Highlights:
- US embassy in Riyadh hit by drones; fire reported
- Israel and Iran exchange strikes across multiple countries
- Explosions reported in Tehran, Doha and Riyadh
- US urges citizens to leave much of the Middle East
NEW strikes were reported Tuesday across the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fourth day, with Israeli bombardment in Lebanon, explosions in Iran, drones targeting sites in Oman and Iraq, and an attack on the US embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.
The fighting began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend, triggering retaliatory Iranian attacks across the region.
Just after midnight local time Tuesday (2200 GMT Monday), Israel’s military said it was working to intercept a large wave of missiles launched from Iran targeting multiple locations, including Jerusalem. “A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military said. It later said it was carrying out simultaneous strikes on Tehran and Beirut.
Explosions were heard in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, home to foreign embassies and diplomats’ residences, four witnesses told AFP early Tuesday. Two drones hit the US embassy in the Saudi Arabian capital and sparked a fire, a Saudi defence ministry spokesman said. The embassy confirmed an attack and urged people to stay away, saying it would be closed on Tuesday. In Qatar, the military intercepted two ballistic missiles early Tuesday, the country’s defence ministry said, after AFP reporters heard loud explosions across Doha.
ALSO READ: Khamenei killed in US-Israel strike as Iran faces fresh attacks
Loud explosions also rocked Tehran, with blasts heard in the northern part of the city, though it was not immediately clear what was hit, AFP journalists said. Iranian media reported explosions in Karaj city, outside Tehran, and in the central city of Isfahan. Israel’s military claimed it had “struck and dismantled” the headquarters of Iran’s state radio and television broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), saying it had “called for the destruction of the State of Israel and for the use of nuclear weapons.” The IRIB said on Telegram that there had been explosions near its headquarters in Tehran, but there was no disruption to operations.
China called on all sides involved in the Middle East war to maintain safety in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas. “China urges all parties to immediately cease military operations, avoid further escalation of tensions, maintain the safety of shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, and prevent a greater impact on the global economy,” Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference.
Drones targeted an Omani port on Tuesday, hitting a fuel tank, state media said, adding that the damage was contained “without any human casualties”. Drone strikes blamed on Iran also hit a camp hosting Iranian Kurdish fighters and family members in northern Iraq, a local official and an exiled opposition group said.
The US embassy in Kuwait said it was closed until further notice, a day after an AFP correspondent saw smoke rising from the mission following Iranian attacks on the country.
The Israeli military said it had deployed troops to several locations in southern Lebanon, describing it as a “forward defence” measure along the border. It earlier said it had launched new strikes on Hezbollah targets, including “command centres and weapons storage facilities” in Beirut, after warning it would press ahead with its campaign against the Iran-backed group. Hezbollah said it had targeted three Israeli military bases in response, calling its rocket and drone attacks a “defensive act” after more than a year of Israeli strikes despite a ceasefire. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday he told the military to take control of more positions in Lebanon in response.
President Donald Trump suggested Monday that the United States would retaliate “soon” after its embassy in Riyadh was struck by two suspected Iranian drones. Speaking to the NewsNation network, Trump said “you’ll find out soon” how the United States would respond. At the White House, Trump said: “From the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Fox News interview Monday that the US-Israeli operation against Iran would be “a quick and decisive action,” later adding: “It may take some time, but it’s not going to take years.”
The US State Department urged Americans to leave much of the Middle East, including Egypt and the Gulf states, due to the war. The State Department “urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks,” wrote Mora Namdar, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, in a social media post. The countries or territories listed were Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said there were 101 casualties inside Iran on the third day of the war, including “85 civilian deaths and 11 military personnel killed.”
A general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened to “burn any ship” seeking to navigate the Strait of Hormuz. “We will also attack oil pipelines and will not allow a single drop of oil to leave the region. Oil price will reach $200 in the coming days,” General Sardar Jabbari said in a post on the Guards’ Telegram channel.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States attacked Iran after learning that Israel was going to strike, which would have meant retaliation against US forces. “We knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio told reporters.
(With inputs from agencies)
