The conflict in the Middle East continues to intensify, with new strikes, political threats and growing regional instability reported over the past 24 hours.
US embassy in Baghdad attacked
A drone struck the US embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, an Iraqi security official said, as an AFP journalist saw smoke rising from the complex.
A second security source confirmed an attack targeted the diplomatic mission.It came after explosions rocked the Iraqi capital on Saturday after two strikes targeted the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah, killing two members including a “key figure”, security sources told AFP.
The sources did not identify who was behind the strikes.
Trump says Iran ‘defeated’, wants deal
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has been “totally defeated” in the US-Israeli military campaign against the country, despite Iranian officials pledging to continue the fight.
“The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal – But not a deal that I would accept!”Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.
US strikes Kharg, Iran threatens US oil targets
Trump said that the US military had heavily bombed military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, which handles almost all of the country’s crude exports, and threatened to hit the island’s oil infrastructure.
“I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, oranyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the bombing.
In response, Iran’s military threatened on Saturday to destroy US-linked energy infrastructure in the region if its oil facilities were attacked, according to a statement reported by Iranian news agencies.
Trump says US to escort tankers ‘very soon’
Trump told reporters Friday that the US Navy would start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “very soon” to restore oil exports as he struggles to tackle soaring energy prices.
Qatar evacuates ‘key areas’
Qatar’s interior ministry said Saturday that it was evacuating a number of “key areas” as Iran presses its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf countries.
In Doha’s central Musheireb district some residents received phone alerts telling them to “evacuate the area immediately… to the nearest safest place as a temporary precaution”.
Iran targets Israel
Iran launched a fresh round of missiles towards Israel, state media reported just after midnight on Saturday in Tehran, but Israeli rescue workers said there were no reported casualties following the strikes.Israel’s military said it had identified missiles from Iran and “was operating to intercept the threat,” as air raid sirens in multiple areas sent people into shelters.
Lebanon says health centre hit
An Israeli strike on a healthcare centre in southern Lebanon killed 12 medical personnel, the Lebanese health ministry said.
The ministry said the attack was “the second against the health sector in a few hours”, following a strike on Sawaneh that killed two paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally Amal.Israeli strikes have killed at least 773 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to the health ministry.
Hezbollah defiant
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel, as the latter threatened to make Lebanon pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the Tehran-backed militant group attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah AliKhamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
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Israeli strikes continued Friday, including an attack that killed eight people in a south Lebanese village near the port city of Sidon, according to the health ministry.
US reportedly bulking up military presence
The United States appears to be reinforcing its Middle East deployment by sending an amphibious assault ship and Marines to the region, The Wall Street Journal reported.
CNN reported that the deployment includes an Expeditionary Unit, which are typically made up of 2,500 Marines and sailors.
Oil stays above $100
Oil prices stayed over $100 a barrel Friday while stock markets slid as investors worry about an extended crisis that could fan inflation and hammer the global economy.
The price of Brent crude, the international crude benchmark contract, closed at $103.14 a barrel, having soared by more than 42 percent since the start of the conflict.
US offers $10 mn reward for Iran leader information
The US State Department offered a $10-million reward for information about Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and other top officials.
F1 races cancelled
Formula One races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will be cancelled or rescheduled as war engulfs the region, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP.
The Bahrain race is currently scheduled for April 10 to 12, and Saudi Arabia a week later.
Israel has carried out 7,600 strikes on Iran
Israel’s military said it had carried out around 7,600 strikes across Iran and 1,100 in Lebanon since launching its joint operation with the United States.
