(AFP) – Hostilities in the Middle East intensified Saturday with the US launching another round of airstrikes and Iran threatening a “full-scale offensive,” while the strategic Strait of Hormuz remained virtually closed. Here are the latest developments:
– **Two US troops killed**
Two US service members were killed and one went missing in action in Jordan following a barrage of missile and drone strikes from Iran, according to US Central Command. CENTCOM said the soldiers were killed Friday when US and partner forces “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks”.
– **Iran plans ‘unforgettable lessons’**
Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to teach the US “unforgettable lessons,” saying Washington’s attacks in spite of a framework deal to end the war showed US President Donald Trump’s signature to be worthless. “Now that the American enemy seeks to incite war and bear its most serious consequences, it should know that the dear Iranian nation and the axis of resistance have unforgettable lessons to offer it,” Khamenei said in a statement carried by state TV.
– **New US strikes**
The United States announced Saturday it launched new airstrikes — the eighth consecutive night of military assaults — to punish Iran for the Islamic republic’s deadly attacks against US forces. CENTCOM said on X that the strikes began at 2200 GMT and “are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night.” Iranian news agencies reported US attacks on Sirik, a southern Iranian port located on the Strait of Hormuz.
– **Hezbollah mass funeral**
Hezbollah held a mass funeral for dozens of people, most of them fighters killed in the most recent fighting with Israel, in southern Lebanon’s Majdal Selm. In the heavily damaged village, Hezbollah buried 44 people, 39 of them fighters and four civilians said to have been killed in Israeli operations, and one man who died of natural causes.
– **GCC condemns Iran ‘war crimes’**
The secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned recent Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, saying strikes on civilian infrastructure amounted to “war crimes.” “Iran’s actions constitute a highly dangerous escalation, a grave violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as war crimes,” Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said.
– **Kuwait says civilian sites targeted**
Kuwait said Iran had struck a power and water plant as well as an oil facility, accusing it of targeting civilian infrastructure. Kuwait’s state oil firm also reported injuries and damage after an Iranian attack targeting the oil facility, according to the state news agency.
– **Lebanon leader heads to US**
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun left Beirut for Washington on Saturday, his office said. He is expected to meet Trump and hold discussions about strengthening the ceasefire and “the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies.”
– **Bahrain ‘thwarted’ Iranian attacks**
Bahrain’s army said its “air-defence systems thwarted” a wave of Iranian attacks Saturday. An AFP journalist in Manama reported hearing blasts after sirens sounded.
© 2024 AFP
