U.S. commanders have kept many troops away from bases in the region to protect them from Iran’s ballistic missile attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had crushed Iran’s capacity to make nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. But Iran has continued attacking Israel and Persian Gulf countries and is believed to still have highly enriched uranium.
The atmosphere during preparations for the Jewish festival has been unusually subdued, with people afraid to stray far from their homes and shelters.
Thousands of civilian sailors have been stranded for more than a month in waters surrounded by a conflict zone because of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Members of the United Nations Security Council condemned deadly attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon and called for de-escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.
Iran continued to retaliate across the region on Tuesday but markets saw hopes that fighting might ebb. Israel said it would occupy a large chunk of Lebanon even after the war ends.
President Trump shared a video of the attack, which the Pentagon said had targeted an ammunition depot.
President Trump’s latest outbursts followed reports that European countries were imposing more restrictions on American aircraft in their airspace.
An economic simulation warned that the region’s economy could lose more than $190 billion in just one month, and that Gulf states that have often bankrolled reconstruction efforts will be less able to help.
President Trump threatened to hit vital infrastructure in Iran if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened, but he also said that “regime change” had already been achieved.