Israeli military chief of staff orders reinforcements to northern sector, bordering Lebanon
Israeli military chief of staff orders reinforcements to northern sector, bordering Lebanon
Four loud booms heard in Bahrain after emergency sirens sounded
Four loud booms heard in Bahrain after emergency sirens sounded: Reuters witness
Iran will target US-Israeli economic and banking interests in region, state media reports
Iran will target economic and banking interests linked to the U.S. and Israel in the region, a spokesperson of the Khatam ol Anbia joint command said on Wednesday, adding this threat follows an attack on an Iranian bank.
"Following their failed campaign, the terrorist U.S. army and cruel Zionist regime (Israel) have targeted one of the country's banks," state media quoted Ebrahim Zolfaqari as saying.
"With this illegitimate and uncommon action, the enemy is forcing our hand to target economic centres and banks linked to the U.S. and Zionist regime in the region."
The spokesperson warned people of the region to stay away from banks.
Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport, wounding 4 people, though flights continue
Two Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, wounding four people, though flights continue, authorities said.
The Dubai Media Office, which issues statements on behalf of the city-state's government, said the attack caused "minor injuries to two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national, and moderate injuries to one Indian national."
It said flights continued.
Dubai International Airport, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates, is the world's busiest for international travel. Authorities have been trying to build up their flight schedule, though the airport has been targeted in the war.
Adani total gas says supply to industrial customers impacted by middle east developments
Adani total gas says supply to industrial customers impacted by middle east developments:
* Supply to industrial customers impacted by middle east developments.
* Assessing impact and taking mitigation steps.
* Allocated priority for domestic PNG and CNG for transport.
* Appreciate Govt's priority for gas supplies to domestic PNG and CNG customers and supply of PNG to industrial and commercial customers.
Iran: Speculation rises over Mojtaba Khamenei’s health
Speculation over the health of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei grew Wednesday after the son of Iran's president mentioned hearing news about him "being injured".
Mojtaba, 56, is the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He long has been a secretive figure within Iran. His father and wife both were killed in an Israeli airstrike Feb 28 that started the war.
Mojtaba has not been seen since, nor has he given any statement since becoming supreme leader on Monday.
In an overnight post on the app Telegram, Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of President Masoud Pezeshkian, wrote: "I heard news about Mr Mojtaba being injured. I asked friends who were in contact. They said, thank God, he is healthy and there is no problem."
He did not elaborate.
France to provide 60 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Lebanon
France will provide 60 metric tonnes of humanitarian aid for Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday."And what we have decided is to triple the volume of aid that will arrive this week. This aid will reach ... 60 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the Lebanese, including sanitation kits, hygiene kits, mattresses, lamps, and also a mobile medical post," Barrot said in an interview with French radio TF1.
US says it destroyed 16 mine-laying vessels as Iran threatens to block Gulf oil exports
The US said it took out more than a dozen mine-laying Iranian vessels Tuesday, and the Islamic Republic vowed to block the region's oil exports, saying it would not allow "even a single litre" to be shipped to its enemies.
As concerns grew about the war's effect on a strategic waterway, the American military said it destroyed 16 minelayers, though President Donald Trump said in social media posts that there were no reports of Iran planting explosives in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil is shipped.
The American military released the figure, along with unclassified footage of some of the vessels, after Trump threatened to hit Iran at "a level never seen before" if the country failed to immediately remove any mines it might have deployed in the channel.
Both sides sharpened their rhetoric as the war entered its 11th day. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth promised the most intense strikes yet while the Pentagon detailed the broader toll of injuries sustained by US troops.
Cargo ship hit by projectile in Strait of Hormuz, crew evacuates
A cargo vessel was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a fire onboard and prompting the crew to evacuate and request assistance, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations on Wednesday.
The maritime security sources say that the crew of the cargo vessel has evacuated.
Sri Lanka court orders 84 Iranian sailors's bodies be handed to Iran embassy
A Sri Lankan court has ordered that the bodies of 84 sailors killed in an attack on an Iranian warship off the island nation's coast last week be handed over to the embassy of Iran, local media reported on Wednesday.
The warship, IRIS Dena, was hit by a torpedo from a U.S. submarine in the Indian Ocean while it was returning from a naval exercise organised by India, amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Qatar intercepts missile attack: Defence Ministry
Qatar intercepts missile attack: Defence Ministry
Booms heard in Doha: Reuters witness
Booms heard in Doha: Reuters witness
Iran vows response to strikes on residential areas: Report
Iran will respond to recent U.S.-Israeli strikes in residential areas, a news outlet affiliated withits military quoted the armed forces spokesperson as saying on Wednesday, after the heaviest strikes on the country since the war started.
Abolfazl Shekarchi also urged regional countries and fellow Muslims to indicate "U.S.-Zionist (Israeli) hiding places" to maximize the precision and impact of Iranian strikes while minimizing harm to civilians, who he said are "used as human shields"
Israel strikes apartment building in central Beirut, Lebanese state media say
Israeli strikes targeted an apartment building in central Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanese state media said, marking the second strike in the city in recent days.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military and no immediate reports of casualties.
A previous strike in Beirut killed five members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Sunday.
Lebanon was drawn deeper into the regional conflict after Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire on Israel, saying it was retaliating for the killing of Iran's supreme leader.
Israel has since carried out air strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon and in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing nearly 500 people, including more than 80 children, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Qatar says it can't mediate while under attack
Qatar says it won't serve as a mediator for Iran as it remains under attack from Tehran.
Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, Qatar's minister of state for foreign affairs, made the statement to the Qatari-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Wednesday.
He noted both Qatar and Oman had been attacked even though they worked to "build bridges between Iran and the West."
"We will not be able to fulfil that role under attack, and that's something the Iranians need to understand," al-Khulaifi said. "The regional countries are not enemies of Iran, and the Iranians are not understanding that idea."
Russia says consulate in Isfahan damaged
Russia said its consulate in the Iranian city of Isfahan was damaged in airstrikes targeting the central Iranian city.
The state-run Tass news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying there were "no casualties or serious injuries" in the strike Sunday, which targeted the nearby governor's office in the city.
"Windows were shattered in the office building and residential apartments, and several employees were thrown back by the blast wave. Fortunately, there were no casualties or serious injuries," Zakharova said.
Israeli strike hits building in central Beirut
Videos circulating online and broadcast by local news channels from an apparent strike site in the densely populated Aicha Bakkar area of central Beirut show two floors of a multistory building engulfed in flames.
The strike came without warning. There were no immediate reports concerning who was targeted or the number and extent of casualties.
The structure that was hit is several buildings away from Dar al-Fatwa, the country's highest Sunni Muslim religious authority.
The strike was in an area far from Beirut's southern suburbs, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings earlier in the renewed conflict with Hezbollah.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait shoot down drones
Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry said early Wednesday it destroyed five drones heading toward the kingdom's vast Shaybah oil field in the Empty Quarter desert. It added that it intercepted and destroyed two drones in the Eastern Province.
Kuwait said it downed eight drones over the tiny, oil-rich nation.
Australia grants asylum to 6 members of the Iranian women's soccer team
Two more members of the Iranian women's soccer team were granted asylum in Australia before their teammates departed the country, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday, but one of the women changed her mind and plans to return to Iran.
Six women from the Iranian squad will remain in Australia on humanitarian visas after accepting offers of asylum shortly before their scheduled return home, Burke said. The names and photographs of the team members initially granted asylum have been widely published, including by Burke, and it was not immediately clear which of the women reversed her decision.
The rest of the team's departure from Sydney, Australia, happened late Tuesday during fraught and outraged protests at the delegation's hotel and the airport. Iranian Australians sought to prevent the women from leaving the country, citing fears for their safety in Iran.
