Israeli and US airstrikes hit Iran in an escalating campaign that US President Donald Trump said on Monday would likely take several weeks. Tehran and its allies retaliated across the region, attacking Israel and a variety of targets within the Gulf states, including energy facilities in Qatar and the US embassy in Saudi Arabia. Follow our live blog for the latest updates.
The conflict with Iran disrupts China’s steel exports in the Middle East
Netanyahu defends decision to go to war with Iran alongside the United States
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends the decision to go to war with Iran alongside the United States.
Netanyahu, speaking on Fox News Channel’s Hannity, maintained that Iran was rebuilding “new sites, new places” that would make “its ballistic missile program and its atomic bomb program immune within months.”
He offered no evidence to support his claim.
Israeli army issues new evacuation warnings in Lebanon
The Israeli military on Tuesday issued new evacuation orders for dozens of locations in Lebanon, including a warning to residents of two southern Beirut neighborhoods to stay away from several buildings ahead of imminent military action.
“Urgent warning to residents of Lebanon, specifically in the villages whose names are displayed. For their safety, they must evacuate their homes immediately,” said a statement from Arabic-language military spokesman Avichay Adraee on Telegram, which listed 50 locations.
Many of the locations were in southern Lebanon, which Israel periodically attacks with the aim of attacking Hezbollah infrastructure.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the US-Israeli war against Iran will not be endless and will involve swift and decisive action.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US forces “would not deliberately attack a school” after Iranian state media reported that more than 160 people were killed in an attack on a girls’ school on the first day of US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The United States struck more than 1,250 targets in the first 48 hours of the war with Iran, the US military said Monday, up from more than 1,000 during the first day of the conflict.
