Iran and US receive proposal for 45-day ceasefire and reopen Strait of Hormuz

Iran and the United States received a draft proposal on Sunday calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, two Mideast officials told media persons on condition of anonymity.

The proposal comes from Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators hoping the 45-day window would provide enough time for talks to reach a permanent ceasefire. Iran and the U.S. have not responded to the proposal, which was sent to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, the officials said.

The head of intelligence for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed Monday in an attack targeting him, Iranian state media said. The Israeli military later confirmed the airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi took place in Iran’s capital Tehran.

Strikes on cities across Iran have killed more people Monday, while in Israel’s Haifa victims were found dead in rubble following an attack.  U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday stepped up his threat to target Iran’s critical infrastructure hard if the country’s government doesn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline.

Trump punctuated his threat with profanity in a social media post.  Tuesday will be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Ira,” he wrote.

The war began with joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Feb. 28 and has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. Both sides have threatened and hit civilian targets, bringing warnings of possible war crimes from the United Nations and international law experts.

Israeli military says it killed leader of Quds Force undercover unit

Israel’s military said Monday it killed the leader of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s undercover unit in its expeditionary Quds Force.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, a military spokesman, confirmed the killing of Asghar Bakeri talking to reporters.

He said Bakeri had planned attacks on Israeli and American targets as well as operations in Israel, Syria and Lebanon.

Israeli strike kills anti-Hezbollah politician in Lebanon

The hilly Christian town of Ain Saadeh, east of Beirut, was in shock Monday after an Israeli missile crashed into an apartment building, killing an anti-Hezbollah politician, his wife and another woman. Israel said it targeted a Hezbollah militant, but the third-story apartment was empty.

The strike blew out the walls and windows of the floor below, killing Pierre Mouawad, an official in the Lebanese Forces, a Christian political party opposed to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, and his wife, Flavia Mouawad.