US hits Iran with intense strikes as Iranian air campaign drives oil prices higher
Dubai: As American and Israeli strikes pound the Islamic Republic and Iran attacks Persian Gulf shipping and energy infrastructure with no sign of an end to the war, oil prices have soared back above $100 a barrel. Intense strikes hit Tehran and areas surrounding Iran's capital, as Iran continued striking at neighboring Arab Gulf States. US President Donald Trump promised to “finish the job,” even as Iran is “virtually destroyed.” The first week of war cost the United States $11.3 billion, according to the Pentagon. The UN refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced, and authorities in Lebanon say 800,000 have been forced from their homes as Israel's military destroys buildings linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. More than 600 have been killed in Lebanon, as well as more than 1,300 in Iran and a dozen in Israel. At least even US soldiers have also died during the fighting.
Here's the latest:
Saudi Arabia says its air defences downed 50 drones in just a few hours
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Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said early Friday that its air defenses downed 10 more drones headed toward the kingdom's Eastern and Central Provinces, bringing the total to nearly 50 drones entering Saudi airspace over the span of a few hours.
The barrage represents a higher-than-usual number of aerial threats for the kingdom, which has seen sites including the US Embassy in Riyadh, oil infrastructure, and a military base hosting US troops targeted as the war involving Iran has intensified.
Debris from interception causes fire in Duba
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Thick black smoke rose over Dubai's skyline early Friday after what authorities described as a fire in an industrial area of the city-state.
An Associated Press journalist saw the fire in Dubai's Al Quoz neighborhood. Bystanders gathered to watch the smoke from the blaze.
Police stopped an AP journalist from going closer to the site of the blaze, which was in a cul de sac.
The Dubai Media Office, which issues statements for its government, said “debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the façade of a building in central Dubai.” It said there had been no injuries, though the black smoke curled over the skyline as far as the sail-shaped Burj al-Arab luxury hotel.
Israeli strikes hit new areas in Beirut, killing one
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An Israeli strike early Friday hit a car in Jnah, a coastal neighborhood in southwestern Beirut, and killed one person, the Lebanese health ministry said.
Separately, an Israeli strike hit an apartment in the Nabaa neighborhood, leaving it engulfed in flames, local media reported. Nabaa, on Beirut's northern outskirts within the densely populated Burj Hammoud district, is home to a sizable Armenian community. No casualties were immediately reported.
It was the first time such an area has been struck in this conflict or during the 2024 war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Following the strikes, the Israeli army said it had targeted a Hezbollah member in Beirut. Both neighborhoods are far from the southern suburbs of Beirut, which the Israeli military has declared unsafe and issued evacuation notices for.
Missile attack on Israel injures 58
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Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said some 58 people were hurt in a missile attack on Zarzir, a city around 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Jerusalem near the border with Lebanon. The service said one person was in moderate condition and 57 sustained very minor injuries from glass shards.
Footage shared by the ambulance service from the impact site showed damaged cars and scattered debris.
The Israeli military said it was operating with emergency services at the scene to clear debris.
Hezbollah said early Friday that it had fired several rocket salvos toward northern Israel and Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
French president says a French soldier has been killed in attack in Iraq
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The attack targeted Irbil in Iraq's northern Kurdish region, President Emmanuel Macron said Friday on the social platform X.
Macron identified the soldier as Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins from Varces.
“To his family, to his brothers in arms, I want to express all the affection and solidarity of the nation,” Macron said. “Several of our soldiers have been wounded. France stands by their side and with their loved ones.”
France said earlier that six soldiers were hurt in a drone attack in Irbil. French troops are in Iraq as part of a multinational counterterrorism mission supporting local forces in their fight against Islamic State militants.
