Katz had talked up an occupation in everything but name last week, talking of creating a “buffer zone” out of that territory, and saying no Lebanese civilians would be allowed to return to that part of Lebanon.

The pretense of a “buffer zone” seems to be fading fast among Israeli officials, with Katz now talking of Israel simply gaining occupational control over the region, and destroying the southernmost villages “in accordance with the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza.”

Katz reiterated that the return of any Lebanese displaced into the occupied south will be “completely prohibited” and claimed this would effect some 600,000 Lebanese civilians. Israel has already destroyed all the bridges spanning the Litani River, so anyone who fled north earlier is effectively locked out of returning at any rate.

Human Rights Watch noted that the policy amounted to both forced displacement and wanton destruction, which are considered war crimes under international law. The Israeli offensive continues, however, with the IDF reporting four of their troops were killed and two wounded in fighting.

The B1 bridge is said to be one of the tallest in the Middle East, and photos show it appeared to be severed in half following the attack. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump shared a video of the explosion on the bridge and threatened that more attacks were coming.

“The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again – Much more to follow!” the president wrote on Truth Social. “IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY!”

According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, the strike hit an area of the bridge that was under construction, and at least two civilians were killed, with several more wounded.

The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and other warships that are part of its strike group departed Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Tuesday and are expected to arrive in the Middle East in a few weeks. The US Navy said the strike group’s departure is part of a regularly scheduled deployment.

According to The Wall Street Journal, once the Bush arrives in the region, the US could have three carriers deployed for the Iran war for the foreseeable future, though Al Arabiya reported that the warship could replace one of the two carriers that have been involved in the conflict: the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been operating in the Arabian Sea, or the USS Gerald Ford, which is currently in Croatia after being in Crete for reparis.

Worse yet, as the Costs of War Project reminds us, more than 940,000 people are estimated to have been killed by direct post-9/11 U.S. war violence between 2001 and 2023 in one disastrous conflict after another in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen. And you might think that, from all of that, some lessons might have been learned. But no such luck, since President Donald Trump (in league with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu) has only recently launched a new conflict, this time in Iran, where hundreds of women and children have already been killed, many of them in a Tomahawk missile attack on an Iranian primary school.

One problem in all of this is that Americans seldom hear what life is like on the other side of such nightmarish conflicts. And with that in mind, while the present nightmare in Iran is still ongoing, let TomDispatch regular Helen Benedict, whose new Iraq war novel, The Soldier’s House, is about to be published, take you back to that nightmarish war in Iraq and let you listen to Iraqi civilians who lived through it in an up close and personal fashion. – Tom Engelhardt

In a post on X, Kent shared the phone numbers for the White House comment line (202-456-1111) and the congressional switchboard (202-224-3121). “Respectfully tell them that we do not support putting any boots on the ground in Iran,” he said in a video included in the post.

“This is how we the people can have our voices heard. It’s critical that we pray for peace, but it’s also critical that we work towards peace. Respectfully contact your elected officials and let them know we the people do not support this war,” he added.

According to sources speaking with The Financial Times, Washington was unhappy with members of NATO after President Donald Trump called on European states to join his “coalition of the willing” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and no states signed on.

Tehran closed the Strait to most shipping after the US and Israel conducted a surprise attack on Iran.

The White House responded by threatening to halt weapon sales to Ukraine. After President Trump halted military aid to Ukraine, NATO established the PURL fund to buy American weapons for Ukraine. Ukraine has relied on Western military aid for its war with Russia.

As a result of Washington’s threats, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte persuaded several European leaders to sign a letter stating their intent to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. However, the statement was symbolic as none of the signatories agreed to provide military assistance for the operation.

Dave DeCamp

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