ministry said, reporting 1,029 deaths and 2,786 injuries.
-- Israeli warplanes struck the strategic Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani River in southern Lebanon on Sunday, Lebanon's National News Agency reported, as Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes across the region.
-- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel's targeting and destruction of infrastructure and vital facilities in southern Lebanon, particularly the Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani River and other bridges. ■
