The recent Iranian missile strike on the Diego Garcia air base, situated roughly 4,000 kilometers from Iran, has raised concerns that Tehran possesses missiles with a range wider than previously disclosed. This revelation hints at the potential expansion of Iran’s military capabilities.
In a separate incident on Saturday, Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility came under attack. An official Iranian news outlet reported the airstrike, assuring that there was no radiation leakage as a result.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced through a video message that both Israel and the United States plan to significantly escalate their attacks on Iran’s ruling government in the coming week.
Katz’s statement followed an incident where debris from an Iranian missile landed near a kindergarten in Tel Aviv. The Israeli army’s spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, shared a video on X showing the empty building, confirming that there were no casualties as the school was unoccupied at the time.
Residents of Tehran reported heavy airstrikes throughout the night and into the morning. Meanwhile, in Baghdad, Iraq, a drone attack targeted the intelligence service headquarters, resulting in the death of an officer. No organization has yet claimed responsibility for this assault.
In Saudi Arabia, authorities successfully intercepted and downed 20 drones within a few hours in the eastern region, which is critical due to its significant oil infrastructure. Fortunately, these incidents caused no injuries or damage.
The attacks â and threats of more to come â indicate the Iran war shows no sign of abating.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Japan’s Kyodo news service on Friday that Iran wanted “not a cease-fire, but a complete, comprehensive and lasting end to the war.”
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Mideast even as the US was sending three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2500 additional Marines to the region.
Trump’s post on social media followed an Iranian threat to attack recreational and tourist sites worldwide.
It also came after another climb in oil prices plunged the US stock market, and was followed by a Trump administration announcement it was lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded on ships, a move aimed at wrangling soaring fuel prices.
Iran’s attempt to hit Diego Garcia air base in the Indian Ocean
UK officials have not given details of the attempted strike on the ocean air base on Friday, which was unsuccessful.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Saturday that Iran’s “lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies.”
Britain has not participated in US-Israeli attacks on Iran, but has allowed American bombers to use UK bases to attack Iran’s missile sites.
On Friday, the British government said US bombers can also use UK bases, including Diego Garcia, in operations to prevent Iran attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran targeted the base before that UK statement.
Iran’s official news agency Mizan said there was no leakage after Saturday’s strike on the Natanz nuclear facility, nearly 220 kilometres southeast of Tehran.
The facility, Iran’s main uranium enrichment site, was hit in the first week of the war and several buildings appeared damaged, according to satellite images.
The UN nuclear watchdog â the International Atomic Energy Agency â had said “no radiological consequence” were expected from that earlier strike. Natanz had also been targeted in the 12-day war last June.
On Saturday, the IAEA said on X it was informed by Iran about the Natanz strike and about there being no increase in off-site radiation levels.
The agency said it was looking into the incident.
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