{"id":5346,"date":"2026-03-19T03:32:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T03:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kigalihit.rw\/?p=5346"},"modified":"2026-03-19T03:32:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T03:32:31","slug":"what-we-know-on-the-19th-day-of-the-us-and-israels-war-with-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kigalihit.rw\/?p=5346","title":{"rendered":"What we know on the 19th day of the US and Israel\u2019s war with Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel says it killed Iran\u2019s intelligence minister in a Tuesday night strike on Tehran, a day after it killed two other senior Iranian leaders in strikes on the capital. The attacks demonstrate Israel\u2019s unrelenting push to pick off power brokers within the regime.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Iran accused the United States and Israel of attacking parts of its oil and natural gas production facilities, including at South Pars, the world\u2019s largest natural gas field. Iran vowed to retaliate for attacks that would mark a significant escalation in the war.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know on Day 19.<\/p>\n

What are the main headlines?<\/h2>\n
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\"Israeli<\/picture><\/div>\n
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Israeli emergency services respond at an apartment damaged by a missile strike near Tel Aviv on Wednesday.<\/span><\/div>\n

AFP\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  • Intelligence minister killed:<\/strong> Israel said Wednesday that it killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in a strike the previous night. Announcing Khatib\u2019s killing, which Iran later confirmed, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he authorized the military to kill \u201cany senior Iranian official\u201d once an opportunity arises, \u201cwithout the need for additional approval.\u201d <\/span><\/li>\n
  • Top officials killed:<\/strong> Khatib\u2019s killing comes after Iran on Tuesday confirmed the death of Ali Larijani, its powerful security chief and the highest-ranking Iranian official to be killed since the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war. Israel has also killed the head of the Basij, Iran\u2019s feared paramilitary force. In response, Iran announced a \u201crapid strike\u201d and \u201cintense\u201d attacks against Israel. <\/span><\/li>\n
  • Oil prices surge: <\/strong>Global oil prices surged to $110 per barrel Wednesday, as strikes on energy infrastructure across the Middle East jolted markets. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose as high as $110.90 per barrel and US crude hit $99.78 per barrel following reports that Iran had struck energy infrastructure in gulf states. <\/span><\/li>\n
  • Gas facility bombed: <\/strong>A US official denied that American forces attacked gas fields in Iran, instead saying the strike was carried out by Israel. The denial came after Iranian state media accused the US and Israel of attacking the South Pars natural gas field \u2014 the world\u2019s largest \u2014 and other energy facilities on Wednesday, in what would mark a significant escalation. <\/span><\/li>\n
  • US attacks Iran: <\/strong>Meanwhile, the US military said it has dropped 5,000-pound guided bombs designed to penetrate targets deep underground on Iranian missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts said the bombings could be the opening salvo of a three-week campaign to make the waterway \u2014 through which one-fifth of the world\u2019s oil ordinarily flows \u2014 safe for oil tanker traffic again. <\/span><\/li>\n
  • US official resigns:<\/strong> Joe Kent, a senior Trump-appointed US intelligence official, abruptly announced Tuesday he is stepping down from his post, citing misgivings about the administration\u2019s war with Iran. Trump said Kent\u2019s resignation was a \u201cgood thing\u201d because he was \u201cvery weak on security.\u201d In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, he said he felt Israel had pulled the US into the conflict and was broadly influencing American policy in the Middle East. He also said there was \u201cno intelligence\u201d Iran was prepared to launch \u201cbig sneak attack.\u201d <\/span><\/li>\n
  • Trump dismisses allies: <\/strong>Trump said the US should rethink its NATO membership as he criticized allies for not helping with the war or in securing the Strait of Hormuz. Several American partners have balked at Trump\u2019s request to send warships to help transport oil through the strait, though a senior official from the United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it\u2019s open to helping. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    What\u2019s happening on the ground?<\/h2>\n
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    \"Missiles<\/picture><\/div>\n
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    Missiles fired from Iran toward Israel are seen in the skies over Hebron, West Bank, on March 18, 2026.<\/span><\/div>\n

    Wisam Hashlamoun\/Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    • Gulf states: <\/strong>Energy infrastructure in Persian Gulf countries came under attack Wednesday, with fires reported at key facilities in Qatar and aerial threats intercepted in Saudi Arabia, following a warning from Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The incidents mark a significant escalation in regional tensions as critical energy infrastructure is increasingly drawn into the conflict. <\/span><\/li>\n
    • Baghdad targeted: <\/strong>Drone and rocket attacks resumed around the US Embassy in Baghdad early Wednesday local time. A hotel in Baghdad, a US diplomatic facility near Baghdad International Airport and an oil field in southern Iraq were targets on Tuesday. Iranian-backed militias claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, saying they were acting in support of Tehran. <\/span><\/li>\n
    • Iran strikes Israel: <\/strong>Israel said early Wednesday it was intercepting a new salvo of missiles from Iran. CNN witnessed what appeared to be a cluster munition over central Israel, with impact sites reported at various cities including Tel Aviv. Two people were killed in central Israel, according to Israel\u2019s emergency response service. <\/span><\/li>\n
    • Nuclear plant hit:<\/strong> Iran\u2019s Atomic Energy Organization said a \u201chostile projectile\u201d struck the site of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran on Tuesday, but it reported no casualties or damage to the facility along the Persian Gulf. It did not say which country was behind the attack. <\/span><\/li>\n
    • Diplomatic relations strained: <\/strong>Following an attack on the Ras Laffan natural gas processing facility, a bedrock of Qatar\u2019s economy, the country expelled Iran\u2019s military and security attach\u00e9s. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Israel says it killed Iran\u2019s intelligence minister in a Tuesday night strike on Tehran, a day after it killed two other senior Iranian leaders in strikes on the capital. The attacks demonstrate Israel\u2019s unrelenting push to pick off power brokers within the regime. Meanwhile, Iran accused the United States and Israel of attacking parts of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,116,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-kh","category-mu-mahanga"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t