US-Israel-Iran War : US And Israeli Forces Srike Tehran And Isfahan As War On Iran Reaches One Month

Israel’s military said early Saturday that a missile had been launched from Yemen toward Israel, marking the first time it has faced fire from that country.

Overnight from Friday into Saturday, Iran and Hezbollah also continued launching attacks on Israel. Sirens sounded around Beer Sheba and near Israel’s main nuclear research center for the third time during the same night.

The Houthis had so far stayed out of the war, as the group has maintained an uneasy ceasefire for years with Saudi Arabia, which began a military campaign against them in 2015 on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government.

Earlier Saturday, Israel’s military said a missile had been launched toward Israel from Yemen, the first time it had come under fire from that country. Israel later said the missile had been intercepted.

At the United Nations, China and Russia are being seen as gaining both political and economic advantage from the conflict involving Iran, while also keeping some distance from it, reported Al Jazeera.

A recent United Nations Security Council resolution, introduced by Bahrain on behalf of Gulf Arab states and Jordan, received backing from the United States and condemned Iran’s attacks on neighbouring countries. However, it did not criticise actions by the United States or Israel.

Accodring to Al Jazeera, China and Russia used this as a chance to criticise the United States’ conduct in the war, particularly following a strike that hit a school. This allowed China to present itself as an impartial voice on international law, while Russia, which has faced scrutiny over its actions in Ukraine, was able to shift some attention away from itself.

Despite their criticism, neither China nor Russia vetoed the resolution. The United States, in response, described them as being “Iran’s partners”.

This position may also reflect economic interests. Sanctions on Russian oil have eased, and China is reportedly supplying Iran with technology needed for the war, according to experts.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that he had reached an agreement with Iran to allow Thai oil vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Anutin said the development would ease concerns about Thailand’s energy supply, as the country relies heavily on oil imports from the Middle East, according to a report by the AFP news agency.

Earlier this month, a Thai-flagged cargo ship was struck by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. The crew was later rescued by Oman’s navy, although three crew members remain missing.

Four weeks into the United States-Israel war on Iran, millions of Lebanese civilians are enduring the effects of a second large-scale Israeli assault on their country in less than two years.

Mass forced evacuation orders by Israel for southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, including Dahiyeh, have displaced around a quarter of the country’s population.

Those who remain in their homes are also under strain from ongoing deadly Israeli attacks, with few indications that the conflict will end soon.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reports that security forces have arrested two individuals accused of planning an armed attack in northern Golestan province.

Officials said intelligence units uncovered what they described as a cell linked to the United States and Israel, based on public reports and surveillance.

The report states the suspects were detained before they could carry out an operation targeting security forces.

Authorities added that a raid on a hideout in Gorgan yielded four Colt rifles and 43 rounds of ammunition.

The Iraqi pro-militia outlet Sabereen News reported that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed armed groups, carried out attacks on several air bases and an airport in Jordan.

According to the report, the locations named were King Faisal Air Base, King Abdullah Air Base, Queen Alia Airport, Prince Hassan Air Base and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, with no further details given on the outcome.

The Israeli military said nine of its soldiers were wounded in southern Lebanon in two separate incidents, according to a statement posted on X.

On Friday, one Israeli soldier was seriously injured and another moderately wounded after an anti-tank missile was fired during fighting in southern Lebanon. In a separate incident overnight into Saturday, one soldier was seriously injured and six others were moderately wounded following rocket fire targeting forces operating in the same area.

The developments come as Israeli forces continue to advance deeper into Lebanese territory, reaching up to 7km (4.3 miles) in some areas.

Hezbollah is also engaging Israeli troops. While the military statement did not specify where the attacks took place, it followed reports from Hezbollah claiming an ambush on Israeli forces in the southern town of Taybeh, around 6km (3.7 miles) from the border.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike targeting a Civil Defence ambulance in the southern town of Kfar Tebnit killed a paramedic and injured four others.

It added that “this raid constitutes an additional war crime … and requires the international community to take measures to ensure accountability”.

Senior diplomatic discussions aimed at reducing tensions in the Middle East are expected to be held in Pakistan in the coming days, according to Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Turkiye.

Speaking to a private network in Turkiye on Friday, Fidan said representatives from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye are working together to organise a meeting focused on the ongoing United States-Israeli war on Iran, reported Al Jazeera.

The meeting had initially been planned to take place in Turkiye, but Fidan said the location was changed to Islamabad as Pakistani officials need to remain in the country.

“It is possible that we will meet there this weekend,” Fidan added.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry and information ministry did not respond to queries. A report by state television indicated the talks could be held on March 30.

Earlier this month, the foreign ministers of the four countries met in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Al Jazeera reported.

Houthis have said they were responsible for launching a missile attack on Israel, marking their first involvement in the month-long war.

The group said it fired a barrage of ballistic missiles aimed at Israeli military sites in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. Earlier, the Israeli army reported detecting a single missile launched from Yemen.

In a statement, the Iran-aligned group said the attack was carried out in response to the targeting of infrastructure and the killing of civilians in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and Palestine.

The group also said its operation “will continue until the declared objectives are achieved …. and until the aggression against all resistance fronts ceases”.

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base, located about a two-hour drive south of the capital Riyadh, has typically hosted between 2,000 and 3,000 United States troops, mainly focused on missile defence and logistical support for US military aircraft.

Since the war involving Iran began, the base has been repeatedly targeted. Reports say that late on Friday at least 12 US soldiers were injured, with two in serious condition, and several US refuelling aircraft were heavily damaged.

Sirens were heard again in Bahrain shortly before this report. Earlier in the day, the United Arab Emirates said an early morning attack caused debris to fall near the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi, close to Khalifa Port, injuring at least five people and damaging facilities.

This pattern of attacks is continuing into the fourth week, amid reports that Israel and the United States could intensify strikes on Iran, which may lead to further retaliation by Iran targeting US assets and Israeli interests across the Gulf.

The United States and Iraq say they will strengthen coordination to prevent attacks by armed groups and stop Iraqi territory from being used to target sites linked to the US.

The US Embassy Baghdad said both sides had agreed to expand cooperation on security.

“The Iraqi and US sides decided to intensify cooperation to prevent terrorist attacks and ensure that Iraqi territory is not used as a launching point for any aggression … against US personnel, diplomatic missions, and the Global Coalition,” the embassy said.

The development comes amid the Israeli-US war on Iran and growing concerns over attacks on US facilities in Iraq.

Kuwait News Agency reported that multiple drone attacks hit Kuwait International Airport, causing “significant” damage to its radar systems.

Civil aviation authorities said no injuries were reported, despite the impact on key infrastructure.

The nationwide internet shutdown imposed by Iran has now lasted a full month, according to monitoring group NetBlocks.

“Exactly one month ago on Saturday morning, 28 February, Iran was plunged into digital darkness as authorities cut off access to the global internet. After four full weeks, 672 hours, the blackout remains in effect, violating Iranians’ right to communicate and stay informed,” it added.

The absence of internet access is making it difficult for civilians to communicate and to receive alerts about incoming attacks.

Production at a major steel facility in Iran has been suspended after Israeli strikes damaged key parts of the site, according to local media citing the company that runs it.

Khuzestan Steel Company said its “production lines have been shut down” after several units were hit in Friday’s attacks.

Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates are finalising an agreement on cooperation in security and defence, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said he had met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“We are open to joint work, which in a strategic perspective will definitely strengthen our people and the protection of life in our states,” he said.

Gulf countries have shown growing interest in acquiring Ukrainian defence capabilities and expertise following a month of attacks involving Iranian missiles and drones.

Ukraine has emerged as a leading producer of advanced, battlefield-tested drone interceptors, as Russia has carried out large-scale drone attacks on Kyiv using Iranian-made systems since the start of its invasion in 2022.

Qatar’s Qatar News Agency reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Doha for a work visit.

He was received at Doha International Airport by the country’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi and Ukraine’s ambassador to Qatar Andrii Kuzmenko.

“His Excellency President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine arrived in Doha this morning for a working visit to the country,” the report said.

Further details are expected.

A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters said Iranian forces had targeted a US military support vessel “at a considerable distance from the port of Salalah in Oman”.

In a statement reported by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, it added: “As we previously announced, the national sovereignty of the brotherly and friendly country of Oman is respected by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday he has held “extensive discussions” with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on the ongoing regional hostilities and efforts aimed at end war.

Pezeshkian was briefed on Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts made by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir to engage the United States as well as Gulf and other Islamic countries to help create conditions conducive to peace talks, Sharif’s office said in a statement.

Sharif expressed hope that “a viable path toward ending hostilities could be found collectively” during the conversation that lasted more than an hour.

Pezeshkian praised Pakistan’s peace efforts, stressing the need to build trust to facilitate dialogue and mediation., according to the statement.

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will attend talks in Islamabad on Sunday aimed at ending the war, Dar has said.

AP

Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet, said its air defense systems have responded to 20 missile and 23 drone attacks in the past 24 hours.

That brings the total number of projectiles fired at the Shiite majority country to 174 missiles and 385 drones since the start of the war in the Middle East on Feb. 28.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, visited the United Arab Emirates and met with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, to discuss Middle East regional security.

“For Ukraine, this is also a matter of principle: terror must not prevail anywhere in the world. Protection must be sufficient everywhere,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X following his meeting with the Emirati leader. He said they had discussed “the security situation in the Emirates, Iranian strikes, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which directly affects the global oil market.”

The two presidents talked on "security developments in the region amid ongoing military escalation and their implications for regional and international peace and security, as well as their impact on international navigation and the global economy," according to the Emirates News Agency.

Zelenskyy stated last week that Kyiv is assisting five Middle Eastern and Gulf nations—the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan—in fending off drone assaults on their soil.

Kuwait’s ports of Mubarak Al Kabeer and Shuwaikh have been damaged in drone and missile attacks in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said Saturday.

The ministry said forces responded to four ballistic missiles, one cruise missile, and seven drones attacked the oil-rich county in the past 24 hours.

No casualties were reported, it said.

AP

Iran is skeptical about recent diplomatic efforts to stop the war in the Middle East, its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Turkish counterpart in a phone call Saturday.

According to a readout of the call on Iranian state-run media, Araghchi accused the U.S. of making “unreasonable demands” and exhibiting “contradictory actions” that raised doubts about the prospect of an agreement.

Recent U.S. moves, he said, have been “increased pessimism” on the Iranian side, without specifying which actions.

The Iranian readout said Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan assured Araghchi that “Iran’s pessimism toward the other side is understandable because Iran has twice been subjected to attack and military aggression in the midst of negotiations.”

One of two journalists killed in a strike on southern Lebanon on Saturday was targeted for being a suspected Hezbollah intelligence operative, the Israeli military said, without providing evidence.

Israel’s statement about Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib mirrored past Israeli military allegations against Palestinian journalists targeted during the war on Hamas.

The Israeli army claimed that Shoeib, a prominent Lebanese war correspondent, was “operating systematically to expose the locations of (Israeli) soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.” The army also accused him of maintaining contact with Hezbollah militants and inciting against Israeli troops and civilians, without elaborating.

Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV said its reporter Fatima Ftouni was killed in the same airstrike, along with Shoeib. The Israeli military did not mention her in its statement.

Al-Manar TV did not respond to the Israeli allegations, but reported on his killing in an airstrike and describing him as “distinguished by his professional and credible reporting of events.”

AP

The military said nine soldiers were injured in two different attacks in southern Lebanon.

Two officers were severely injured, the military said in a statement, adding that they occurred during anti-tank missile fire and a rocket launched towards Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the total number of soldiers wounded since the war began.

That includes joint production, cooperation in the energy sector, investment and sharing battlefield experience, Ukraine’s president said. He spoke with journalists via Zoom during an official visit in Qatar, the latest in his tour in the region.

“Simple sales do not interest us,” Zelenskyy said. “We want systemic relationships, where exporters earn revenue and Ukraine receives sufficient funds to invest in domestic production.”

Zelenskyy said Kyiv has already signed a security-related 10-year agreement with Saudi Arabia and a 10-year deal with Qatar, with a similar agreement with the United Arab Emirates expected in the coming days.

AP

Israel’s rescue service Magen David Adom now says 11 people were lightly wounded in the attack in Eshtaol, near Jerusalem. Some were injured from the impact of the explosion and others hurt while running to shelters.
Among the wounded were a 75-year-old man whose roof collapsed and a 47-year-old whose doorway was blown off, medics said.

The Health Ministry in Beirut said Saturday that 47 people were killed and 112 wounded over the past 24 hours.

The ministry says 1,189 have been killed and 3,427 wounded since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2.