Middle East latest: Israeli airstrikes hit military sites in Iran

Israel unleashed a series of pre-dawn airstrikes against subject sites successful Iran connected Saturday, saying it targeted accommodation utilized to make nan missiles fired astatine Israel and surface-to-air rocket locations.

The onslaught risks pushing nan archenemies person to all-out warfare astatine a clip of spiraling unit crossed nan Middle East, wherever militant groups backed by Iran — including Hamas successful Gaza and Hezbollah successful Lebanon — are already at warfare pinch Israel.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says nan full toll complete nan past twelvemonth is complete 2,600 killed and 12,200 wounded. The fighting successful Lebanon has driven 1.2 cardinal group from their homes, including much than 400,000 children, according to nan United Nations children’s agency. Israeli strikes person killed overmuch of Hezbollah’s apical activity since fighting ramped up successful September.

Israel’s violative successful Gaza has killed complete 42,000 Palestinians, according to section wellness authorities, who do not differentiate betwixt militants and civilians. The Israel-Hamas war began aft Hamas-led militants connected Oct. 7, 2023, blew holes successful Israel’s information obstruction and stormed in, sidesplitting immoderate 1,200 group — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others.

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Here’s nan latest:

EgyptAir cancels flights to Iraq and Jordan

CAIRO — Egypt’s flagship airliner has canceled Saturday flights from Cairo to Baghdad and Erbil successful Iraq and Amman, Jordan.

EgyptAir blamed nan cancellations connected “the ongoing developments successful nan region.”

The formation cancellations came hours aft Israel launched a bid of pre-dawn airstrikes against subject sites successful Iran.

Turkey accuses Israel of pushing nan Mideast to nan brink of a greater war

ISTANBUL — Turkey accused Israel of having “brought our region to nan brink of a greater war” pursuing its strikes connected Iran.

“Putting an extremity to nan panic created by Israel successful nan region has go a historical work successful position of establishing world information and peace,” nan Foreign Ministry said successful a statement.

It called connected nan world organization to return “immediate action to enforce nan rule and extremity nan Netanyahu government.”

Turkey has been a harsh professional of Israel’s subject operations successful Gaza and Lebanon while voicing support for Hamas.

Israeli troops detain group astatine a Gaza hospital, Palestinian wellness officials say

CAIRO —Israeli troops person detained a number of group astatine Kamal Adwan Hospital successful nan acold northbound of Gaza, nan Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Those held included aesculapian unit and patients, nan ministry said, and women were held separately “with nary h2o aliases food.” The Israeli service did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The Israeli service began raiding nan hospital, located successful nan Beit Lahiya area, connected Friday arsenic portion of its weekslong crushed violative connected nan bluish parts of Gaza.

Kamal Adwan is 1 of 3 hospitals successful bluish Gaza that has been near mostly inaccessible because of nan fighting.

Earlier this week, nan head of nan infirmary told The Associated Press that nan installation is facing a “catastrophic” shortage of basal supplies and that ambulances tin nary longer work nan site.

Throughout nan yearlong Israel-Hamas war, Israeli forces person stormed and bombarded a number of hospitals including nan strip’s largest aesculapian facility, Shifa Hospital. Israel accuses Hamas of utilizing aesculapian accommodation crossed Gaza for subject purposes, an accusation nan militant group has denied.

Egypt says a cease-fire successful Gaza nan only measurement to de-escalate tensions

CAIRO — Egypt said it’s pursuing pinch “great interest nan accelerated and superior escalation” successful nan region, including Israel’s onslaught connected Iran, and warned astir “serious confrontations” crossed nan Middle East.

The Foreign Ministry said that a cease-fire woody successful Gaza “is nan sole intends to de-escalate” tensions successful nan Middle East.

Egypt, Qatar and nan United States person been starring efforts to scope a cease-fire woody successful Gaza, which includes nan merchandise of hostages held by Hamas arsenic good arsenic Palestinian prisoners successful Israeli jails.

UK premier curate urges restraint

APIA, Samoa — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Iran should not respond to Israeli airstrikes and urged each sides to show restraint.

His comments astatine nan Commonwealth Summit successful Samoa came aft Israel attacked Iran pinch a bid of pre-dawn airstrikes Saturday successful what it said was a consequence to nan barrage of ballistic missiles nan Islamic Republic fired upon Israel earlier this month.

Starmer said Israel has nan correct to take sides itself against Iranian aggression.

“This is simply a unrecorded situation, and we are evidently monitoring it intimately alongside our partners,” Starmer said. “We request to debar further location escalation and impulse each sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond. We will proceed to activity pinch friends to de-escalate nan business crossed nan region.”

Iran vows consequence to Israel’s strikes

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned nan Israeli attacks connected subject bases and said Iran will respond.

A connection by nan Foreign Ministry called nan attacks a clear usurpation of world rule and nan U.N. Charter, peculiarly regarding nan prohibition against threats aliases nan usage of unit against nan territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations.

The ministry emphasized Iran’s inherent correct to self-defense, arsenic reflected successful Article 51 of nan U.N. Charter, saying it has an responsibility to respond to overseas aggression.

Israel’s guidance leader says nan subject should’ve deed Iran harder

JERUSALEM — Israel’s guidance leader Yair Lapid praised nan activity of nan subject but said Israel should person struck harder.

“The determination not to onslaught strategical and economical targets successful Iran was wrong. We could and should person exacted a overmuch heavier value from Iran,” Lapid wrote successful a station connected X.

He said nan aerial unit actions showed its operational capabilities, and that Israel’s enemies cognize that its subject is beardown and tin onslaught anywhere.

Iranian service says 2 soldiers died successful Israeli bombing

TEHRAN, Iran — The Iranian service said 2 soldiers were killed successful Israeli strikes.

The service connection was carried by nan Arabic-language transmission of nan authorities TV, Al-Alam. The study did not elaborate.

Iran says Israeli strikes targeted subject bases successful 3 provinces, causing ‘limited damage’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s subject said early Saturday that Israeli strikes connected nan state targeted subject bases successful Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, causing “limited damage.”

The connection from Iran’s equipped forces was publication aloud connected authorities television, which showed nary images of nan harm described. Iran’s subject claimed its aerial defenses constricted nan harm done by nan strikes, without providing further evidence.

Israel said it launched attacks targeting rocket manufacturing plants and different sites successful nan country.

Israel says it has completed its strikes connected Iran, including rocket plants

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel said early Saturday it had completed its strikes targeting Iran. The Israeli subject issued a connection saying its planes “have safely returned home.”

Its craft “struck rocket manufacturing accommodation utilized to nutrient nan missiles that Iran fired astatine nan authorities of Israel complete nan past year,” nan subject said. “These missiles posed a nonstop and contiguous threat to nan citizens of nan authorities of Israel.”

It added that it besides “struck surface-to-air rocket arrays and further Iranian aerial capabilities, that were intended to restrict Israel’s aerial state of cognition successful Iran.” It offered nary harm assessment.

Iran acknowledged only “limited damage” to subject facilities.

The early Saturday airstrikes connected Iran were successful retaliation for a ballistic missile battle Oct. 1, Israeli officials said. The attack, threatened for weeks by Israel, comes arsenic nan Middle East sits connected nan precipice of a location warfare much than a twelvemonth aft an first onslaught by nan militant group Hamas connected Israel. In nan clip since, Israel has launched a devastating crushed violative successful nan Gaza Strip and an penetration of neighboring Lebanon, targeting militants agelong equipped and aided by Tehran.