Paris (France) (AFP) – Here are the latest developments Tuesday in the Middle East war:
– **Israel says Larijani killed**
Israeli’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran’s powerful national security chief Ali Larijani was “eliminated” in a night-time strike. Larijani, 68, was last seen at a public rally last week. His death has not been confirmed by Iran, which is still reeling from the February 28 strike that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel also said it had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Basij paramilitary force, in a “precise strike”. It said it had also targeted Akram al-Ajouri, head of the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, though he was not confirmed dead. Loud explosions shook Iran’s capital during a night of bombing, an AFP journalist said.
– **Attack near Beirut airport**
The Israeli military launched an air strike near Beirut’s airport, in the city’s southern suburbs, according to state media, while Lebanon’s military reported that an Israeli strike on a car and a motorcycle in southern Lebanon killed one of its soldiers and wounded four others. The Lebanese civil aviation authority said the airport continued to operate normally. Earlier, Lebanese state media said Israeli strikes hit three Beirut neighbourhoods, including a residential apartment building.
– **Iraq seeks Hormuz passage**
Iraq said it was in contact with Iran to try to arrange passage for some of its oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. “Communications are underway with the relevant authorities to authorise the passage of certain oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, in order that we can resume our exports,” Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani told local TV station al-Sharqiya.
– **One killed in Abu Dhabi**
Falling debris from a missile intercept killed one person in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi and injured two medical staff in Kuwait, authorities said. Qatar said it had intercepted a missile attack after an AFP journalist reported hearing several explosions in Doha. In Dubai, an AFP journalist heard three explosions after authorities warned residents of United Arab Emirates’ most populous city to “immediately seek a safe place” over “potential missile threats”.
– **BA prolongs cancellations**
British Airways said it has cancelled flights to and from Middle East destinations Amman, Bahrain, Dubai, and Tel Aviv through May 31 as the war disrupts the global aviation industry.
– **Albania designates IRGC as ‘terrorist’**
Albania designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps a “terrorist organisation” and Iran a state “supporting terrorism”.
– **China offers help**
China said it will provide humanitarian assistance to Middle Eastern countries, including Iran and Lebanon. “China has decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. It is hoped this will help alleviate the humanitarian plight faced by the local populations,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference.
– **Iran arrests ‘foreign spies’**
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces had arrested 10 “foreign spies” in the northeastern Razavi Khorasan province but did not give their nationalities. The Guards said four among them were gathering information “on sensitive sites and economic infrastructure,” while others were linked to a “monarchist terrorist group”.
– **Oil prices jump**
The price of oil jumped three percent amid new Iranian attacks in the Middle East war and as several countries pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s demand that they help secure the key Strait of Hormuz. At around 1115 GMT, international benchmark Brent crude was at $103.18 a barrel while West Texas Intermediate was at $96.36.
– **US embassy attacked**
A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisers, security officials said. Black smoke was seen rising from the embassy compound after the attack.
© 2024 AFP
