Paris (France) (AFP) – The latest developments in the Middle East war:
– **Iran sites hit**
US-Israeli strikes on Iran targeted a nuclear plant, a petrochemical hub, a trade terminal, and a cement factory, Iranian media reported. An attack near the Bushehr nuclear power station killed one of the facility’s guards but caused no damage, according to the official IRNA news agency. The IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, stated that there was no increase in radiation levels. An attack on a petrochemical hub in the southwestern port city of Mahshahr wounded five people, reported the Fars news agency. Iranian media also indicated that a strike on a trade terminal in Khorramshahr, on the border with Iraq, resulted in one fatality; the ISNA news agency confirmed the victim was an Iraqi driver, and two Iranian workers were wounded. Another strike targeted a cement factory in the southern port of Bandar Khamir without causing casualties or disrupting operations, according to Tasnim news agency. Iran’s science minister, Hossein Simai Sarraf, mentioned that “more than 30 universities” had been targeted since the war began.
– **Ships through Hormuz**
An Indian-flagged LPG tanker transited through the Strait of Hormuz—marking the latest of several vessels successfully passing through this Gulf chokepoint in recent days. Turkey reported that a second Turkey-flagged ship also made it through the strait. On Friday, tracking data indicated that one French-owned ship and one Japanese-owned vessel had passed as well. However, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced that they targeted an Israel-linked ship in a drone attack in the strategic strait, reportedly setting it on fire; this ship was identified as the MSC Ishyka.
– **Israel tells Lebanese to evacuate**
Israel, which is simultaneously targeting the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon, issued an “urgent warning” for residents in parts of the Lebanese city of Tyre and nearby areas to evacuate. Earlier, Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli airstrikes in Tyre had wounded 11 people and damaged several buildings, including a major hospital.
– **Italy PM talks energy**
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, during her visit to the Gulf, discussed energy issues with the leader of gas-rich Qatar, including “possible measures to mitigate the shocks suffered,” according to her office.
– **Iraqi fighter killed**
An attack near the Syria border killed a fighter in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq, with the former paramilitary coalition blaming a US-Israeli strike. The PMF—now part of Iraq’s regular army but containing pro-Iran factions—has been repeatedly targeted since the outbreak of conflict on February 28.
– **Iran executions**
Iran executed two men convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and conducting actions aimed at overthrowing the Islamic republic. These executions are part of a broader initiative against the prohibited People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), with four other members executed earlier in the week.
– **Four injured in Bahrain**
Authorities in Bahrain reported that shrapnel from intercepted drones injured four people. Additionally, two buildings in Dubai, including one housing the US cloud computing firm Oracle, were struck by debris, according to United Arab Emirates authorities.
– **Peacekeepers wounded**
Indonesia condemned as “unacceptable” an explosion that injured three of its UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, occurring just days after three other Indonesians were killed in unrelated incidents. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stated that the blast took place inside a UN facility near El Adeisse on Friday. Indonesia highlighted the “urgent need to strengthen protection for UN peacekeeping forces.” A UN security official told AFP that Israeli forces had destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to UNIFIL’s main headquarters in southern Lebanon within a 24-hour timeframe.
– **Missiles fired at Israel**
The Israeli army reported that its air defenses responded to missiles fired from Iran, which resulted in one injury according to medics. Israel’s emergency services indicated that a 45-year-old man was treated for minor injuries from glass shrapnel in the central city of Bnei Brak.
– **Iran says second US plane downed**
Iran’s military claimed to have downed a second US military jet in the Gulf, reported state media. There was no immediate confirmation or denial from the US, though US media indicated that the pilot had been rescued.
© 2024 AFP
