South Asian News Network

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: – Four Israeli soldiers killed in south Lebanon – The Israeli military said Tuesday that four soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, where its forces are clashing with Iran-backed Hezbollah. A military statement named three soldiers from the same battalion who “fell during combat”, and a separate statement said another soldier whose name had not yet been cleared for publication had died in the same incident. Another soldier was severely wounded and a reservist moderately wounded, according to the second statement. – Israel military says responds to Iranian missiles – Israel’s military said its air defences responded to Iranian missiles on Tuesday as sirens rang out. At least 10 blasts were heard over Jerusalem, an AFP journalist said. “A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel,” the Israeli military posted on Telegram. – Local media: Explosions heard in Tehran – Explosions were heard in Tehran and power cuts hit some parts of the capital, Iranian media reported on Tuesday. “Power outages in parts of Tehran after multiple explosions heard,” Fars news agency reported. Tasnim news agency reported that power has now been restored in the affected areas. – PMF: US-Israeli air strikes target Iraqi bases – Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) said US-Israeli forces carried out air strikes on two of their bases in the Babil and Anbar provinces. “The 45th Brigade in the Jurf al-Nasr sector of Babil Governorate was targeted with three airstrikes, while another strike targeted the 31st Brigade in the Karma sector, east of Anbar Governorate,” it said on its website. No casualties were reported. – Tanker fire in Dubai – An Iranian attack sparked a fire on a Kuwaiti oil tanker at Dubai Port, state media reported Tuesday, adding there were no injuries. “The Kuwaiti giant crude oil tanker was subjected to a direct and malicious Iranian attack while in the anchorage area of Dubai Port in the UAE,” official news agency KUNA reported, citing Kuwait’s state-owned oil company. Also in Dubai, falling debris from an air defence interception sparked a fire and wounded four people in the city, authorities said. – Netanyahu: progress on war goals – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war on Iran had achieved more than half its aims, without putting a timeline on when it would end. “It’s definitely beyond the halfway point. But I don’t want to put a schedule on it,” Netanyahu told the conservative US broadcaster Newsmax. – Two UN peacekeepers killed – The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said two personnel were killed on Monday in a blast in the country’s south, after another peacekeeper was killed a day earlier. Two other blue helmets were injured in the explosion, one severely, the force said, adding that it had opened an investigation. – Drone attack targets US embassy in Baghdad – One civilian was wounded in Iraq’s capital Baghdad late Monday after shrapnel from an intercepted drone attack targeting the US embassy fell onto their neighbourhood, a police source said. – Iran panel approves Hormuz toll plan – Iranian state media reported that a parliamentary commission had approved plans to impose tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway vital to oil and gas shipments that has been effectively closed due to the Middle East war. Citing a member of the parliament’s security commission, state TV said the plan involved, among other things, “financial arrangements and rial toll systems” and “implementing the sovereign role of Iran”, as well as cooperation with Oman on the other side of the strait. – G7 ministers pledge action on energy – G7 economy and finance ministers said they stood ready to take “all necessary measures” to ensure the stability of the energy market, roiled by the war. – NATO intercepts Turkey-bound missile – NATO forces intercepted a new missile fired from Iran towards Turkey, the fourth since the start of the Middle East war. None of the four projectiles managed to hit Turkish soil, according to the authorities. – US ‘hopeful’ in private Iran talks – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope for working with elements within Iran’s government, saying the United States privately had received positive messages. Rubio said that there were internal “fractures” inside the Islamic republic and that the United States hoped figures with “power to deliver” take charge. – Israel strikes Iran university – Israel’s military said it had struck the Imam Hossein University in Tehran run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, claiming the institution was used for advanced weapons research. – Trump threatens Iran oil hub – Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s oil export hub of Kharg Island, oil wells and power plants if it does not agree soon to a deal to end the war. Trump wrote on his Truth Social network that while the United States was in “serious discussions” with “a more reasonable regime” in Tehran, if an agreement was not forthcoming Washington would set about “completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)” —