West Asia conflict intensifies as Iran, US-Israel launch missile and drone attacks
Conflict in West Asia intensified as Iran and the joint forces of Israel and America launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks. Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Gulf countries, while Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran. Britain, France and Germany have said that they are ready to work with the US to counter Iran’s attacks, and a group of Gulf countries said it reserved the right to respond to Iranian strikes.
Amid the growing tension, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani has vowed that Iran will not negotiate with the United States. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has strongly condemned the recent US air strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Mr Araghchi described the strikes as an unlawful act of aggression and asserted that Iran’s actions constitute self-defence. US President Donald Trump promised Washington would avenge the deaths of three American troops who were killed in Kuwait. In a social media post, Mr Trump said nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy’s headquarters had been largely destroyed. The US military said B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran’s ballistic missile facilities with two-thousand-pound bombs.
Iran continues to strike US assets across the Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and others, after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top Iranian officials. The Israeli Air Force today reported missile launches from Iran targeting Israeli territory. Iran has claimed that a US F-15 fighter jet crashed in Kuwait as tensions escalate. Fire and smoke were seen from inside the US Embassy compound in Kuwait after an Iranian attack. The US embassy in Kuwait said there is a continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks over the country. Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said several US warplanes crashed in the country, with all the pilots safely bailing out. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted drones targeting its Ras Tanura oil refinery. Several loud explosions were also heard in Irbil, the capital of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region. As the bombardment continued, Hezbollah said it fired missiles from Lebanon into Israel today in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Israel retaliated with strikes on Beirut.
In the attack, 31 people lost their lives. Meanwhile, the Kuwait Air Defence Force shot down a number of hostile aerial targets. Israel said that crossings to Gaza, where much-needed humanitarian aid passes, will remain closed while the war with Iran continues. Cyprus has said that the drone that hit the British military base caused limited damage. Lebanon’s government is holding an emergency meeting after Hezbollah’s attack on Israel triggered Israeli airstrikes in different parts of the country. Amid the rising conflict, the World Health Organisation called for the sparing of civilians and healthcare facilities in West Asia.
