War in the Middle East: Latest developments
Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:
Israel announces fresh strikes on Iran
Israel’s military said that it had unleashed a new “wave of strikes” on Tehran, shortly after a round of explosions was heard in the Iranian capital.
“The IDF (military) has begun an additional wave of strikes on Iranian terror regime targets,” the Israeli military wrote on its official Telegram channel.
Oil prices dive
Crude prices sank and equities mostly rose as oil-importing countries discussed a possible stockpile release while monitoring the Strait of Hormuz, a key petroleum waterway emptied of traffic.
International oil benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, plunged 11.3 percent to $87.80 a barrel, a day after it neared $120.
Trump warns against mining Hormuz
US forces have destroyed 10 Iranian mine-laying vessels, President Donald Trump said, warning Tehran of unprecedented military consequences if it targets the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s comments came after Tehran vowed that no Gulf oil would pass through the strait, as oil prices remained highly volatile over the virtual halt of shipping.
Iran says four of its diplomats killed in Beirut
Iran accused Israel of killing four of its diplomats in a weekend strike on a seafront Beirut hotel in what it called a “terrorist attack.”
The Israeli military previously said it had “conducted a precise strike targeting key commanders” in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, its foreign operations arm.
Israeli strikes hit Lebanon
Fresh Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and south Lebanon after the Israeli army warned people to evacuate, with Lebanese authorities saying nearly 760,000 people had been registered as displaced.
Lebanon was drawn into war last week when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
US has not escorted tanker through Hormuz
The United States has not escorted any oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, the White House said, after the energy secretary’s social media account posted and deleted a claim that it did so.
The shift in narrative caused markets to swing, with oil dropping sharply after Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s initial post.
140 US personnel wounded
The Pentagon said that about 140 US military personnel have been wounded in attacks in the Iran war.
The figure comes on top of the death of seven US service members early in the conflict already given by the US military.
Iran says no ceasefire
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on social media “we aren’t seeking a ceasefire” and declared the United States and Israel must be “taught a lesson that will deter them from attacking Iran again.”
Ukraine drone experts
Ukrainian military experts in drone defense will go to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia this week as the Gulf countries fend off Iranian attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Hacked cameras
Israel’s cybersecurity directorate said it had identified “dozens of Iranian breaches into security cameras for espionage purposes” since the start of the war and urged the public to update their passwords and software.
Iran arrests alleged spies
Iran’s intelligence ministry announced the arrests of 30 people accused of spying “on behalf of two Persian Gulf countries in the name of the American-Zionist enemy.”
Those arrested included one foreigner, whose nationality was not revealed.
Major refinery shut
One of the world’s biggest oil refineries, the Ruwais facility in the United Arab Emirates, halted operations as a “precaution” following a drone attack on the industrial complex housing it, a source told AFP.
Putin urges ‘de-escalation’
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for “de-escalation” of the Iran conflict in a phone call with Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said.
“Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, particularly for providing humanitarian aid to Iran,” the Kremlin added, confirming Moscow had sent assistance to its ally Tehran. /apl
