Dozens of bodies have been recovered from an Iranian warship torpedoed by US forces on Wednesday, as a regional war sparked by US-Israeli attacks on Iran entered its fifth day.
Sri Lankan navy officials said 87 bodies had been collected from the frigate IRIS Dena, which sank off Sri Lanka’s coast after being hit by what appeared to be a US torpedo. The navy is managing 32 survivors whilst 61 sailors remain missing, according to police and navy sources.
While explosions echoed across Jerusalem, Tehran and southern Lebanon, the Israeli military indicated it planned at least one or two more weeks of strikes on Iran. The Times of Israel reported the military aims to hit thousands more Iranian regime targets during this period.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency said Wednesday that US-Israeli strikes had killed 1 045 military personnel and civilians since the start of the war. AFP was not in a position to independently verify the toll.
The conflict has severely disrupted global energy supplies, with oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz plunging by 90% since the outbreak of war, according to energy market intelligence firm Kpler. Iranian forces claimed complete control of the strait, a vital route for world oil and gas supplies, after President Donald Trump said Tuesday the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the channel.
The Israeli army said it had begun strikes in southern Lebanon after ordering people living south of the Litani river to leave, as the military expanded its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Lebanese state media reported Israeli forces had entered the southern town of Khiam, about six kilometres from the border.
Air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem after the Israeli military detected two incoming missile barrages from Iran, which were later intercepted. AFP journalists heard blasts over the city hours later.
The conflict threatened to expand beyond the immediate region when NATO defence systems shot down a missile launched from Iran heading towards Turkey. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his Iranian counterpart in a phone call that any steps that could lead to the spread of conflict should be avoided, according to a ministry source. NATO condemned the targeting of Turkey, though a Turkish official later said the missile appeared to have been aimed at a base in Cyprus but veered off course.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had hit armed opposition groups hostile to Tehran in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. The UAE said it had shot down three missiles and 121 drones, whilst Qatar said it had intercepted 10 drones and two missiles.
The funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, scheduled for Wednesday evening, has been postponed in anticipation of unprecedented turnout, state television announced. A new date will be announced later. Deliberations over who would succeed Khamenei were still ongoing, it said.
The conflict has triggered diplomatic tensions beyond the region. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said no to the war after Trump threatened to sever all trade with Spain for refusing to allow US planes to use its bases to attack Iran.
European stock markets steadied after steep losses across Asian stock markets, where rising oil prices rattled investors.
ALSO READ: Iran claims control of key waterway for energy transit
