Dubai (AFP) – US and Iranian strikes extended into Sunday, with Washington saying it was punishing Tehran for the deaths of two US servicemen in Jordan and Gulf states announcing responses to Iranian attacks. Here are the latest developments:
**US death toll now at 17**
A US service member was killed during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq, the military said Sunday. The death on Saturday takes to 17 the confirmed number of American military fatalities since the war began on February 28.
**Rubio meets Lebanon president**
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington, commending him for efforts “to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace,” the State Department said.
**IAEA calls for restraint**
The UN’s nuclear watchdog called for restraint after Iranian authorities said the United States had attacked an under-construction nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest, in Darkhovin. The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said in a statement on X that no nuclear material had been stored at the site and the incident was “not believed to pose any radiological risk”.
**Israel warns Iran**
Israel’s defence minister said his country would respond powerfully to any attack by Iran, after Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile launched towards the Jordanian city of Aqaba. “If Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force,” Israel Katz said.
**Missile reported intercepted**
Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile aimed at the Jordanian city of Aqaba on Sunday, the Israeli military told AFP. When asked by AFP about reports of explosions near the Israeli city of Eilat, a military spokeswoman said both Israeli and Jordanian forces had intercepted a projectile. The Jordanian military said it had downed “three Iranian missiles that targeted the kingdom’s territory,” without specifying where.
**Kuwait, Bahrain attacked**
Kuwait said Iran hit a power and water plant, causing a fire, while Bahrain also accused Tehran of targeting civilian infrastructure. It was the third attack in as many days on a power and water facility in Kuwait, according to authorities, who also said an oil facility had been hit on Saturday.
**Iran says ships ‘stopped’**
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said four ships attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz without their permission, and two “had an accident and were stopped in place”. The other two abandoned their journey, they said.
**US strikes on Iran**
The US military command for the region, CENTCOM, said its latest round of strikes on Iran was partly to “punish” Iran for a Friday attack on a base in Jordan which killed two US soldiers and left another missing in action. The strikes were also to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.
© 2024 AFP
