War in the Middle East: the latest developments

Here are the latest events related to the war in the Middle East, now entering its 13th day:

– At least one dead in attack on tankers off Iraq’s coast

An attack on two tankers in the Gulf off southern Iraq led to at least one death, with search operations ongoing to find missing individuals, as reported by Iraqi state television on Thursday.

Al-Ikhbariya TV showed footage of a ship at sea with impressive fireballs and plumes of smoke. The channel quoted port authority director Farhan al-Fartousi announcing “the death of a crew member” and reported the rescue of 38 people.

– Israel announces “large-scale” strikes on Tehran

The Israeli army announced on Thursday morning that it is conducting “a wave of large-scale strikes on Tehran” following a joint attack by Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah.

– Iran says it conducted joint strikes with Hezbollah on Israel

Iran conducted a “joint and integrated” strike operation with its ally Hezbollah against Israel, as announced on Thursday by the Revolutionary Guards in a statement broadcast by Iranian media. Tehran described the operation as “continuous fire for a period of five hours” using missiles and drones on “over 50 targets” in Israeli territory.

– Trump says the US must “finish the job”

Donald Trump, amid conflicting statements about the war’s duration, stated on Wednesday that the US must “finish the job” in Iran. He also confirmed that the US will release 172 million barrels from its strategic oil reserve starting next week.

– Advisor to Khamenei calls Trump “Satan in person”

A top military advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called Donald Trump “Satan in person” on Wednesday and vowed that Iran would destroy Israel.

– Large-scale Israeli strikes on southern Beirut suburb, Hezbollah retaliates

The Israeli army announced on Wednesday evening a new series of “large-scale” strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. Hezbollah responded by reportedly targeting northern Israel with “dozens of rockets.”

As of Wednesday, Lebanese authorities reported 634 deaths in ten days of war, including 91 women and 47 children, along with 1,586 injuries and over 800,000 displaced individuals.

– UN Security Council demands “immediate cessation” of Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Wednesday calling for the “immediate cessation” of Iran’s attacks on Gulf states and Jordan, which have been frequent since the conflict began. The text also condemns any actions or threats by Tehran to interfere with international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

– Trump announces 28 Iranian mine-laying ships struck

President Trump claimed on Wednesday that the US had struck “28 Iranian mine-laying ships” so far and that the Israeli-American offensive was “well ahead” of schedule.

French President Macron previously stated they had no confirmation from intelligence sources about Iran using naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

– Iran or allies may target US oil installations in Iraq

The US embassy in Baghdad warned on Wednesday of potential attacks by Tehran and Iranian-aligned terrorist militias on US-owned oil and energy infrastructure in Iraq, which have already been hit by drones since the start of the war.

– US military warns civilians to stay away from Strait of Hormuz ports

The US military advised Iranian civilians on Wednesday to stay away from ports in the Strait of Hormuz, used by Tehran for military purposes. Trump assured that there would soon be “great security” in the strait.

Tehran threatened to target ports in the Middle East if attacked by Israel and the US, according to state television.

– AIE members release 400 million barrels of oil

The 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) unanimously agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves on the market to compensate for the loss of supply due to the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the most significant release in IEA’s history.