Iran strikes Haifa as Trump extends Strait of Hormuz deadline

At least four people are feared trapped under the rubble in the Israeli city following a missile strike

Welcome to RT's live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran, a widening conflict marked by intense missile and drone strikes across the Middle East.

Search efforts are continuing for four Israelis feared trapped under the rubble of an apartment building destroyed by an Iranian missile in Haifa. The Israeli military has opened an investigation into the failure to intercept the projectile.

US President Donald Trump renewed his threat to bomb Iran's power plants and bridges unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened to shipping. "Open the F**kin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!" the president wrote on Truth Social on Sunday, after extending the deadline to Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Wednesday, 12:00 a.m. GMT).

Iran's mission to the UN responded by arguing that Trump's remarks signal a readiness to commit "war crimes."

Iran closed the strategically important chokepoint to "enemy ships" shortly after the US and Israel initiated their air campaign on February 28. Tehran later said that the waterway would remain closed to the US and Israel "in the long term." Around 20-25% of the world's oil and 20% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) pass through the narrow waterway.

Meanwhile, Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari sought to downplay the success of the US commando raid that resulted in the rescue of a missing crew member of an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over southwestern Iran on Friday. Zolfaghari claimed Iranian forces had downed two C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters, while US media reported that American troops destroyed their own aircraft after failing to take off from a makeshift airstrip.

In Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been conducting a ground offensive and massive airstrikes against Hezbollah militants, "it's been a very bloody Easter Sunday," RT correspondent Steve Sweeney reported. Several people were killed in an attack on a densely populated residential neighborhood in Beirut, with more Israeli airstrikes reported in other parts of Lebanon.

Here are the latest developments:

  • Rosatom says all 198 evacuated staff fromBushehrare safe and expected to cross into Armenia overnight.
  • An Israeli airstrike on southernLebanonkilled seven people, including a four-year-old girl, bringing the death toll since early March to at least 1,422.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Christians "a blessed and joyful Easter," touting Israel's "unwavering" commitment to religious freedom - amidbacklashover blocked Palm Sunday access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and his comparison of Jesus to Genghis Khan.
  • Iran struck multiple energy sites inKuwait, with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reporting "significant material losses."
  • Iran also said it hit petrochemical and industrial sites in Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, claiming the targets were linked to US economic interests.

Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updateshere.

(RT.com)

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