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Israel reports war's first missile attack from Yemen
The Israeli military claims it has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen, after Iran’s Houthi allies threatened to join the fighting.
A military statement said Israeli forces had “identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defence systems are operating to intercept the threat”.
It was the first such statement mentioning a launch from Yemen during the war, which has entered its second month.
The statement, made early on Saturday, follows reports the previous day that Iran had attacked Tel Aviv with at least five rounds of missiles in about five hours, triggering air defence systems and warning sirens late on Friday and into Saturday.
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The Guardian’s south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, is reporting that Gulf countries are worried about possible attacks by Iran-backed militias and proxy armed groups in the region. Any such attacks would further destabilise Gulf regimes and escalate the war in the Middle East.
Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have condemned Iranian attacks on their soil, including attacks carried out through Iranian proxies.
While on Wednesday, Kuwait said it had foiled a plot to kill state leaders, and arrested six suspects believed to be associated with Iran’s most powerful proxy group, Hezbollah.
Thailand reaches strait of Hormuz deal with Iran, PM says
Thailand has struck an agreement with Iran to allow Thai oil vessels safe passage through the strait of Hormuz, said Thai prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul.
“An agreement has been reached to allow Thai oil tankers to transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz,” he told a press conference on Saturday. He said the development would alleviate concerns over fuel imports.
Some more detail from our earlier report about the attacks on Abu Dhabi, early on Saturday.
Five people were injured as a result of debris falling from a ballistic missile interception, the emirate’s media office said.
A little more context on the Israeli army reporting a missile fired from Yemen.
If correct, that is the first time a missile has launched from Yemen since the war erupted. The launch comes hours after Iran-aligned Houthis said on Friday they were prepared to act if what the group called an escalation against Iran and the “axis of resistance” continued, but did not say what form any intervention would take.
An entry of the Houthis to the war would raise the prospects of a broader regional confrontation, particularly given the Houthis’ ability to strike targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea, which they had done in support of Hamas in Gaza after 7 October, 2023.
Iran’s Shi’ite allies in Lebanon and Iraq have already joined the war in the region triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Tehran four weeks ago.
Israel reports war's first missile attack from Yemen
The Israeli military claims it has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen, after Iran’s Houthi allies threatened to join the fighting.
A military statement said Israeli forces had “identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defence systems are operating to intercept the threat”.
It was the first such statement mentioning a launch from Yemen during the war, which has entered its second month.
The statement, made early on Saturday, follows reports the previous day that Iran had attacked Tel Aviv with at least five rounds of missiles in about five hours, triggering air defence systems and warning sirens late on Friday and into Saturday.
Reports are coming in that Abu Dhabi is dealing with two fires near Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi, or KEZAD, started by debris falling from the interception of a ballistic missile, authorities said early on Saturday.
The report comes as the United Arab Emirates is taking a tougher line against Tehran after being dragged into the conflict between Iran, and the US and Israel.
A simple ceasefire won’t be enough, according to the Emirati ambassador to Washington. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Yousef Al Otaiba wrote:
We need a conclusive outcome that addresses Iran’s full range of threats: nuclear capabilities, missiles, drones, terror proxies and blockades of international sea lanes.
We’ll tell you more as it comes to hand.
Another strike reported in area of Iran nuclear power plant
The UN nuclear watchdog said it had been told by Iran of a new strike in the area of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the third such incident in 10 days.
Tehran told the agency there was no damage to the operating reactor and no radiation release, and that the plant was functioning normally, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned that any strike damaging a reactor could trigger a major radiological incident, urging “maximum military restraint”.
Our picture editor has curated some of the latest images from the war in the Middle East.
At least 12 American soldiers injured in Iranian attack on US base in Saudi
An Iranian attack on a base in Saudi Arabia has wounded at least 12 American soldiers, two of them seriously, US media reported on Friday.
Iran has kept up retaliatory attacks on Gulf nations it accuses of serving as a launchpad for US strikes on it. The attack on the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia included at least one missile and several drones, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified officials.
The soldiers were inside a building at the base when it was struck, the Journal reported. Several aerial refuelling planes also reportedly suffered damage in the attack.
Saudi Arabia has previously intercepted several missiles fired near the base.
Explosions reported in Syrian capital Damascus
Explosions have been heard in the Syrian capital Damascus and nearby areas as Israeli air defences intercepted Iranian missiles in Syrian airspace, Syrian state television reported early on Saturday.
Welcome summary
Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the consequences for the region, the world and the global economy.
The US expects its military operations against Iran to conclude within weeks, not months, and Washington can meet all its objectives without using ground troops, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Friday.
Rubio told reporters after meeting G7 counterparts in France that Washington was “on or ahead of schedule in that operation, and expect to conclude it at the appropriate time here – a matter of weeks, not months”.
While he said the US could achieve its aims without ground troops, he acknowledged it was deploying some to the region “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust the contingencies, should they emerge”.
While the G7 met, Iran kept firing missiles at Israel and Gulf nations on Friday, including a strike at a military base in Saudi Arabia that US officials said wounded at least 10 US service members, two of them seriously.
The attack on Prince Sultan airbase also damaged several US refuelling aircraft, said two US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters. One of the officials said two of the troops were seriously wounded. Israel, meanwhile, has warned it will expand its attacks on Iran.
Here are the latest developments:
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Israel’s military says it has launched strikes on Iranian “regime targets” early on Saturday. An AFP journalist in Tehran reported hearing about 10 intense blasts. A brief military statement said Israeli forces were striking Iranian terror regime targets across Tehran, but did not elaborate on the attacks.
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Elon Musk joined a phone call between Donald Trump and India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday about the war in Iran, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing two US officials. It was unclear why Musk was on the call but a White House spokesperson said it was “productive”.
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UAE’s defense ministry early on Saturday said it is was engaging with incoming missiles and drones from Iran, Reuters reports.
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Donald Trump said the US does not “have to be there for Nato”. Speaking to an investment forum in Miami on Friday, the US president said he was upset that European Nato countries had declined to provide material support to the US in its war against Iran.
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Trump later claimed that Iran was “on the run” and “wants to make a deal”, adding that Tehran had sent the US 10 oil ships as part of negotiations to “make up for” their denial that any formal talks were taking place. Tehran still maintains there haven’t been any formal talks with Washington – only an exchange of messages through mediators such as Pakistan.
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Houthis in Yemen said their “finger is on the trigger” for military intervention if certain conditions are met. The Iran-aligned group said it would enter the conflict if new countries join the US and Israel in their war against Iran; the Red Sea is used to target Iran or any Muslim country; or the war continues to escalate against Iran and the countries of the “axis of resistance”.
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The strait of Hormuz is “closed”, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said earlier, adding that they had turned back three ships trying to transit the strait. The route – critical for oil and gas shipping and for the global economy – is closed to vessels travelling to and from ports linked to its “enemies”, it said, warning of “harsh measures”.
