Paris (France) (AFP) – Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:
– **Iran fires barrage at Israel**
Iranian state media announced a fresh salvo of missiles was headed towards Israel on Tuesday morning, after an earlier barrage hit a building in the north. “Iran fires new wave of missiles at occupied territories,” the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) posted on Telegram, before claiming the projectiles had passed through Israel’s missile defences. Following earlier rounds of fire on Tuesday, Israel’s military sent search and rescue teams to a building damaged in a strike, and a loud blast rang out over Jerusalem.
– **Iraq armed group says commander, fighters killed**
A strike in western Iraq on Tuesday killed Saad Dawai al-Baiji, provincial commander and head of operations in Anbar for the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). Several Hashed al-Shaabi fighters were also killed, a source from the group told AFP, and accused US forces of carrying out the attack.
– **Syrian base targeted**
Syria’s army said Monday that one of its bases in the northeast was targeted by a missile strike from neighbouring Iraq, while an Iraqi official said a local armed group was behind the attack. The Iraqi official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that “an Iraqi faction fired seven Arash-4 rockets, an improved version of the Grad rocket, towards a base in the Hassakeh region.”
– **Trump-Netanyahu call**
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had spoken with Donald Trump and that the US president believed the countries’ military gains in Iran could be converted into a negotiated agreement that protected Israel’s interests. “President Trump believes there is a chance to leverage the tremendous achievements of the (Israeli military) and the US military in order to realise the war’s objectives in an agreement — an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. Earlier, Trump announced he had shelved plans to attack Iran’s power plants in a stunning about-turn, sparked by what he said were “very good” talks with unidentified Iranian officials to bring an end to the war.
– **Israel strikes Beirut suburbs**
Israel attacked the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs hours after the Israeli army issued a warning for residents of the area to evacuate, saying it was “striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut.” AFPTV’s live broadcast showed a cloud of smoke over the southern suburbs, which are considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group.
– **Pakistani, Iranian leaders speak**
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on “the grave situation in the Gulf region,” and promised that Pakistan was committed to playing “a constructive role in advancing peace.”
– **Israeli interceptor system malfunctions**
A malfunction in Israel’s “David’s Sling” aerial interceptor system had allowed two Iranian ballistic missiles to strike the south of the country, wounding dozens of people over the weekend, the military confirmed. The system is a key component of Israel’s multi-layered air defence shield.
– **Israel strikes Guards’ site**
The Israeli military said it struck a site in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and used for directing battalions of the Basij paramilitary force. The hit came days after Israel announced it had “eliminated” the intelligence chief of the Basij in a strike that also killed the force’s top commander, Gholamreza Soleimani. Israel has been targeting the Basij force as part of efforts to undermine the Iranian authorities’ grip on power.
– **UK summons Iran envoy**
Britain’s foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador to London, Seyed Ali Mousavi, criticising what it called Tehran’s “reckless and destabilising actions” in the UK and overseas. “The summons follows the recent charging of two individuals, one Iranian national and one British-Iranian dual national, under the National Security Act, on suspicion of providing assistance to a foreign intelligence service,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said.
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© 2024 AFP
