The Middle East has been pushed to the brink of a wider war following an unprecedented wave of Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several Gulf nations, prompting retaliatory strikes by an Israeli-US coalition on major Iranian cities The death toll in Iran from the ongoing strikes has reportedly risen to over 1,200 people.
In a significant escalation, Iran launched a massive barrage of projectiles on Saturday. The United Arab Emirates reported intercepting 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones, while Jordan stated it intercepted 108 Iranian projectiles In a notable development earlier in the week, NATO air and missile defense systems intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile heading towards Turkiye, marking a dangerous potential spillover into the territory of a NATO member. Saudi Arabia also thwarted multiple attacks on an air base housing US personnel and a major oil field. The attacks caused significant disruption, forcing Dubai's international airport to temporarily suspend and then partially resume operations
In response, Israel launched new waves of air strikes on Tehran and Isfahan, with provincial officials in Isfahan reporting at least eight fatalities US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning, stating on social media that Iran would be "hit very hard" and threatening to expand the list of targets Israel also continued its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warning the country to disarm the group or "pay a very heavy price"
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a defiant tone, saying enemies "must take their wish for the surrender of the Iranian people to their graves," while also apologizing to neighboring countries for the attacks and stating they would not continue unless Iran was attacked from their territory. Iran's Revolutionary Guards also claimed responsibility for targeting an oil tanker in the Gulf and "separatist groups" in Iraq's Kurdistan region
Yasir Rai
