Iran, Middle East, Gulf, and beyond
(Al Arabiya) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel’s military offensive against Iran was “not done yet,” saying the operation was degrading Iran’s clerical leadership. – Netanyahu warns ‘we are not done yet’ in Iran
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Turkey said Tuesday a Patriot missile defense system was being deployed in the country’s center, a day after NATO intercepted a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace. “Necessary measures are being taken for the security of our borders and airspace, and consultations are being held with NATO and our allies. In addition to the measures we have taken at the national level, NATO has strengthened its air and missile defense measures,” a defense ministry statement said. “Within this scope, a Patriot system assigned to support the protection of our airspace is being deployed in Malatya.” – Ankara says Patriot defenses deployed in central Turkey after latest Iran missile
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Azerbaijan on Tuesday sent humanitarian aid to Iran, appearing to offer an olive branch days after an Iranian drone attack sparked fears of the Middle East war spilling into the Caucasus. Baku, a close partner of Israel, accused Tehran of “terrorism” after Iranian drones hit an airport and exploded near a school last week, wounding four people in Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhichevan, which borders Iran. – Azerbaijan offers aid olive branch to Iran after drone attack
(Al Arabiya) Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Tuesday they targeted a US base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region as the war with the United States and Israel continues. “The headquarters of the invading US army in al-Harir Air Base in the Kurdistan region was targeted with five missiles,” the Guards said in a statement on their Telegram channel. – Iran’s IRGC say targeted US base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region
(Al Arabiya) Syria said Iran-backed Hezbollah had fired artillery shells into its territory from Lebanon overnight, state media reported on Tuesday, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Shia movement. Syrian army officials said artillery shells fired from Lebanon landed near the town of Serghaya, west of Damascus, the state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday. – Syria accuses Hezbollah of firing shells into its territory
(Reuters – Al Arabiya) Israel is ahead of schedule in achieving its war goals in Iran, its ambassador to France said on Tuesday, adding that the operation aims to weaken Iran’s authorities to curb attacks beyond its borders and allow its people to shape their own future. “When we were asked at the start of this war about its duration, we said it would last a few weeks. That hasn’t changed,” Joshua Zarka told BFM TV. “We are ahead of schedule to achieve our war objectives.” – Israel ahead of schedule on war goals in Iran, ambassador to France says
(Zachary Basu – Axios) Ten days into President Trump’s Iran campaign, the war has gone global. At least 20 countries are now militarily involved — shooting, shielding or quietly supplying — while a widening energy shock punishes nations far from the front lines. This isn’t World War III. But it may be the closest we’ve come in decades — drawing in more countries, more great powers and more overlapping conflicts than any crisis since the Cold War. Iran has struck at least 10 countries since the war began, hitting U.S. and Israeli bases, Persian Gulf capitals, oil infrastructure and civilian areas in an attempt to impose maximum pain on Washington and its allies. – A world at war: The Iran conflict goes global
(Marc Caputo, Barak Ravid, Colin Demarest – Axios) Nearly seven months ago, Ukrainian officials tried to sell the U.S. their battle-proven technology for downing Iranian-made attack drones. They even made a PowerPoint presentation — obtained exclusively by Axios — showing how it could protect American forces and their allies in a Middle East war. The Trump administration dismissed the Ukrainians, only to reverse course last week because of more-than-expected drone strikes from Iran. Snubbing Ukraine’s offer ranks as one of the biggest tactical miscalculations by the administration since the bombing of Iran began Feb. 28, two U.S. officials tell Axios. Iran’s inexpensive Shahed drones have been linked to the deaths of seven U.S. service members, and have cost the U.S. and its friends in the region millions of dollars to intercept. “If there’s a tactical error or a mistake we made leading up to this [war in Iran], this was it,” a U.S. official acknowledged. – U.S. dismissed Ukraine deal for anti-Iran drone tech last year
