War in the Middle East: Latest Developments

Here are the latest events in the Middle East war on Saturday:

- Blasts in Dubai, Manama -

AFP journalists heard explosions in Dubai and Bahrain's capital, Manama, on Saturday, one week into Iran's retaliatory attacks on targets around the Gulf.

A warning siren sounded in Manama, with Bahrain's interior ministry urging residents in an X post to "head to the nearest safe place".

- US approves weapons to Israel -

The US State Department approved the "emergency" sale of 12,000 bomb casings to Israel on Friday as the countries engage Iran in an escalating Middle East war.

"The proposed sale will improve Israel's capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats," the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said.

- Israel responding to missile attacks -

The Israeli military said that air defenses were responding to Iranian missile attacks on Saturday that sparked air raid alerts across the country.

Iran has been striking Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has pounded sites around the country.

- Clashes on Lebanon-Syria border -

Lebanese official media said on Saturday that clashes had erupted on the Lebanon-Syria border as Israel attempted a landing operation, with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah saying its fighters were involved.

Israel has sent troops into Lebanon since Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday to avenge the killing of Khamenei.

- Saudi Arabia intercepts attacks -

Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said Saturday it intercepted a ballistic missile fired at an air base which houses US military personnel, as Iran pressed attacks across the Gulf.

The oil-rich nation's state news agency said it thwarted a drone attack on an oilfield near the Emirati border, following at least two reported drone attacks earlier this week that targeted the Ras Tanura refinery in the east.

- Israel launches 'broad-scale' strikes -

The Israeli military said Saturday it had launched a "broad-scale wave of strikes" on targets in Tehran, as the Iranian state broadcaster reported an explosion in the western part of the capital.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said earlier it had detected another round of Iranian missiles headed towards Israel after a series of explosions were heard in the Israeli commercial hub of Tel Aviv following the Iranian launches.

- Israel says Iran using cluster bombs -

Israel accused Iran on Friday of launching cluster munitions "multiple times" since the start of the war -- referring to bombs that explode in mid-air and scatter bomblets.

Iran and Israel are not party to a convention that prohibits the use, transfer, production and storage of cluster bombs -- which can cause casualties over time, particularly children, as some of them do not explode on impact.

- Russia feeds Iran intel, US 'aware' -

The White House downplayed a report Friday that Russia was helping Iran target US forces in the Middle East, with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth telling CBS News's "60 Minutes" program that "our commanders are aware of everything."

The Washington Post, citing officials familiar with the intelligence, said Russia has provided Iran with the locations of US military assets, including ships and aircraft.

- Iran rejects Trump's succession overtures -

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations condemned US interference on Friday, after President Donald Trump insisted that he should be involved in selecting the successor of Khamenei.

"The selection of Iran's leadership will take place strictly in accordance with our constitutional procedures and solely by the will of the Iranian people, without any foreign interference," Amir Saeid Iravani told reporters in New York.

- US to boost weapons production -

Major US defense companies have agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons, Trump said.

The United States struck more than 3,000 targets during the first week of the conflict, the military said.

- Oil prices surge -

Crude prices surged on mounting fears about oil supply disruption as the US-Israel strikes and Tehran's retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region upended the world's energy and transport sectors.

West Texas Intermediate crude rose 12 percent to $90.92 a barrel on Friday, topping off the biggest weekly gain on record.

- Rockets target Baghdad airport complex -

Rockets targeted the Baghdad airport complex that hosts a military base and a US diplomatic facility.

A shadowy group called Saraya Awliyaa al-Dam (Guardians of Blood), which claims to be part of the Tehran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said it was behind the attack on the base.

- Trump to attend return of dead troops -

Trump said Friday he will attend the arrival of the remains of six soldiers killed in an Iranian attack on Kuwait, the first US dead from the Middle East war.

The troops "returning home for the last time," as Trump put it, were killed when a drone struck in Kuwait's southern industrial hub of Port Shuaiba.

- UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon -

Several Ghanaian members of a United Nations peacekeeping were wounded when their base was hit in southern Lebanon, state media reported, without specifying the source of the attack.

Israel has been hitting southern Lebanon in its battle against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

- Trump demands 'unconditional surrender' -

Trump demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender" as the only acceptable outcome to end the Middle East war, promising to help rebuild the country's economy if it complied.

His new stance appeared to be a major expansion of US aims for the war, which Washington has previously said was focused on Iran's missile program and naval forces.

- UN chief slams 'unlawful attacks' -

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "unlawful attacks" across the Middle East and warned that the war could spiral out of control.

Guterres said the crisis was causing "tremendous suffering and harm" and posed a "grave risk" to the global economy.

- Only nine commercial ships navigate Hormuz -

Just nine oil tankers, cargo and container ships have been recorded passing through the Strait of Hormuz since Monday, according to MarineTraffic data analyzed by AFP.

Nearly 20 percent of the world's crude oil and about 20 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually transit the waterway, but the conflict has virtually shut it down.

- France deploys helicopter carrier -

France has sent a helicopter carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the war, the French military told AFP.

Paris decided to deploy its flagship aircraft carrier and a frigate earlier in the week.

AFP/RSS