Israel launched new attacks on Tehran and Lebanon
Israel launched new attacks on Monday on the Iranian Capital, saying it had “begun a wide-scale wave of strikes” on infrastructure targets in Tehran without immediately elaborating. Explosions were heard in multiple locations in the afternoon. It wasn’t immediately clear what had been hit.
The United Arab Emirates reported its air defence was attempting to intercept new incoming Iranian fire on Monday afternoon.
Israel has also targeted the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, while the group has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel. In recent days, Israel has hit many apartment buildings in Beirut and bombed bridges over the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the targeting of bridges “a prelude to a ground invasion,” while Egypt denounced the strikes as the “collective punishment” of civilians for the actions of Hezbollah. Authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million.
Iran’s death toll has surpassed 1,500, its Health Ministry has said. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian strikes. At least 13 US military members have been killed, along with more than a dozen civilians, in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states.
Turkey silent on possible US-Iran mediation
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment Monday on whether the country had relayed messages between Iran and the United States.
On Sunday, however, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held telephone calls with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as well as his counterparts from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, and the European Union.
Turkish officials also said he spoke with US officials as part of efforts to end the war, without providing further details. Fidan pressed ahead with his telephone diplomacy on Monday, making separate calls with his Pakistani, Norwegian and Egyptian counterparts.
Oman working to secure transit
Oman’s top diplomat says his country, which has long mediated between the U.S. and Iran, was working to secure safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz. He did not elaborate. Foreign Minister Bad Albusaidi also wrote in a social media post that Iran is not to be blamed for the war. “Whatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making. This is already causing widespread economic problems,” he wrote.
Egypt denounces Israel’s strikes
“The deliberate destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon represents a blatant Israeli policy of collective punishment,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a Monday statement. It criticized Israel’s “systemic and deliberate” strikes, including on bridges on the Litani River in south Lebanon.
