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Top updates: Drone strikes on US embassy in Saudi Arabia, Trump says war on Iran ‘could extend’
The Saudi Arabian government on Tuesday said that the United States embassy in Riyadh was struck by two drones that caused a “limited fire”, Al Jazeera reported.
There was “minor material damage to the building”, a Saudi defence ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Fresh strikes were also reported in other parts of West Asia on Tuesday.
On Monday, Israel and the US escalated their attacks on Iran, which US President Donald Trump said would likely extend longer than a month, AP reported.
Tehran and its allies retaliated, striking Israel and several sites in Gulf states.
The conflict began on Saturday after Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran in a joint military operation. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attacks.
The killing of Khamenei, who had controlled all branches of the government and the armed forces since 1986, further escalated an already volatile situation in the region.
Here’s more on this and other top updates from the conflict in West Asia:
On Saturday, Israel and the US launched a joint operation to “degrade the capabilities” of the Iranian government. Iran retaliated to the attacks and said that the US-Israeli operation had begun while the nuclear negotiations were on.
The attacks came amid tensions between the three countries over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Israel has been claiming that Iran is “closer than ever” to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.
However, amid fears of a potential attack, with a heavy US military deployment off its coast in recent months, Tehran had been forced to reopen negotiations with Washington about its nuclear programme.
After Khamenei’s killing on Sunday in the joint US-Israeli military operation, senior Iranian cleric Alireza Arafi was appointed to serve as part of Iran’s interim leadership.
Arafi has been named the jurist member of the temporary leadership council responsible for carrying out the supreme leader’s duties during the transition period until a successor is selected under Iran’s constitutional process.
On Monday, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it had fired rockets and drones at Israel in response to Khamenei’s killing, with the Jewish nation responding with a barrage of strikes in Lebanon.
Hezbollah is backed by Iran.
The Iranian Red Crescent said on Monday that 555 persons have been killed over two days across the country since the US and Israel began their operation.
India on Saturday said that it was “deeply concerned” about the recent developments in Iran and the Gulf. The Ministry of External Affairs urged all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation and prioritise the safety of civilians. “Dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate tensions,” it stated.
The Indian diplomatic missions are in contact with Indian citizens, the ministry said, adding that advisories had been issued asking them to be vigilant. The Indian embassies in Tehran and Tel Aviv had asked citizens to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary movements.
The US has repeatedly demanded that Iran give up its nuclear programme, threatening that Tehran must meet its terms or face consequences.
Khamenei had warned on February 1 that an attack by the US would spark a “regional war”.
Israel had been preparing for a possible conflict with Iran for several weeks.
In June, Tehran and Tel Aviv agreed to a ceasefire after 12 days of hostilities.
At the time, the Israeli military had struck what it claimed were nuclear targets, and other sites, in Iran with the aim of stalling Tehran’s nuclear programme. Iran retaliated with missile attacks on Israel.
Both countries had later accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
The two countries had been nudged by the US to accept the ceasefire after Washington on June 22 joined Israel’s war against Iran. The US military had carried out what Trump had described as a “very successful attack” on Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan.
While Trump had claimed at the time that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “completely obliterated” in the attacks, Washington’s preliminary intelligence assessment had said that the strikes only set it back by a few months, and did not destroy its nuclear programme.
Trump’s fresh focus on Iran came after the US’ military operation in Venezuela. On January 3, the US military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for alleged drug trafficking.
Almost simultaneously, on December 28, protests erupted in Iran initially focused on discontent about rising inflation. However, they later expanded as demonstrations in more than 100 towns demanded an end to clerical rule.
More than 5,000 persons were killed in the crackdown on the protests, according to international rights groups.
Following this, Trump had announced that the US military was moving warships towards Iran “just in case” he wants to take action, saying that he was “watching them very closely”.
Source: Scroll
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