Latest developments in US-Israel war on Iran

Explosions were seen over southern Beirut on Thursday evening and Friday morning as Israel carried out heavy air strikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs in the ongoing war in the Middle East.

The Israeli military said targets included Iran-backed Hezbollah militia command centers and weapons storage facilities.

Here are the latest main events related to the war in the Middle East:

Israel targets ‘regime infrastructure’

Israel said it had launched a wave of strikes on Tehran early Friday, targeting “regime infrastructure” in a “new phase” of the war.

Loud blasts were heard in parts of Tehran and Iranian media reported heavy strikes.

Saudi, Qatar thwart attacks

Saudi Arabia said it destroyed three drones east of Riyadh on Friday as well as three missiles launched towards an air base.

Some Western embassy staff in Riyadh meanwhile were told to shelter in place, diplomatic sources said, following an attack on the US embassy compound earlier this week.

Qatar also said its air defences foiled a drone attack targeting the US air base at Al-Udeid, Washington’s largest military facility in the Middle East.

No US boots in Iran

President Donald Trump said Thursday it would be a “waste of time” currently to consider sending US ground troops into Iran.

“It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” he told NBC by telephone, adding that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s remark that Tehran was ready for a US or Israeli ground invasion was a “wasted comment”.

Australians involved

Three Australian military personnel were on board an American submarine that sank an Iranian navy ship off Sri Lanka this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

The personnel were on the submarine as part of training arrangements under AUKUS, a multi-decade defence pact with Britain and the United States.

Iran envoy rejects Trump’s role in choosing succession

Bahrain hotel struck

Bahrain said Iran had struck a hotel and two residential buildings in the capital Manama, correcting a previous announcement that two hotels and one residential building were hit.

Lebanon toll

The Lebanese health ministry said the death toll from Israeli strikes has risen to 123 since the country was drawn into the regional war earlier this week, with the latest count including a new wave of strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

State media said on Friday that Israel had launched overnight strikes on several towns in the east and also targeted the eastern town of Dours at dawn.

Trump backs Kurds

Trump said he would approve of any offensive by Iranian Kurdish fighters, saying: “I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it.”

Iranian ship seized

Sri Lanka has offloaded the crew of an Iranian navy vessel and assumed control of it.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Thursday his country’s navy had taken 208 sailors from the IRIS Bushehr which, a day after another ship was torpedoed off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

Khamenei son ‘lightweight’

Trump insisted he should have a role in picking Iran’s next supreme leader after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose son he said he found unacceptable.

“Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy,” Trump said, drawing a comparison to Venezuela, where interim president Delcy Rodriguez has cooperated with him under threat of violence after the United States ousted her boss, Nicolas Maduro.