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US military completes 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran
The US military said late on Thursday it had completed its latest round of strikes on Iran, marking a 13th consecutive night of American attacks.
The latest wave of strikes lasted more than two hours, according to US Central Command.
US military launches 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran
The United States military said on Thursday it was attacking Iran for the 13th night in a row.
"US forces started another night of strikes against Iranian military targets at 6:45 p.m. ET (2245 GMT) today," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, adding that the "strikes aimed to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping."
Trump says US will use frozen Iranian assets to cover shipping damage
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the US would begin using frozen Iranian assets to pay for ships and cargo damaged by strikes in and around the Gulf.
"Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls," Trump said on Truth Social.
Kuwait says under attack by Iranian missiles and drones
Kuwaiti air defence batteries opened fire on incoming Iranian missiles and drones on Thursday, the Gulf country's armed forces announced.
"Kuwaiti air defences are currently intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks following the wrongful Iranian aggression," the general staff said in a message posted on social media.
IMO chief condemns attacks on shipping in the Red Sea area
The head of the International Maritime Organization on Thursday condemned the latest reported attacks
on international shipping in the Red Sea area.
Yemen's Houthi militia attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in a military operation, the group said on Thursday, and a Saudi news agency later confirmed one of the two vessels was ablaze after an assault while sailing in the Red Sea.
"I unequivocally condemn the latest reported attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area," IMO's Arsenio Dominguez said, adding that he is also concerned about the potential pollution from such incidents in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz area.
Iran media reports US strike on Qeshm Island in Hormuz
Iranian news outlet Tasnim reports that a US missile had hit a site near the town of Suza on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz.
"The relevant authorities are currently assessing the extent of the incident and the possible level of damage," the agency said.
Houthi blockade could present a ‘second big problem for world trade’
The Houthi threat to blockade the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a crucial passage into the Red Sea, as part of a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, could present a “second big problem for world trade,” explains FRANCE 24’s Kethevane Gorjestani.
While the Yemen-based Houthis have attempted to separate their naval blockade on Saudi Arabia from the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz , it effectively threatens shipping on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula.
It also comes at a bad time for the Trump administration, adds Gorjesthani. “It's clear that for the Americans and for this administration, the political timing is not on their side because you have the midterms coming up in November and we know that this war is, by and large, unpopular,” she notes.
UK says armed forces ready to defend country after Iran warning over US bombers
Britain said on Thursday its armed forces were ready to protect the country from any attack
after Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued a warning over allowing US bombers to fly from UK bases.
"Our Armed Forces are ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it's on our soil or from
abroad. The UK stands ready 24/7 to defend itself," a government spokesperson said.
"This includes through operating a layered approach to air and missile defence, provided by Royal Navy, British Army and
Royal Air Force assets equipped with a range of advanced capabilities, working closely with our NATO allies," they added.
US Senate blocks resolution curbing Trump's Iran war powers
The US Senate has blocked a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the Iran war until hostilities are authorised by Congress. The resolution reflects growing congressional concern, even among President Donald Trump's Republicans, over the war.
The Senate voted 49 to 47 not to advance the war powers resolution.
The Senate vote came hours after the House of Representatives backed the resolution directing Trump to halt US military action against Iran unless he obtains Congress's approval.
Trump tells Axios he is considering restarting major combat operations in Iran
President Donald Trump has told Axios in an interview that he is seriously considering restarting major combat operations in Iran, which could include larger strikes than those carried out during "Operaton Epic Fury," the news outlet reported.
"They haven't received enough pain yet," Axios quoted Trump as saying, adding that Trump said he had not yet made a final decision.
Three killed after two stabbing attacks in West Bank, Israeli army says
Three Palestinians were killed after two stabbing attacks in the north of the occupied West Bank, one near an Israeli settlement and another near an army base, the military said.
In the first incident, two Palestinians were killed near the Itamar settlement when an Israeli spotted them attacking an Israeli civilian, the Israeli army said, adding that the Israeli civilian "eliminated" the two Palestinians, without specifying how they were killed.
In a separate incident on Thursday, the Israeli military said soldiers killed a Palestinian who committed a stabbing attack near the former Israeli settlement of Ganim, where Israel has recently established a military base.
"A suspicious vehicle drove through the Ganim area... and approached the military post, where an IDF soldier on guard duty was standing nearby," before its driver stabbed the soldier in the leg, the army said.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the deceased man as Yazan Sawafteh, 25.
US House again passes resolution seeking to halt military action in Iran
The US House has narrowly passed a resolution to halt US military action in Iran, sending a warning to President Donald Trump for the second time as the Iran war has escalated and the future of the conflict is increasingly uncertain.
The 214-208 vote requiring congressional approval for the war comes as the US Senate is expected to consider a similar resolution later Thursday.
Though the votes forced by Democrats are largely symbolic, they are meant as a strong signal to the Republican president that his support on Capitol Hill is chipping away as the war drags on and lawmakers in both parties have questioned his administration’s endgame.
The resolution narrowly passed after a handful of Republicans voted with Democrats to end the war. But the vast majority of Republicans voted to back the war and cede congressional war powers to Trump.
Trump has insisted that continued US attacks against Iran do not mean a return to war or long-term action.
Mideast situation on 'edge of the unimaginable', UN chief warns
The current conflict in the Middle East has pushed the region to the "edge of the unimaginable", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.
"The situation is getting out of control. It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable. The region is being pulled into an ever-widening circle of confrontation. One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next," Guterres told a Security Council meeting.
"As this dynamic spreads, the political objectives are becoming increasingly obscured by the confrontation itself."
Hezbollah says Lebanon president's US visit a 'submission to foreign tutelage'
Hezbollah has called Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's recent visit to Washington a failure and said it showed the government's submission to a foreign power.
In a statement, the group's lawmakers said the visit revealed "the extent of subservience and submission to foreign tutelage", adding that it "failed to achieve... an American commitment to the withdrawal of the enemy from our land", referring to Israel.
The statement came two days after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met President Donald Trump at the White House, where he "stressed the urgent need for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory".
Under a US-sponsored agreement signed last month, Lebanon's army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from "pilot zones" where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy.
Palestinian Authority raises alarm as Israeli banks plan to cut ties
Israeli banks have informed their Palestinian counterparts that they intend to end critical banking services within weeks, said Palestinian and Israeli officials, raising fears of an economic crisis in the West Bank.
These banking links are essential for financing imports from Israel to the occupied Palestinian territory, including electricity, water, fuel and food, as well as for transferring wages earned by Palestinians working in Israel.
"This is not simply a technical banking matter. These channels are a cornerstone of the infrastructure that underpins our trade, our commerce, and the daily life of millions of people," Palestinian Monetary Authority governor Yahya Shunnar told journalists.
Israel's finance ministry has confirmed that two banks had proposed cutting ties with their Palestinian counterparts.
"In light of the overall risk environment and the growing concern over private lawsuits against banking entities, the Israeli banks recently announced their intention to discontinue providing correspondent banking services," the ministry said on Wednesday.
Israel says Saudi joining Abrahams Accords would be 'historic' for regional peace
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said Saudi Arabia's recognition of Israel would be a significant step towards peace in the Middle East.
"Saudi Arabia's joining of the Abraham Accords would be a historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East", Netanyahu's office said after President Donald Trump announced that a US-Saudi nuclear deal would be contingent on the kingdom recognising Israel.
How Houthi strikes on oil tankers will impact the Middle East war
Yemen's Houthi rebels say they have attacked two Saudi oil tankers. The Houthis are supported by Iran, and the attacks in the Red Sea could be a new front for the war between the US and Iran. How will this affect the conflict?
France calls on Houthis to stop attacks on Saudi tankers
France has called on the Houthi to stop their attacks on Saudi tankers, saying that the strikes marked a major escalation and were irresponsible.
"Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers are irresponsible and a serious escalation," a spokesperson for the French foreign ministry told reporters at a news conference.
The Iran-backed Houthis struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea earlier today as part of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, threatening to create a second chokepoint on global oil supplies alongside the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Yesterday's key developments:
• President Donald Trump attended a dignified transfer of remains ceremony at a military base in Delaware for four US service members killed in the Iran war. Of the four slain soldiers, three were killed in an Iranian missile attack on a military base in Jordan and another died in a separate incident in northern Iraq.
• Trump threatened Iran's civilian infrastructure, warning that the US would destroy a bridge or power plant every time Tehran attacked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked a US Senate committee for an additional 70 billion dollars to fund the war in Iran as Senators demanded explanations of the military's strategy.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
