Iran war day 100: US, Iran trade attacks again, raising tensions
Tensions rise as US shoots down Iranian drones over Strait of Hormuz, vital for international maritime traffic.
Al Jazeera English
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Tensions rise as US shoots down Iranian drones over Strait of Hormuz, while Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said it shot down a pair of Iranian drones threatening the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions as Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi landed in Tehran as part of new diplomatic efforts.
Tehran responded with a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday, drawing condemnation from the Gulf countries and piling pressure on a shaky ceasefire agreed on April 8.
Weeks of indirect talks marked by tit-for-tat threats and sporadic exchanges of fire have failed to secure a deal to end the conflict or reopen the vital waterway, a chokepoint for Gulf oil and gas shipments.
Moreover, in a parallel conflict in Lebanon, two Lebanese army officers and a soldier were killed in an Israeli strike on a military vehicle in the south, the Lebanese army said.
Here is what is happening on the 100th day of the war:
In Iran
The US military says its forces downed two Iranian drones “that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz”.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the latest US attacks as “flagrant” violations while condemning Washington’s “hostile and provocative behaviour”.
Iranian state media reported that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for talks with Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Naqvi said he was carrying a “special letter” from his country’s army chief and prime minister to Khamenei, ISNA reported.
In the US
The US government will attempt to redirect Iranian assets to Gulf states for rebuilding and repairs of damage caused by Iran, a source familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency.
The disclosure came a day after Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, told CNN that a peace deal to end the three-month war hinged on the release of $24bn in Iranian assets frozen by the US.
Iranian state television confirmed that the Iranian team’s players and technical staff had received US visas for the upcoming World Cup, but reported that 15 administrative and managerial members of the delegation had been refused.
“We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences,” an unnamed US administration official said, according to the AFP news agency.
In Lebanon
Two Lebanese army officers and a soldier were killed in an Israeli strike on a military vehicle in south Lebanon, the Lebanese army said.
Lebanese army commander General Rudolf Haykal has left on a visit to Pakistan, Lebanon’s army said on Saturday, amid Pakistani efforts to end the war.
The Israeli military on Sunday said four of its reserve soldiers were moderately injured in a drone attack in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs has called for an immediate halt to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and described the deadly assault on the Lebanese military convoy as “a blatant violation of the sovereignty, security, and stability” of the country.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said an Israeli raid on the town of Saksakiyeh on Saturday morning killed at least two people.
The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says it attacked a “command headquarters” belonging to the Israeli military in the Lebanese town of Naqoura with Ababil drones.
Nader Hashemi, an associate professor at Georgetown University, says Israel is making a mockery of the term “ceasefire”. “Ceasefire in the context of Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Lebanese in Lebanon effectively means that they want the other side to cease, while Israel continues to fire,” he told Al Jazeera.
In Gaza
The death toll from Israel’s attacks on Saturday rose to 10 in Gaza, with a drone attack killing a man and his son in Gaza City.
