US and Iran clash in the Strait of Hormuz, IDF strikes in Gaza and West Bank

CENTCOM destroys two Iranian boats after an IRGC attempt to seize a US Navy drone, while IDF eliminates Hamas commanders in Gaza and operates near Hebron.

US and Iran clash in the Strait of Hormuz, IDF strikes in Gaza and West Bank — The US military launched approximately 70 interceptor missiles last week as Iran attacked Jordan, a scale of defensive fire that underscores the intensity of regional engagements.[^1] On Monday, CENTCOM destroyed two Iranian small boats after IRGC personnel attempted to steal a US Navy drone in the Strait of Hormuz; the drone remains under US control.[^2] Iran's state broadcaster IRIB claimed on Tuesday that its air defense shot down a third US MQ-1 drone over the same waterway, a claim the Pentagon has not yet addressed.[^3] The IDF and Shin Bet eliminated Ahmed Batash, commander of Hamas's Jabalia Battalion, in the northern Gaza Strip during the night between Sunday and Monday.[^4] Two additional Hamas military wing operatives were killed in targeted strikes in Khan Younis and Gaza City on Monday, including one who trained terrorists ahead of the October 7 attack.[^5] Tonight (Wednesday), IDF forces are operating in Yatta, south of Hebron, in an operation that includes airlifting troops.[^6] The Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting a Houthi drone before it entered prohibited airspace over Mecca, the second such attempt since a ballistic missile launch in July 2017, according to coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki. Meanwhile, a Pentagon report estimates damage to US diplomatic facilities in the Middle East at approximately $184 million, with more than 600 attacks recorded against American facilities in Iraq alone, causing an estimated $157 million in damage. The question now is whether the US can sustain this defensive posture without escalating into a broader confrontation with Iran. Violent incidents and sentencing across Israel and the US — A 14-year-old boy was slashed on Monday evening inside Yeshiva Gevoah Toldos, an Orthodox synagogue in Borough Park, Brooklyn. The suspect, 22-year-old Krybus Shimon, a fellow congregant, was taken into custody. Borough Park is one of the largest Orthodox enclaves in the US, home to about 96,000 Jews. The attack comes after over 70 swastikas were sprayed in a local park in January, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced $70