The latest developments continue to emerge in the ongoing conflict between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, as military activity intensifies across several parts of the Middle East.
The U.S. military has confirmed that an aircraft used for aerial refuelling crashed in western Iraq following what officials described as an “incident” involving two aircraft in the air. U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region, stated that the incident occurred within airspace controlled by coalition partners involved in the operation known as “Operation Epic Fury.” It added that search and rescue operations are currently underway in western Iraq.
French President Emmanuel Macron also announced that a French soldier was killed in a drone attack in the Erbil region of Iraq, while several others were injured. This marks the first French military fatality since the conflict began.
Meanwhile, Israel said it has launched major strikes on various infrastructure sites in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Earlier, Israel had also carried out additional strikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and in the city of Beirut.
In a separate development, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, declared in a message broadcast on state television that Iran would continue to block ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route for oil and energy supplies.
However, Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the attack that reportedly killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fuelling speculation about his condition.
The new Iranian leader also indicated that Iran may continue launching attacks on U.S. military bases in neighbouring countries. At the same time, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said that British forces shot down two drones near their military bases in Iraq on Thursday.
