IDF Investigates Soldier's Vandalism of Jesus Statue in Lebanon Amid Reports of Iranian Ceasefire Violations

The Israeli military warned residents against returning to southern Lebanon villages. U.S. and Israeli decapitation strikes that killed scores of senior military and political figures, including longtime supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late leader and reportedly wounded in the Israeli strike that killed his father, is Iran’s new supreme leader. Vehicles drove under billboards showing portraits of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei along a highway in Tehran, Iran, on March 24, 2026, according to Vahid Salemi/AP.

Thousands of fervent, flag-waving supporters of Iran’s Islamic Republic took to the streets every night to vent rage at American and Israeli attackers.

Supporters celebrated surviving 40 days of war and a fragile ceasefire. A new hard-line cadre of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ascended after the assassinations. U.S. President Donald Trump stated he achieved regime change in Iran and that the new leaders are less radical and much more reasonable than before.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on X on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was completely open to shipping after weeks of strict limitations imposed by Iran. The IRGC fired on two commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. U.S.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth referred to the new regime in Iran and told leaders to choose wisely as they continued digging out disabled missile launchers on Thursday. U.S. intelligence reported that the IRGC may still retain half its missile arsenal.

Hossein Yekta, an IRGC ideologue believed close to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, told state-run television this month to urge moms and dads to take children’s hands and join pro-regime street gatherings. Yekta likened the war to a fight between Shiite Muslims and Jews foretold in the ninth century on state television the night before.

Yekta stated the infallible Imam Mahdi said Iranians will enter Jerusalem and there will be killing, saying 'bekosh, bekosh' in Persian.

U.S. naval blockade on top of Iran’s on April 13. Trump warned on April 13 that any ship that left Iranian ports or carried Iranian oil would be stopped. U.S.

Naval forces had fired upon and seized an Iranian cargo ship defying the blockade. U.S. fired more than 17,000 munitions since February 28. Israel fired another 19,000 munitions since February 28.

U.S. air campaign last June. U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

The White House demanded Iran suspend its nuclear program, hand over all highly enriched uranium currently buried under rubble, limit the range of its missiles, and open up the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. and anti-Israel rally at Enghelab Square in Tehran, Iran, amid a ceasefire on April 15, 2026, according to Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters.

Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi is the new hard-line commander of the IRGC. Vahidi stated the supreme leader isn’t even buried yet and Qalibaf is already shaking hands with those who killed him. Qalibaf is a former ranking IRGC commander and national police chief.

The IRGC claimed recruiting interest has been so high that it lowered the enrollment age to 12. Hard-line regime supporters in recent years have been estimated to constitute 10% to 15% of the population. The IRGC led a brutal crackdown on street protests in January that left thousands dead.

U.S. forces. -based Human Rights Activists News Agency.