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Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:
Gulf attacks
Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile attacks on Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed 10 drones in the country’s east and another in the north.
Bahrain’s interior ministry said that shrapnel from an “Iranian aggression” caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.
UAE arrests
UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a “terrorist network” linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said.
The alleged network had “sought to infiltrate the national economy” as part of “a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran”, the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus.
Tehran strikes
The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.
A military statement said Israeli forces had “begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran.”
Macron says eyeing UN action on Hormuz
French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework — once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended — to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding,” he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.
Explosions over Jerusalem
Israel’s military said it had identified three rounds of missile fire in the hour and a half preceding midnight (2200 GMT), and another a few hours later.
AFP reporters heard several loud blasts over Jerusalem late Thursday night.
The Magen David Adom emergency services reported no casualties, but police said there was damage in several locations.
EU migration fears
European Union leaders vowed to “fully mobilise” to prevent “uncontrolled migratory movements” towards the 27-nation bloc, as the Iran war sparked concerns of a repeat of a 2015 migration crisis.
“To avoid a similar situation, the EU is ready to fully mobilise its diplomatic, legal, operational and financial tools to prevent uncontrolled migratory movements to the EU and preserve security in Europe,” the leaders said after talks at a summit in Brussels.
Qatar says strike cuts 17% of gas capacity
Qatar’s energy minister said attacks on the country’s energy installations would slash its export capacity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 17 percent, and take three to five years to repair.
“We will be compelled to declare force majeure for up to five years on some long-term LNG contracts,” Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said in a statement.
Netanyahu says Iran ‘decimated’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference he saw “this war ending a lot faster than people think”.
“We are winning and Iran is being decimated,” Netanyahu said, adding that Iran was no longer able to enrich uranium or to build ballistic missiles.
He also denied that Israel “dragged” the US into the war, saying “Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?”
Israel ‘acted alone’
Netanyahu said Israel acted on its own when it struck an Iranian gas field, which sparked a retaliatory strike by Tehran on Qatar’s main gas hub.
“Israel acted alone against the Asaluyeh gas compound… President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks and we’re holding out.”
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he told Israel not to carry out any more such strikes. “I told him, don’t do that, and he won’t do that,” Trump told reporters.
Hormuz ‘blackmail’
Netanyahu said attempts to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz would fail. “The death cult in Iran is trying to blackmail the world by closing a key international maritime route, the Strait of Hormuz. It won’t work,” he said.
Lebanon truce
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun renewed his call for a truce and the opening of negotiations with Israel to stop the war between it and Hezbollah, as he received France’s foreign minister.
Earlier, Lebanon’s health ministry said that Israeli attacks have killed 1,001 people in the country since the war erupted, including 79 women, 118 children and 40 health workers, with 2,584 other people wounded.
US airbase in German
Iran said it had asked Germany to clarify the role of the Ramstein airbase in the war.
“We have asked them to clarify or explain regarding the role of Ramstein,” Tehran’s ambassador to Germany Majid Nili told AFP, saying that “the role of Ramstein is not officially clear for us”.
No US ground troops
Trump said he was not sending US ground troops to Iran, telling reporters: “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you. But I’m not putting troops.”
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Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:
Gulf attacks
Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile attacks on Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed 10 drones in the country’s east and another in the north.
Bahrain’s interior ministry said that shrapnel from an “Iranian aggression” caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.
UAE arrests
UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a “terrorist network” linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said.
The alleged network had “sought to infiltrate the national economy” as part of “a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran”, the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus.
Tehran strikes
The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.
A military statement said Israeli forces had “begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran.”
Macron says eyeing UN action on Hormuz
French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework — once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended — to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding,” he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.
Explosions over Jerusalem
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Israel’s military said it had identified three rounds of missile fire in the hour and a half preceding midnight (2200 GMT), and another a few hours later.
AFP reporters heard several loud blasts over Jerusalem late Thursday night.
The Magen David Adom emergency services reported no casualties, but police said there was damage in several locations.
EU migration fears
European Union leaders vowed to “fully mobilise” to prevent “uncontrolled migratory movements” towards the 27-nation bloc, as the Iran war sparked concerns of a repeat of a 2015 migration crisis.
“To avoid a similar situation, the EU is ready to fully mobilise its diplomatic, legal, operational and financial tools to prevent uncontrolled migratory movements to the EU and preserve security in Europe,” the leaders said after talks at a summit in Brussels.
Qatar says strike cuts 17% of gas capacity
Qatar’s energy minister said attacks on the country’s energy installations would slash its export capacity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 17 percent, and take three to five years to repair.
“We will be compelled to declare force majeure for up to five years on some long-term LNG contracts,” Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said in a statement.
Netanyahu says Iran ‘decimated’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference he saw “this war ending a lot faster than people think”.
“We are winning and Iran is being decimated,” Netanyahu said, adding that Iran was no longer able to enrich uranium or to build ballistic missiles.
He also denied that Israel “dragged” the US into the war, saying “Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?”
Israel ‘acted alone’
Netanyahu said Israel acted on its own when it struck an Iranian gas field, which sparked a retaliatory strike by Tehran on Qatar’s main gas hub.
“Israel acted alone against the Asaluyeh gas compound… President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks and we’re holding out.”
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he told Israel not to carry out any more such strikes. “I told him, don’t do that, and he won’t do that,” Trump told reporters.
Hormuz ‘blackmail’
Netanyahu said attempts to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz would fail. “The death cult in Iran is trying to blackmail the world by closing a key international maritime route, the Strait of Hormuz. It won’t work,” he said.
Lebanon truce
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun renewed his call for a truce and the opening of negotiations with Israel to stop the war between it and Hezbollah, as he received France’s foreign minister.
Earlier, Lebanon’s health ministry said that Israeli attacks have killed 1,001 people in the country since the war erupted, including 79 women, 118 children and 40 health workers, with 2,584 other people wounded.
US airbase in German
Iran said it had asked Germany to clarify the role of the Ramstein airbase in the war.
“We have asked them to clarify or explain regarding the role of Ramstein,” Tehran’s ambassador to Germany Majid Nili told AFP, saying that “the role of Ramstein is not officially clear for us”.
No US ground troops
Trump said he was not sending US ground troops to Iran, telling reporters: “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you. But I’m not putting troops.”
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By AFP