US-Israeli war on Iran widens with first attack from Yemen

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have confirmed their first attack on Israel since the United States-Israeli war on Iran began. 

The ballistic missile attack that was intercepted by Israel targeted Israeli military sites located in the south of the occupied West Bank, the group says, reports Al Jazeera.

The Guardian reported that the Houthis said the attack came after continued targeting of infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, adding that their operations would continue until the “aggression” on all fronts ends.

The military’s Central Command has dismissed claims by the IRGC that Iranian forces attacked several locations in Dubai hosting more than 500 US forces and caused “heavy losses”.

“No US personnel have been attacked in Dubai,” said CENTCOM in a post on X, accusing Iran’s government of “manufacturing lies”.

Iraq’s prime minister condemns attack on house of Kurdish region’s president

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned an attack on the house of the president of the country’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, the prime minister’s office says in a statement, reports Al Jazreera.

Al-Sudani spoke to the Kurdish region’s president Nechirvan Barzani by telephone, it said. The attack occurred early this morning, according to security sources.

Qatar says targeted by numerous Iranian drones today, all intercepted 
Qatar’s Defence Ministry says Iran launched numerous drones at Qatari territory today, but that all were “successfully intercepted and neutralised”.

Emirati aluminium conglomerate reports ‘significant damage’ at production base after Iranian attacks
The UAE’s state-owned aluminium conglomerate, Emirates ⁠Global ⁠Aluminum (EGA), says that its Al Taweelah production base suffered “significant damage” from Iranian missile and drone attacks on Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Economic Zone earlier today.

In a statement, EGA said numerous employees were injured from the attacks, though none are in critical condition, and that damage assessment is ongoing.

As we reported earlier, Emirati authorities said an early morning attack caused debris to fall near the Khalifa Economic Zone, causing multiple fires at the site.

Rosatom says situation at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant keeps deteriorating

The situation at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant continues to deteriorate and attacks pose a direct threat to nuclear safety, the head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has said after another strike near the facility.

Yesterday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran had informed it of another strike in the vicinity of Bushehr, the third such incident in 10 days, with no damage to the operating reactor and no release of radiation reported.

Israeli strike kills Lebanese soldier, says Lebanese army

An Israeli air raid in the southern Lebanese town of Deir al-Zahrani has killed one Lebanese soldier, Lebanon’s National News agency cites the army as saying.

US Vice President Vance says US to get out of Iran ‘soon’
US Vice President JD Vance has addressed the war on Iran during an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.

Vance said that while the US has achieved the majority of its military objectives, Trump plans to continue the war “for a little while longer” to ensure Iran’s government is severely hampered.

“The president’s going to keep at it for a little while longer to ensure that once we leave, we don’t have to do this again for a very, very long time,” Vance said. “We need to neuter them [the Iranian government] for a very, very long time, and that’s the purpose.”

Vance conceded that petrol prices have increased as a result of the conflict, but said they would come down soon. “This is a very, very temporary reaction to what is ultimately going to be a short-term conflict.”

“I think the president has been very clear about this: We’re not interested in being in Iran a year down the road, two years down the road,” Vance said. “We’re taking care of business, we’re going to be out of there soon, and gas prices are going to come back down.”

Lebanon’s president calls Israeli strike on journalists ‘blatant crime’

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has condemned the Israeli strike that killed a journalist for Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV and another for the pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen channel in southern Lebanon.

“Once again, the Israeli aggression violates the most basic rules of international law, international humanitarian law and the laws of war, by targeting journalists, who are ultimately civilians performing a professional duty,” Aoun said in a statement released by the presidency.

“This is a blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars.”

The Lebanese Press Syndicate has also condemned the Israeli strike on the two journalists, calling it a “heinous crime”.

Syria foils drone attacks launched from Iraq: Report

Syria has foiled drone attacks launched from Iraq targeting its Al-Tanf military base, Syria’s state news agency is reporting, citing the Syrian military.

The report did not specify the precise source of the attacks.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed groups based in the country, has previously claimed attacks on several “enemy bases” in the region since the war began.

Earlier today, the Iraqi news outlet Sabereen reported attacks by the group on several airbases and an airport in Jordan.

Egypt to slow down large state projects amid rising energy costs

The economic crunch due to the ongoing war is reverberating across the region. Egypt has just said it will slow down large state projects involving ⁠high fuel and diesel consumption for two months to rationalise consumption.

This comes as the conflict has driven ⁠up energy costs and strained public finances.

Egypt’s debt servicing ⁠costs are set ⁠to rise by ⁠5 percent in the next fiscal year, Finance Minister Ahmed ‌Kouchouk said.

IRGC claims it dismantled 120 cluster bombs dropped by US, Israel

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has located and dismantled 120 cluster bombs in the country’s southern Fars province.

The munitions were dropped during US-Israeli attacks several days ago in the village of Kafri and nearby areas, Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted the deputy head of public relations for the IRGC in Fars as saying.

Israeli settler attacks surge in the West Bank, taking advantage of Iran war: Report

Israeli settlers have sharply escalated attacks across the occupied West Bank since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on the 28 February, according to Palestinian officials.

Mu’ayyad Sha’ban, head of the Palestinian Authority’s Commission Against the Wall and Settlements, said settlers carried out 443 attacks over the past month, according to a report carried by the Wafa news agency.

“[Israeli settlers] are taking advantage of the state of unrest to intensify their attacks on Palestinian villages and communities … aimed at changing the demographic reality,” he was quoted as saying.

Iranian forces strike UAE with 20 ballistic missiles, 37 drones

At least 20 Iranian ballistic missiles and 37 drones have targeted the UAE, according to the country’s Defence Ministry. All have been intercepted, the ministry said.

Saturday’s attacks bring the total number of ballistic missiles launched at the Gulf country to 398, 15 cruise missiles and 1,872 drones since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.

The overall launches caused the death of two members of the armed forces, a Moroccan civilian contracted by the armed forces and eight people of Pakistani, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Palestinian and Indian nationalities. At least 178 people have been injured.