US military says strikes in the first 24 hours was nearly double the scale of the 2003 ‘shock-and-awe’ operation in Iraq; US president orders insurance to be provided for shipping in crucial waterway Trump administration has still not settled on reasons for war Middle East attacks intensify as Trump rejects Iran’s attempt to talk Israeli strikes on two towns south of Beirut have killed six people and wounded eight, Lebanon’s health ministry has announced. In a statement, the ministry said that “the Israeli enemy’s attacks on the areas of Aramoun and Saadiyat” killed six people and wounded eight others “in a preliminary toll”. Continue reading...