Here are Wednesday’s latest updates:
■ Washington asked U.S. embassies in the Middle East to prepare to continue operating with reduced staff, and displaced personnel are allowed to cut their assignments short as the Iran war is expected to continue, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
■ U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz, adding, “I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!”
■ The Israeli military said IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir held a meeting on Wednesday, ordering to deploy more soldiers in the northern West Bank after settlers took over a Palestinian family’s house.
■ The Israeli military said it killed a Hamas militant in the northern Gaza Strip, saying he planned to attack IDF soldiers. The army added that it sought to “mitigate harm to civilians,” but didn’t provide details on the extent of civilian casualties.
■ Israel and Lebanon have agreed on Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia as potential contributors to a proposed mechanism that could see foreign troops deployed to Lebanon to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament, people familiar with the matter said.
■ The Israel Police and ultra-Orthodox demonstrators clashed in central Israel after the protesters blocked a major highway in the area.
■ The European Union and 26 countries condemned Iran’s executions of protesters in a joint statement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Wednesday.