28 vessels transit through Strait of Hormuz after obtaining permits: IRGC

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that 28 vessels, including oil tankers, container ships and other commercial vessels, had safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours after obtaining permits and with the coordination and security provided the IRGC Navy.

The IRGC emphasized that the Gulf is a waterway belonging to the countries of the region, and that the "aggression and disruptive actions" of the U.S. military are the main reasons for its insecurity recently, adding that the smart control of the Strait of Hormuz is being carried out continuously, resolutely and effectively.

Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Saturday the Iranian armed forces are exercising management over the Strait of Hormuz with full authority, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Making the remarks in a statement, the headquarters stressed that for passage through the waterway, all vessels, including commercial ships and oil tankers, are required to solely travel through the routes designated by Iran and obtain permission from the IRGC Navy.

The headquarters warned that Iran's armed forces will respond to any action by military vessels to interfere in the strait's management or disrupt traffic through it.

Iran tightened its grip on the strait beginning Feb 28, when it barred safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

The United States has also imposed a naval blockade on the strait, preventing ships traveling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway.

28 vessels transit through Strait of Hormuz after obtaining permits: IRGC

The death toll in Lebanon from Israeli attacks has risen to 3,371, with 10,129 others injured, since March 2, said the country's health ministry on Saturday.

Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks across southern Lebanon late Friday and into Saturday killed at least 15 people and wounded several others, according to the ministry.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Sunday that they are carrying out strikes on Hezbollah's infrastructure in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre and several other areas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that after his directive to expand the maneuver in Lebanon, Israeli forces crossed the Litani River and seized key areas, including the Beaufort Ridge, with the strategic Beaufort Castle at its summit, in southern Lebanon. The Beaufort Ridge is an area beyond the "security zone" Israel has maintained since a ceasefire took effect in mid-April.

The current objective is to consolidate control over these captured positions, he said, calling the seizure of the Beaufort "a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policy we are leading."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the same day that the Israeli army will remain stationed at the strategic Beaufort Castle as part of the "security zone."

Katz also said that taking control of the castle and expanding ground military operations sent a message to the opponents -- "whoever threatens the citizens of Israel will lose their strategic assets one after another."

On Friday, the negotiations between the military delegations of Lebanon and Israel in Washington D.C., the Unite States, failed to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Lebanese death toll from Israeli attacks rises to 3,371