Israel Threatens A Surge In Attacks As Iran Fires Missiles Farther Than Ever

CAIRO (AP) — Israel’s defense minister threatened an increase in attacks on Iran on Saturday, and Britain condemned Iran for targeting a joint UK-US base in the Indian Ocean. war in the middle east It has entered its fourth week.

Iran’s attack on the Diego Garcia air base, about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Iran, showed that Tehran has missiles that can travel farther than it had previously acknowledged.

Also on Saturday, Iran Natanz nuclear enrichment facility According to Iran’s official news agency, there was no radiation leak.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a video statement that next week the “intensity of attacks” by Israel and the United States against Iran’s ruling theocracy will “significantly increase.”

He spoke shortly after fragments of an Iranian missile hit an empty kindergarten near Tel Aviv. Israeli army spokesman Nadav Shoshani released a video of kindergarten building X. The school was empty at the time and there were no casualties.

Residents of the region said that heavy air strikes were seen in Iran’s capital throughout the night and into the morning. Attacks and future threats show that the Iran war shows no signs of abating.

The United States and Israel offered different justifications for the war. I hope to incite an uprising Overthrow to eliminate Iran’s leadership nuclear and missile programs. There are no public signs of such an uprising.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Japan’s Kyodo news service on Friday that Iran wants “not a ceasefire, but a complete, comprehensive and permanent end to the war.”

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he was considering “ending” military operations in the Middle East; This appeared to contradict his administration’s move to increase firepower in the region and request another $200 billion from Congress to finance the war.

The United States will deploy three more amphibious assault ships and about 2,500 marines to the Middle East, an official told The Associated Press. Two other U.S. officials confirmed the ships were deployed without saying where they were going. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

With a move intended to quarrel rising fuel pricesThe Trump administration announced that it has lifted sanctions on some Iranian oil. The pause in sanctions applies to Iranian oil loaded onto ships as of Friday and will end on April 19. The license has limitations, including restrictions on sales that cover anyone in North Korea or Cuba.

The new move does not increase production flow, which is one of the main factors of production. rising prices. The fact that Iran has managed to evade US sanctions for years shows that most of the products it exports have already reached buyers.

Saudi Arabia announced that it shot down 20 drones in just a few hours in the country’s eastern region, which hosts major oil facilities. No injuries or damage were reported.

British officials did not provide details of the failed attack on the Oceanic Air Base on Friday.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that Iran’s “attacks in the region and its holding of the Strait of Hormuz hostage are a threat to British interests and British allies.”

Britain did not participate in US-Israeli attacks on Iran but allowed American bombers to use British bases to attack Iran’s missile sites.

The British government on Friday said US bombers could use UK bases, including Diego Garcia, in operations to prevent Iran from attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had targeted the base before Britain’s statement.

Iran’s official news agency, Mizan, said there were no leaks following Saturday’s attack on the Natanz nuclear facility, located about 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran.

The facility, Iran’s main uranium enrichment site, was hit in the first week of the war and many buildings were damaged, according to satellite images. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, had previously said “no radiological consequences” were expected from the attack. Natanz was also targeted 12 days war last June.

On Saturday, the IAEA said in X that it had been informed of Iran’s Natanz attack and that there had been no increase in radiation levels outside the site. The agency said it was investigating the incident.

Iran’s top military spokesman, General Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned on Friday that “parks, recreation areas and tourist attractions” around the world would not be safe for the country’s enemies.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei He praised Iranians’ resolve in the face of war in a written statement read on Iranian television to mark the Persian New Year, or Nowruz. Khamenei has not been seen in public since he became religious leader after his father, the Ayatollah, was killed in Israeli attacks. Ali Khameneiand reportedly injured him.

With little information coming from Iran, it was not clear how much damage Iran’s weapons, nuclear or energy facilities had suffered, or even who was who, in the US and Israeli attacks that began on February 28. He was truly in charge of the country..

But Iran’s attacks are still restricting oil supplies and Increasing food and fuel prices Far beyond the Middle East.

The Israeli military said its forces conducted a “targeted ground operation” with support from Israeli aircraft on Saturday, killing at least four militants.

Hezbollah also issued a statement saying its fighters clashed with Israeli soldiers in the southern village of Khiam.

So far, Israel attacks Hezbollah in Lebanon It has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government.

More than 1,300 people were killed during the war in Iran. 15 people died in Israel due to Iranian missiles, and 4 people died in the occupied West Bank. At least 13 US soldiers were killed.

Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.