Israel and Hezbollah traded fire on Monday, while President Donald Trump vowed to avenge the deaths of US service members and said the war with Iran could last for weeks.The European Union has warned of the cost to the Middle East of a long war, and said it was reinforcing its naval mission in the Red Sea.Fresh explosions were heard across Gulf cities on Monday, while blasts were heard in Jerusalem, triggering air raid sirens.Here are the latest developments:- Iranian deaths -An Iranian official said Monday that US and Israeli strikes over two days have left at least 27 people dead in Iran’s northwest. “The number of martyrs who have fallen over the past two days in the province as a result of Israeli and American attacks reached 27,” said Majid Farshi, director general of the East Azerbaijan province crisis management department, as quoted by the official IRNA news agency.- Israel and Hezbollah -Israel said it was striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon after the militant group said it had launched rockets and drones at Israel.The Israeli military told residents of about 50 towns and villages in Lebanon to evacuate, and an AFP journalist witnessed South Lebanon residents fleeing by car. – Gulf strikes -Fresh strikes were heard across the Gulf on Monday as Tehran pressed into a third day of strikes, including on the cities of Dubai, Doha and Manama.AFP reporters said they heard several loud blasts in the Qatari and Bahraini capitals, as well as in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city.- Israel strikes Tehran -The Israeli military said it launched “large-scale strikes” on Tehran two days after the start of a US-Israeli campaign against the Islamic republic.”The Israeli Air Force… has begun an additional wave of strikes against the Iranian terror regime at the heart of Tehran,” the military said in a statement.- Iraq strikes -Loud bangs were heard Monday near Iraq’s Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops, an AFP journalist said.Since the start of the US-Israel campaign against Iran, drones have repeatedly been intercepted over Erbil, which is also home to a major US consulate complex.- Gulf condemnation -The United States and its Arab allies earlier issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s attacks on Gulf states: “The targeting of civilians and of countries not engaged in hostilities is reckless and destabilising behaviour.”On Monday morning, the US embassy in Kuwait, where smoke could be seen, said in a statement people should not come to the diplomatic mission: “Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside.”- Iran says no US negotiation -Iran “will not negotiate with the United States”, Ali Larijani, the powerful head of Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council said on Monday, denying media reports that Iranian officials had sought to initiate talks.He said Trump’s “delusional fantasies” had plunged the region into chaos.- Trump: three ‘choices’ to lead Iran -Trump told the New York Times on Sunday that he had “three very good choices” for who could lead Iran, but he did not name them. “I won’t be revealing them now. Let’s get the job done first,” he said.- Hegseth to hold first Iran presser -Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will hold a press conference on Monday about the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, the first by a senior US official since strikes began on Saturday.Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, will also take part, the Pentagon said.- US officials to make case for war -Top US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make the case Tuesday to Congress for the attack on Iran.Rubio, Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and military chief Caine “will brief the full membership of both chambers of Congress,” White House spokesman Dylan Johnson said.- Drone strike targets Cyprus base -British forces were responding to a suspected drone strike at its RAF Akrotiri military base in Cyprus, the defence ministry said Monday, with no casualties reported.Britain agreed on Sunday to allow the United States to use British military bases to fire “defensive” strikes at Iranian missile systems.- Maersk suspends Hormuz transit -Container shipping company Maersk said it was halting passage through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz for “safety” reasons.The Danish group was the latest of several shipping groups to make similar announcements after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared the strait closed on Saturday.- Gulf states vow -Gulf states vowed to defend themselves against Iranian attacks, including by “responding to the aggression” if need be, after the Gulf Cooperation Council met via video-link to formulate a unified response.- Nine killed in Israeli city -An AFP journalist heard fresh explosions in Jerusalem on Monday, after the Israeli military said it had “identified missiles launched from Iran”, triggering air raid sirens.On Sunday, an Iranian missile attack killed at least nine people and injured dozens more in the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, medics said.- EU reinforces naval mission -The EU plans to reinforce its naval mission in the Red Sea with additional vessels as Iran’s retaliation to US-Israeli strikes threatens maritime traffic, a European diplomat said.Two new French ships will join the EU’s Aspides mission, bringing to five the number of warships taking part, the diplomat told AFP.- Trump vows vengeance -Trump vowed to avenge the deaths of three US soldiers killed during US operations against Iran, while warning that more casualties were likely.The US president also called on Iranians to rise up, saying “America is with you.” He warned the country’s Revolutionary Guards to surrender or face “certain death.”- War could last ‘four weeks’ -Trump said he envisaged a four-week military operation against Iran, where US and Israeli strikes have killed the country’s supreme leader and crippled its defence capabilities.”It’s always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so,” he told British newspaper the Daily Mail during a round of interviews.- Revolutionary Guards HQ ‘destroyed’ -The US military announced it had destroyed the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) headquarters, US Central Command saying: “America has the most powerful military on earth, and the IRGC no longer has a headquarters.”Israel’s military, meanwhile, said it had “struck dozens of the regime’s military command centres”, including IRGC headquarters.- EU warning -The EU’s top diplomat warned that the Middle East “stands to lose greatly from any drawn-out war”, urging Iran to refrain from indiscriminate attacks in retaliation to US-Israeli strikes.”The events unfolding in Iran must not lead to an escalation that could threaten the Middle East, Europe and beyond, with unpredictable consequences,” Kaja Kallas said, speaking on behalf of the EU’s 27 nations after an emergency meeting of foreign ministers.- Tehran police station hit -Iranian media reported that a police station in a city on the outskirts of Tehran had been hit, killing an unspecified number of people, with others reportedly trapped under debris.”According to initial reports, a number of citizens were martyred and some were trapped under the rubble,” the Tasnim News Agency reported. – Tehran hospital struck -Iranian news agency ISNA reported that Gandhi hospital in northern Tehran had been targeted by strikes.The Fars and Mizan agencies published a video, presented as being from inside the facility, showing debris on the floor among wheelchairs.burs-jxb/ach
