Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs in Lebanon, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for the world's oil, has become a battleground in the war, with three cargo ships hit in the area today. Iran has threatened to fire on any vessel there, effectively closing it, though has not claimed the attacks. Last night, US forces struck 16 Iranian "mine-laying boats" near the strait; Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire across the Middle East, with Israel striking Tehran and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain have reported Iranian attacks today. There remains uncertainty about Donald Trump's objectives for the war after he claimed it'll be "ended soon", only for his defence secretary Pete Hegseth to later stress it'll only end when the US is ready. Live updates ➡️ https://news.sky.com/story/iran-latest-israel-launches-preventative-attack-defence-minister-says-13509565 #Iran #Israel #USA #MiddleEast #Lebanon #Trump #SkyNews #SkyNewsLive #Live SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skynews Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skynews For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps: Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8 Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB Listen to our new podcast This is Why, available for free here: https://podfollow.com/thisiswhy To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/library-sales