Iran War: What’s Happening on Day Six of US-Israel Attack? | Israel-Iran conflict news

Explainer

On the sixth day of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, the conflict is escalating as regional tensions rise.

In the sixth day of the United States-Israeli offensive against Iran, the situation inside Iran is escalating, while regional tensions are intensifying across the Gulf, Lebanon and Iraq.

Iran threatens global shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and the conflict in the Middle East is spreading on multiple fronts. Further afield, a US submarine sinks an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka.

In Iran

• Death toll: According to Iranian state media, the death toll from five days of US-Israeli strikes has reached 1,045, with more than 6,000 injured.

• Next Supreme Leader: Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has emerged as a leading contender to take the country’s top job after years of building influence within the establishment and cultivating close ties with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
• Civil Infrastructure: Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the US and Israel of carrying out attacks on 33 civilian targets across the country. These locations reportedly include hospitals, schools, residential areas, Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and the historic Golestan Palace complex.
• US submarine sinks Iranian warship: On Wednesday, a US submarine fired a torpedo and sank the Iranian warship Iris Dena in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, expanding the war zone. The Sri Lankan Navy said it had retrieved 87 bodies and rescued 32 people.
• Kurdish ground invasion: There are growing signs that Kurdish-Iranian armed groups have launched a ground offensive against the Islamic government in northwest Iran.
• Iraqi Kurds will probably join the conflict: US officials have reportedly asked Iraqi Kurds to help with cross-border military operations, and Kurdish forces in northern Iraq are said to be currently on “standby” to join the conflict against Iran.
• Strait of Hormuz: On Wednesday, the IRGC announced the closure of the strait, where Iranian threats to attack ships have brought maritime activity to a virtual halt.
• Spain’s refusal to join: Iranian President Masoud Pezheshkian praised Spain for refusing to allow the US to use its bases for war. US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off all trade with Spain.

In the Gulf countries

• Retaliatory Strikes: Iran’s counterattacks are disrupting the flow of oil across the Middle East.
• Saudi Arabia: The US secretary of state and the Saudi foreign minister discussed the “persistent threats posed by the Iranian regime to regional stability,” and the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Iranian drone attack on the US embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday.
• Qatar: The Qatari government is evacuating residents living near the US embassy in Doha. Qatar’s interior ministry said it was a “temporary precautionary measure”.
• A diplomatic push: Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani contacted his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi for the first time since the conflict began.
• Sheikh Mohammed called for an “immediate end” to the strikes and said Iran was trying to drag neighboring countries into a war that was not theirs.
• Kuwait Tanker Blast: The explosion was reported near a tanker anchored approximately 30 nautical miles (equivalent to approximately 56 km) southeast of Mubarak Al-Kabeer, Kuwait.
• Support from Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with officials from Qatar and other Gulf countries about plans to deploy Ukrainian experts to the region to help defend against Iranian drone and missile attacks.

In Israel

• Intensification of strikes: Israel’s military has announced a new “wave of strikes” against military infrastructure in Tehran.
• Military success: US and Western officials say the US and Israel have successfully destroyed a significant portion of Iran’s military capabilities. With air supremacy achieved, Israeli and US jets are able to fly over Iranian territory unopposed, he said.
• Domestic impact: The Israeli military has slightly relaxed wartime safety regulations, changing from “essential” to “limited” activities.

In the US

• Congress and War Powers: On Wednesday, the US Senate voted 53-47 against the Trump administration seeking congressional approval to continue the war with Iran, stalling a bipartisan war powers resolution.
• Public Opinion: Public support for the war declined. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 25 percent of respondents supported a US-Israeli attack, while 43 percent disapproved.
• Management Position: The White House has strongly defended the military action. Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt said the administration’s goals are to eliminate Iran’s nuclear ambitions and destroy its navy.
• President Trump himself said that Iran was close to getting a nuclear weapon, saying, “If we hadn’t struck in two weeks, they would have had a nuclear weapon.”

In Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, China

• Lebanon Conflict: The situation in Lebanon is escalating, with Israel attacking areas including Beirut and Qiyam and exchanging heavy fire with Hezbollah.
• Iraq: A drone crashed into a building near Erbil airport and Kurdish forces in northern Iraq were reportedly on “standby” for a possible cross-border operation into Iran.
• Missile interceptor: NATO air defense forces in the Eastern Mediterranean intercepted and shot down an Iranian ballistic missile that entered Turkish airspace. “This is a deliberate attempt by the Iranian military to fire from their country directly into a country that has no ties to the Gulf,” retired US General Mark Kimmitt told Al Jazeera.
• China: China’s foreign minister called for an “immediate halt” to the US and Israeli actions in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart, the ministry said.