(AFP) – Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Monday:
– **’Uncontrollable situation’** – Asked about US President Donald Trump’s threats to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned that “If the war expands further and the situation deteriorates again, the entire region could be plunged into an uncontrollable situation.”
– **Israel interceptions** – Israel’s military said defensive systems were working to intercept the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran and urged people to take cover. On Saturday, Iranian missiles evaded defenses and injured dozens when they hit two southern towns close to Israel’s desert nuclear facility.
– **Economic ‘crisis’** – International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said “the global economy is facing a major, major threat” and compared the current energy crisis to those of the 1970s and the impact of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “This crisis as things stand is now two oil crises and one gas crash put all together,” Birol said, adding that no country will be immune to its effects.
– **Gulf nations attacks** – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates repelled fresh attacks, while sirens sounded in Bahrain. Abu Dhabi authorities said an Indian national had been wounded by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile.
– **’Wide-scale’ strikes** – Israel’s military said it launched “a wide-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran. Iranian media reported explosions ringing out over the capital, while an AFP journalist saw a thick column of black smoke rising at least an hour later.
– **France ‘solidarity’** – French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to express “solidarity” with the kingdom and reiterate France’s commitment to contributing to air defenses against Iranian missiles and drones.
– **US embassy attacks pause** – Kataeb Hezbollah — an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq — says it will extend its five-day pause on attacking the US embassy in Baghdad, announced Thursday. Since the start of the war in the Middle East, pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for near-daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.
– **Lebanon raps Hezbollah** – Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are commanding Hezbollah’s operations in the group’s war against Israel. In an interview with the Al Hadath network, Salam once again lashed out at Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets at Israel.
– **Lebanon ground ops** – Israel’s military will expand its ground operations in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, its army chief said, warning that the offensive “has only (just) begun”. “We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
– **’Weeks’ more** – Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised briefing that the country faces “weeks” more fighting against both Iran and Hezbollah.
– **Iraq strikes** – Three strikes targeted an influential pro-Iranian armed group in its stronghold south of Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said. The group is a former paramilitary coalition called Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). It is part of Iraq’s regular armed forces but also includes some pro-Iranian groups. The strikes came after an attack targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad International Airport, Iraqi officials told AFP.
– **Israel death probed** – Israel’s military said it was investigating whether its own fire killed an Israeli civilian near the Lebanese border, in an area where Hezbollah claimed an attack. Israeli emergency workers said earlier a man was killed in a “direct hit” on his car by a rocket from Lebanon, making him the first fatality in the country’s north since the latest round of fighting with Hezbollah broke out. But the Israeli army later said it was “conducting a comprehensive investigation”, including “the possibility that the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers”.
– **West Bank arson** – Palestinian residents said Israeli settlers had torched buildings and cars in attacks on several villages in the occupied West Bank, the latest violence after a spate of killings of Palestinians by Israelis in the area since the start of the war.
burs/yad/gv
© 2024 AFP
