Israel launched another wave of large-scale strikes on Tehran and hit Hezbollah command centers in Beirut, while Iran fired more missiles toward Israel and struck its northern neighbor, Azerbaijan, the 13th nation to be attacked since the start of the war.
Dubai news; Smoke rises after reported Iranian missile attacks, following United States and Israel strikes on Iran, as seen from Doha, Qatar, (REUTERS)
Israel has struck several sports venues and other sites in Tehran, targeting civilian locations used by Iranian security forces in emergency situations, according to people familiar with the matter.
On Thursday, the Israeli military urged residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs to leave their homes amid its offensive against Hezbollah. Thousands of people live in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which are predominantly Shiite Muslim.
The Israeli military released a video it says shows an Israeli F-35I jet fighter shooting down an Iranian Yak-130, a Russian-made jet fighter, in the skies over Tehran. Israel said this was the first air-to-air shootdown of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35.
The U.S. military has sunk or destroyed more than 30 Iranian warships, including a large drone carrier, said Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command.
The conflict has forced a de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, trapping ships in the Persian Gulf while forcing Gulf oil producers to slash output and Asian refiners to hunt for alternative supplies.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, climbed above $85 Thursday.
Foreign ministers of the Arab League member states will hold an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss Iran’s attacks on several countries in the region. The meeting, which will be held via videoconference, was requested by Saudi Arabia, according to Arab officials familiar with the matter.
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit has said that Iran’s unprecedented state of hostility with its neighbors was a strategic mistake, calling on the country to “come to its senses.”
The prolonged tensions, closing on their sixth day of combat, have spurred moves by the U.S. and its allies to improve security and bring back residents.
A day after an Iranian missile headed toward Turkey was intercepted, NATO said it has strengthened its ballistic-missile defenses across the alliance.
The State Department closed the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, after suspending operations Tuesday and previously advising Americans in Kuwait to shelter in place.
Nearly 20,000 Americans have returned to the U.S. from the Middle East since the conflict began, according to State Department spokesman Dylan Johnson. Those figures don’t include American citizens who have fled to other countries or are still in transit to the U.S., the State Department said.
Missiles near Dubai forced the cancellation of an Air France flight chartered to evacuate French nationals from the United Arab Emirates, said the airline and French officials. The pilot had to make an in-flight U-turn because of missile fire.
The U.K. is deploying four extra Typhoon jets to Qatar to bolster security in the region, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. Italy’s Parliament approved a motion that authorizes the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to deploy air defenses, antimissile defenses and surveillance systems to support countries in the Gulf region and protect Italian citizens and strategic infrastructure.
The motion also called on the government to participate in common European efforts to help European Union countries defend against Iranian missiles or drones.
