(AFP) – Here are the latest events in the Middle East war on Sunday:
– **Khamenei son named successor**
Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, was selected by the country’s Assembly of Experts to succeed his father. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards quickly pledged allegiance to the new supreme leader. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei hailed the announcement as “a source of joy and hope” while top security official Ali Larijani called Khamenei’s election “completely legal.” Yemen’s Houthi rebels welcomed his appointment, calling it a major blow for the Islamic republic’s enemies. Israel’s military had earlier vowed to target “any successor”, while US President Donald Trump told ABC News that if the next leader “doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long.”
– **Israel, Iran trade fire**
Iran fired its first missiles towards Israel on Monday after the appointment of the new supreme leader, state broadcaster IRIB said. Israeli medics reported that one woman was moderately injured. The Israeli military, for its part, stated it launched a new wave of strikes targeting “regime infrastructure” in central Iran on Monday.
– **32 injured in Bahrain**
Bahrain’s health ministry said Monday that an Iranian drone attack on the island of Sitra overnight wounded 32 civilians. All of the wounded were Bahraini citizens and there were four “serious cases,” including children, according to a statement carried by the Gulf nation’s state news agency.
– **New Gulf attacks**
Several explosions were heard in the Qatari capital Doha, as AFP journalists reported, while Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait all noted new attacks. Qatar’s defense ministry confirmed that its forces had intercepted a missile attack. Saudi Arabian civil defense officials reported that a “projectile” had killed two people and wounded 12 on Sunday.
– **East Lebanon fighting, Beirut explosion**
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah stated it was engaging Israeli forces who landed in eastern Lebanon overnight by helicopter across the Syrian border. Two Hezbollah sources told AFP on condition of anonymity that an Israeli helicopter in the area was downed by the group, although there was no comment from the Israeli military. Meanwhile, Israel’s military reported it struck the Lebanese capital Beirut early Monday, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
– **US orders embassy staff to leave Saudi**
The US State Department announced it had ordered “non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to safety risks.”
– **Crude prices soar above $100**
Both crude benchmark prices, the WTI and Brent, soared above $100 a barrel amid fears of prolonged supply disruptions due to the war. Trump dismissed the spike on social media, stating it is “a very small price to pay” to remove Iran’s nuclear threat.
– **Asia stocks plunge**
Stock markets in South Korea and Japan fell sharply in early trade on Monday after oil prices soared above $100 per barrel for the first time in almost four years.
– **7th American killed**
The US military announced its seventh combat death since the war began, after a service member succumbed to injuries from an attack in Saudi Arabia during Iran’s initial wave of retaliatory strikes. The six others were killed in a drone strike on their base in Kuwait.
– **Macron speaks with Iran president**
French President Emmanuel Macron stated he spoke with Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian and urged a halt to strikes on other countries in the region. It is the first known contact by a Western leader with Pezeshkian since the war began.
© 2024 AFP
