US allies in the Middle East have once again been awakened by a wave of strikes as Iran continues its retaliatory actions against American and Israeli attacks, CNN reports, according to UNN.
Details
Since the war began, strikes have rocked urban centers, energy infrastructure, airports, and hotels in Gulf countries, unsettling populations long accustomed to relative safety and causing travel paralysis.
The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia was hit by suspected Iranian drones, a series of loud explosions were heard in Erbil, Iraq, and sirens blared over Bahrain.
US President Donald Trump told CNN that the biggest surprise of the war was Iran's attacks on these countries. As the threat to Americans escalated, the US State Department urged citizens to leave the Middle East immediately.
Trump told CNN that a "big wave" of American attacks on Iran was still to come. Trump outlined his military objectives to reporters, stating that he wants to destroy Iran's missile capabilities, dismantle its navy, end its nuclear ambitions, and stop its arming of militant groups. In an interview with the New York Post, he stated that he does not rule out the possibility of deploying troops on the ground.
The latest developments, according to the publication, are as follows:
- Gulf allies under fire: Iran and its proxies continue to strike US allies in the Gulf. The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia was hit by suspected Iranian drones, and a source said the US Embassy in Kuwait was hit on Sunday and Monday. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait said they detected incoming Iranian missiles;
- Iran's death toll rises: More than 700 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency;
- Six Americans killed: The first American service members to die in the conflict were killed in a direct Iranian strike on an improvised operations center at Kuwait's civilian port on Sunday, a CNN source said;
- Israel and Hezbollah strikes: Israel said it was striking Hezbollah command centers and weapons depots in Beirut, Lebanon. Drones crossing into Israel from Lebanon were also intercepted;
- Netanyahu defends war: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed criticism that the conflict would escalate into an "endless war" in the Middle East, saying instead that it would lead to peace and democracy in Iran;
- Iranian nuclear facilities: Satellite images from Vantor, a spatial intelligence company, show damage to the Natanz nuclear facility, one of Iran's most important military sites and its largest uranium enrichment center;
- Threat of oil stalemate: An adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be targeted.
Situation by country:
- Saudi Arabia: According to two sources, the US Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two suspected Iranian drones. The Saudi Ministry of Defense confirmed the attack, stating that it resulted in a "limited fire and minor material damage." Initially, there were no reports of casualties, one of the two CNN sources said. Later, the Ministry of Defense stated that eight drones were intercepted near the cities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj;
- Iraq: In Iraqi Kurdistan, a CNN crew in Erbil heard "a series of loud explosions coming from the direction... where Erbil airport is located," and military helicopters flying overhead. "We are learning that these Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have significantly increased the pace of attacks on American targets or what they perceive to be American targets," chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward told Anderson Cooper on CNN;
- Kuwait: The armed forces responded to a "wave of missiles and drones" detected in Kuwaiti airspace, the Army General Staff said;
- Bahrain: Sirens sounded in Bahrain early Tuesday morning, the country's Interior Ministry said;
- Israel: An alarm was sounded early Tuesday morning, and missiles launched from Iran were detected in several areas of the country, the Israeli military command said. The Israeli Air Force also reported intercepting two drones that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon.