Iran hits US allies as Israel warns of missile threat
The United States said it had completed an eighth night of strikes against Iran, after previously announcing that two US military personnel had been killed in Jordan, while its allies in the region reported that Iran had launched more attacks.
Israeli officials warned Iran that missiles launched into Jordan could cause the fire to spread into Israeli territory for the first time in weeks.
The Israeli army said that it detected missiles fired from Iran towards the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, located just over Israel’s southern border.
He warned Israelis to expect the first air raid sirens in weeks.
The USA and Iran intensified their attacks as the temporary ceasefire agreement signed a month ago dissolved and the struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz deepened, increasing the risk of turning into all-out hostilities.
Israel is preparing to purchase more US refueling planes following recent tensions and ahead of a possible expansion of US military operations against Iran, Israeli officials said.
U.S. Central Command said the latest airstrikes, which began at 6 p.m. Saturday, were designed to “further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces that have launched attacks against American troops in Jordan.”
Central Command later said it completed the wave of attacks by striking Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities.
The conflict, which began when the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28 in the hope of disabling its nuclear and missile programs and weakening its regional proxies, has led to major disruptions in energy supplies and fears about global inflation.
Iranian reports stated that the USA carried out an attack near Sirik in the south of Iran and near Shadegan near the Iraqi border.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran condemned the US attack on a nuclear power plant under construction in Darkhovin, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that it was investigating reports of the attack that occurred overnight and noted that the facility was in the very early stages of construction.
In response to the latest attacks, Iran carried out a drone strike targeting US military facilities and equipment at Kuwait’s al-Adiri camp and Ali al-Salem Air Base, Iranian state television reported early Sunday.
Both bases have been targeted as part of Iran’s attacks on US bases and allies in the Gulf since last week.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity said the desalination plant was attacked for the second day in a row, causing a fire.
Kuwaiti armed forces had previously announced that they had recaptured Iranian missiles following Iran’s ongoing attack on Saturday.
Bahrain’s air defenses also foiled an Iranian attack on Sunday, state television reported.
Sirens wailed in Jordan, where the military said it had shot down three Iranian missiles.
Both sides have targeted shipping traffic in recent days; The United States said it was imposing a naval blockade on Iran, while Iran said it was targeting ships that violate navigation rules in the Strait of Hormuz, which generally provides one-fifth of global oil supply.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that four ships tried to pass through the strait via an “unsafe route” with US support after ignoring warnings from the Revolutionary Guards.
It was stated that two of them gave up the attempt, while the other two were involved in an “accident”.
He did not elaborate.
The deaths of two service personnel occurred Friday and a third U.S. service member was missing in action, Central Command said.
With the announcement, the number of US soldiers killed since the beginning of the war increased to 16, while more than 420 people were injured.
Iran’s health ministry said on Saturday that 50 people had been killed and more than 500 injured in US strikes in the past three weeks alone.
Overall, thousands of people have been killed and several million internally displaced in the conflict in Iran and Lebanon, where the war between Israel and the Iran-linked militant group Hezbollah has reignited.
With AP and DPA
