War in the Middle East: latest developments
Here are the latest main events related to the war in the Middle East:
Iran launches missiles at Israel
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Iran launched a fresh round of missiles at Israel early Thursday, triggering alerts in several areas including Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli military and Tehran's state media.
Explosions were heard in Jerusalem after warnings of incoming Iranian missile fire, according to AFP journalists, but Israel's emergency services said there were no known casualties.
Air strike hits Hezbollah stronghold
An air strike hit the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut early Thursday, after Israel had issued a warning to residents.
Elsewhere, three people were killed in a pair of Israeli strikes on vehicles along Beirut's airport highway, Lebanon's health ministry said.
Prior to these strikes, officials had said 72 people had been killed and more than 83,000 others displaced since the start of a new round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Oil spill near Kuwait
A tanker was hit by a "large explosion" in the waters off Kuwait, causing an oil spill, British maritime security agency UKMTO said.
"There is oil in the water coming from a cargo tank which could have some environmental impact".
Qatar evacuations near US embassy
Qatar has begun evacuating residents of its capital living near the US embassy as a precautionary measure, the interior ministry said, after Iranian strikes.
Turkey says missile from Iran destroyed
A ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading towards Turkish airspace via Iraq and Syria was destroyed by NATO air defense systems, Turkish officials said.
The defense ministry did not specify the missile's intended target, but the foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador.
A Turkish official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the missile had been "aimed at a base in Greek Cyprus but veered off course".
Iran has been hitting sites across the region in retaliation after the United States and Israel launched strikes against it on Saturday.
'Historic gains'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that Israel and the United States had made "historic gains" in their war against Iran.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu, Shosh Bedrosian, also said in a video message that the attack was needed as Iran was using "new underground bunkers" to rebuild its atomic bomb program.
'We're doing well,' says Trump
President Donald Trump hailed the US performance in the war, saying Iran's leaders were rapidly being killed, and vowing to push on.
"We're doing well on the war front, to put it mildly. Somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it? I said about a 15," Trump told a gathering of tech bosses.
Canada can't rule out war role
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he couldn't "rule out participation" in the escalating war.
"We will stand by our allies," he said alongside local counterpart Anthony Albanese in Canberra.
Spain denies US claim of cooperation
Spain doubled down on its opposition to Washington's use of its bases against Iran, after Trump's threats of trade reprisals.
The White House said Madrid had now agreed to cooperate, but Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said its stance on "bases, on the war in the Middle East, on the bombardment of Iran, has not changed at all."
China to send envoy to mediate
China will send a special envoy to mediate in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
Beijing is a close partner of Iran and has said it backs Tehran in defending its sovereignty, while urging the United States and Israel to cease their attacks.
Qatar ire
Qatar's PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani lambasted Iran's foreign minister during a call, accusing Tehran of trying to drag their neighbors into war.
Cargo crisis deepens
Danish shipping giant Maersk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd said they were suspending bookings in the Gulf until further notice following a risk assessment, after China's Cosco announced a similar halt.
Oil prices had risen as Iran warns vessels against using the narrow Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and crucial for oil tankers, in the Gulf.
Hormuz crew rescued
The Omani navy rescued 24 crew members of a container ship struck by missiles in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian forces claimed "complete control" of the strait a day after Trump said the US Navy was ready to escort tankers through the channel.
Sri Lanka recovers 87 bodies
A US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka.
"We have collected 87 bodies, and a search is still on for the others who are still missing," a Sri Lankan navy official told AFP.
Comments