Iran: Trump: "Apache helicopter shot down, we will respond". But maybe it was an accident

One Apache helicopter fell in the Strait of Hormuz because he was shot down by Iranian forces. US President Donald Trump admitted this on Truth Social, promising a response to the attack. “I have just been informed by our great military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while it was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote, “two pilots were involved, both safe and unharmed. Nonetheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

According to what well-informed sources told CNN, the helicopter was hit by an Iranian Shahed drone. A helicopter Apache costs up to $65 millionwhere the average investment to build one Shahed is valued at $35,000.

Media: Apache crashed after accidental collision with drone?

Subsequently, sources cited by CNN report that it is not yet clear whether the US Apache helicopter that fell into the waters above the Strait of Hormuz was shot down intentionally by a Shahed drone or whether it collided with an Iranian drone accidentally.

Iran e Israel in the meantime they have announced a new onetruce after 48 hours of intense exchanges of attacks that had raised fears of the fragile country’s collapse truce came into force on April 8, after more than 100 days of war. The intervention of the US president also favored the de-escalation Donald Trumpwhich had publicly called on the two sides to “immediately” stop military operations.

Trump: “If I tell Netanyahu to do something, he’ll do it”

The US president returns this morning to take action in the Gulf scenario by announcing that “the Strait of Hormuz will reopen immediately after the signing of the agreement, which could take place in two or three days”.

He then claims the pressure put in place between the parties to stop the military operations between Iran and Israel, pointing out at the same time that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not defy him by launching missiles at Iran last Sunday in retaliation for Tehran’s attack. When the two spoke on the phone, the missiles were “already on their way,” Trump stressed. To then add, referring to Netanyahu: “If I tell him to do something, he does it“.

An American helicopter crashes in Hormuz, pilots saved

And helicopter Apache attack aircraft of the American army crashed in the last few hours near the Strait of Hormuz. The news was confirmed by the American president, Donald Trump, who made it known that “The two pilots are safe“. It is currently unclear whether the aircraft was shot down by Iranian fire, whether it suffered a mechanical failure or whether the accident was caused by other factors.

New Israeli raids in southern Lebanon

New air raids Israelis in the area NumberIn the south of Lebanon. This is what the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, linked to Hezbollah, reported, relaunched by the Israeli media. “Planes from Israeli war launched a series of attacks against the al-Rabieh area on the al-Abbasiyah road in the Tire sector.”

IDF: “Evacuate the city of Tire in Lebanon”

The Israeli army invited the inhabitants of the city din Tire and surrounding areas, in south of Lebanonto evacuate in anticipation of attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement.

“Urgent warning to the inhabitants of the city of Tyre, including the Christian neighborhood, as well as the (Palestinian) camps and surrounding neighborhoods,” read a message published on X by Avichay Adraee, Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army. “For the your safetywe ask you to immediately evacuate your homes and move north of the Zahrani River,” he added.

The last two days between Iran and Israel

Tehran was the first to declare its operation against Israel over. The command of the Iranian armed forces called the action a “severe retaliation”, warning however that any new Israeli offensive, including any attacks in the south of Lebanonwould provoke a “much more severe” response than we have seen so far. The President of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed that Iran had changed the balance of the confrontation, preventing the cease-fire remained only a formal agreement destined to be violated on the ground. A few hours later, confirmation arrived from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “For now, hostilities on this front have ceased,” he said, but said Israel would continue to exercise its right to self-defense and respond “forcefully” to any new Iranian attack. Defense Minister Israel Katz is of the same opinion, according to whom the Jewish state will continue to act against Hezbollah.

Escalation risk

The last 48 hours had been marked by a new escalation. Explosions and warning sirens resounded again in both Tehran and Tel Aviv. According to Israeli military sources, Iran launched about thirty missiles against Israel from Sunday evening. The action was presented as a response to the Israeli raid on the southern outskirts of Beirut, a stronghold of the Tehran-backed Hezbollah movement, which left two dead and around twenty injured. Mutual attacks have left at least 15 injured in Iran, according to the head of the national emergency organization.

Raids and assessments in southern Lebanon

Meanwhile, Israel continued to attack southern Lebanon. One was bombed on Monday fifteen locations, including the city of Tyre. The toll released by the Lebanese government and the Red Cross speaks of at least 14 dead and over twenty injured. Hezbollah has claimed new attacks against Israeli forces deployed in southern Lebanon, but without directly hitting Israeli territory.

Diplomatic differences between Tehran and Washington

On the diplomatic level, profound differences remain. Iran insists that the conflict with Hezbollah and the broader one it involves TeheranIsrael and the United States are addressed as a single dossier. Washington, however, aims to separate the two issues and postpone the resolution of the Lebanese front. Trump, committed to containing a conflict considered politically costly in the United States on the eve of the mid-term elections, he reported that he had personally telephoned Netanyahu to ask for an end to hostilities. Vice President JD Vance also underlined that, despite sharing numerous strategic interests with Israel, there are situations in which the priorities of the two countries do not coincide. At the same time, indirect talks continue between Washington and Tehran through the mediation of Pakistan. Both Iranian diplomacy and Trump have confirmed that contacts remain open, even if the American president has complained about the slowness of the negotiation process.

Regional tension and signs of normalization

However, the regional situation remains unstable. Overnight, the Israeli army announced that it had intercepted a new “suspicious air target” coming from Yemen, less than a day after the Houthi rebels, allies of Iran, claimed responsibility for an attack on Israel and declared a ban on Israeli navigation in the Red Sea. A first sign of normalization came from Teheran, where the main international airport announced the return to full operations after the reopening of the national airspace.

The words of Donald Trump

“Negotiations with Iran are ongoing, they haven’t stopped. I think we can have at least an idea in a day or two. I think they’re going well.” The American president, Donald Trump, said this, speaking to journalists at the end of the NBA final, commenting on the scenario of war with Iran. “We are moving towards the total deprivation of Iran of nuclear weapons. The economic siege on Iran is better than the military option.” Then, regarding the Strait of Hormuz, he highlighted that “it will reopen immediately after the signing of the agreement, which could take place between two or three days“. In another passage he added that he “does not blame” the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahufor “responding to Iranian attacks.” “We had a great conversation, he was impressed and responded in kind. And I can’t blame him for that. Now they have decided to close the matter,” he explained. “So they’ll leave each other alone for another week or so. This has been going on for a long time. I could say about 3,000 years, if you really want. But it’s certainly been going on for 47 years.” “They exchanged barbs, and now they have both agreed, through me, to stop, and we are in the final stages of what will be a very good agreement,” he concluded.