An enormous blast at an Iranian port last night killed at least 40 people and injured more than 1,000 others, in an explosion reportedly caused by chemicals used by Iran to produce missiles.
The New York Times quoted an individual with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who confirmed that the sodium perchlorate imported from China exploded after a fire broke out at the Shahid Rajaee Port.
Videos circulating on social media showed the giant fireball exploding and nearby office buildings, warehouses, trucks, and cranes destroyed by the shockwave.
The regime in Tehran acknowledged the explosion but denied the reports that it was caused by “military-related export or import cargoes." As Seth Frantzman writes in The Jerusalem Post, "The goal here is that the large explosion will not lead to wider protests or to concern about the failures within the Iranian regime."
"Iran is clearly concerned. Some have said the explosion reminds them of the explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020. In that case, it was never entirely clear who was at fault or if the ammonium nitrate that was stored improperly was linked to Hezbollah. Hezbollah is backed by Iran. Iran believes that the port explosion could be used to undermine the regime."
IDF strikes Hezbollah missile warehouse in Beirut, kills operative in south Lebanon
The IDF struck a Hezbollah precision missile warehouse in the Lebanese capital today, after eliminating one of the Iran-backed terror group’s operatives in a drone strike in southern Lebanon.
Footage on social media showed the strike on the facility in the heart of Beirut's southern suburbs.
“Israel will not allow Hezbollah to grow stronger and pose any threat to it – anywhere in Lebanon,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.
They emphasized that Israel will not enable Beirut’s southern suburbs — historically a stronghold for Hezbollah — to serve as a sanctuary for the terror group.
“The storage of missiles in this infrastructure site constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, and poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians," the IDF said.
For decades, Hezbollah has exploited the civilians of Lebanon by deliberately storing its terror infrastructure among and below residential areas. Read more here.
War experts' op-ed: 'How Israeli Military Technology Continues to Improve the US Military'
In a new op-ed, urban warfare experts John Spencer and Liam Collins outline numerous examples of how America's partnership with Israel is essential to keeping U.S. troops safer and better equipped on the battlefield.
"From tank protection systems to artificial intelligence-powered warfare solutions, Israeli defense firms and research institutions have consistently delivered cutting-edge innovations that have found their way into the American military," they write.
"As warfare evolves, the US–Israeli defense partnership will remain at the forefront of military innovation, ensuring both nations stay ahead of emerging threats and shape the battlefields of the future."
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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