Paris (France) (AFP) – Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:
– **Qatar evacuates ‘key areas’**
Qatar’s interior ministry said Saturday that it was evacuating a number of “key areas” as Iran presses its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf countries. In Doha’s central Musheireb district, some residents received phone alerts telling them to “evacuate the area immediately…to the nearest safest place as a temporary precaution.”
– **Iran targets Israel**
Iran launched a fresh round of missiles towards Israel, state media reported just after midnight on Saturday in Tehran, but Israeli rescue workers said there were no reported casualties following the strikes. Israel’s military said it had identified missiles from Iran and “was operating to intercept the threat,” as air raid sirens in multiple areas sent people into shelters.
– **Lebanon says health centre hit**
An Israeli strike on a primary healthcare centre in southern Lebanon killed at least 12 medical personnel, the Lebanese health ministry said. The ministry stated the attack was “the second against the health sector in a few hours,” following a strike on Sawaneh that killed two paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally Amal.
– **Hezbollah defiant**
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel, as the latter threatened to make Lebanon pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the Tehran-backed militant group attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes. Israeli strikes continued Friday, including an attack that killed eight people in a south Lebanese village near the port city of Sidon, according to the health ministry.
– **US reportedly bulking up**
The United States appears to be reinforcing its Middle East deployment by sending an amphibious assault ship and Marines to the region, The Wall Street Journal reported. CNN indicated that the Marines involved are an Expeditionary Unit, which typically counts 2,500 Marines and sailors.
– **Oil stays above $100**
Oil prices stayed over $100 a barrel Friday while stock markets slid as investors worried about an extended crisis that could fan inflation and hammer the global economy. The price of Brent crude, the international crude benchmark contract, closed at $103.14 a barrel and has soared by more than 42 percent since the start of the conflict.
– **$10 mn reward**
The US State Department offered a $10-million reward for information about Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and other top officials.
– **F1 races cancelled**
Formula One races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will be cancelled or rescheduled as the war engulfs the region, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP. The Bahrain race is currently scheduled for April 10 to 12, and Saudi Arabia a week later.
– **7,600 targets**
Israel’s military said it had carried out around 7,600 strikes in Iran and 1,100 in Lebanon since launching its joint operation with the United States.
– **Lebanon toll climbs**
Israeli strikes have killed at least 773 people in Lebanon since March 2, the Lebanese health ministry reported, as Israel vowed the country would pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure.
– **Israel hit**
Smoke could be seen rising from two locations around Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, an AFP journalist observed, after blasts were heard following a warning that missiles were fired from Iran.
– **Joint attack**
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched missiles and drones at Israel in coordination with Tehran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah. The Guards stated that the operation was part of its annual Quds Day, which is intended to show support for the Palestinian cause.
– **One killed at Tehran rally**
Deadly explosions rocked Tehran close to a pro-government rally attended by top Iranian officials including security chief Ali Larijani, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. At least one person was killed in the blasts. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also warned that if protests broke out in the country, their response would be “stronger” than in January, when thousands were killed.
© 2024 AFP
