War in the Middle East: latest developments

PARIS: The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Second US airman rescued -

US forces rescued a second airman whose plane was shot down inside Iran, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the airman was "now SAFE and SOUND".

"At my direction, the US Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the world, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine," Trump wrote.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, said a US aircraft that had been searching for the airman had been destroyed, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

- Bahrain puts out fire -

Bahrain's interior ministry said on Sunday that civil defence teams extinguished a fire at an unspecified "facility" following an Iranian attack, noting there were no reported deaths or injuries.

The ministry said earlier that it was "taking measures to control a fire in a facility as a result of the Iranian aggression".

- Iran targets UAE's aluminium -

The UAE's defence ministry said its air defences were responding to missile and drone attacks after Iran said it was targeting the country's "aluminium industries".

- Strikes on Kuwait -

Two Kuwaiti power and water desalination plants were damaged by a drone attack from Iran, the electricity and water ministry said on Sunday, noting the attack caused "the shutdown of two electricity generating units".

The ministry said there were no reports of deaths or injuries.

Earlier on Sunday, Kuwait's military said its air defences were working to intercept missiles and drones.

An Iranian drone attack had also caused "significant" damage to a government building in Kuwait City on Saturday evening, a finance ministry statement said, adding there were no injuries.

- Missiles targeting Israel -

Israel was targeted by missiles launched from Iran on Sunday, the Israeli military said on social media.

- Three killed in northwestern Iran -

US‑Israeli strikes in Ardabil province near Iran's northwestern border with Azerbaijan killed three people, Iranian media cited an official as saying.

The strikes on Jafarabad and Germi killed three people and wounded three others, said Tasnim news agency, citing the deputy security officer of Ardabil's governor.

- Iran dismisses Trump ultimatum -

Iran's central military command on Saturday brushed aside Trump's threat to destroy the country's vital infrastructure if it did not accept a peace deal within 48 hours.

General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi called Trump's ultimatum "a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action".

Trump had posted on social media earlier in the day: "Time is running out -- 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them."

- Trump says Tehran strike killed military leaders -

Trump said on social media on Saturday that "many" of Iran's military leaders were killed in a huge strike on the Islamic Republic's capital.

"Many of Iran's Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran!" Trump said, accompanying the post with an undated video showing explosions lighting up a city's skyline.

- Iraqi shipping allowed to transit Hormuz, Iran says -

Iran will allow Iraqi shipping to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, its military command said, despite its broader blockade of the key sea lane at the mouth of the Gulf.

"We announce that our brotherly country of Iraq is exempt from any restrictions we have imposed on the Strait of Hormuz, and these restrictions only apply to enemy countries," spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari told state television.

- Israel army claims fifth missile launched from Yemen -

The Israeli military said it had detected a missile launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory, the fifth such attack since the start of the Middle East war.

"Aerial defence systems are operating to intercept the threat", the military said.

- Blasts over Jerusalem -

Several loud explosions were heard over Jerusalem after the Israeli military warned it had detected missiles inbound from Iran.

AFP journalists heard at least six blasts. Earlier in the day, missile attacks on Tel Aviv and parts of central Israel wounded five Israelis, said the rescue services.

- US arrests alleged relatives of slain Iranian general -

Two family members of slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani have been arrested in the United States after their residency permits were rescinded, the US State Department said.

Federal agents detained the niece and grand‑niece of Soleimani, killed in a US drone strike in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in January 2020.

However, Iranian media spoke with two daughters of Soleimani who said the detained individuals were not related to the assassinated military leader.

- Israel hits Tyre after evacuation warnings -

Israel's military renewed strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre after issuing evacuation warnings, following attacks on nearby buildings that damaged a hospital.

Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south after Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on March 2.

- Turkey's Erdogan calls for end to war -

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the war had led to a "geostrategic impasse" and called for new efforts to end the conflict, during a telephone conversation with NATO chief Mark Rutte, his office said.

- Iran says five dead in US‑Israeli strike -

US‑Israeli strikes on Iran targeted a nuclear plant, a trade terminal, a cement factory and a petrochemical hub, with the latter killing five people, Iranian media reported.

A strike near the Bushehr nuclear power station killed a guard but caused no damage, the official IRNA news agency said. The UN's nuclear watchdog said no increased radiation levels had been detected.

By RSS/AFP