Iran has warned US allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar, not to assist Israel by allowing the use of their airspace or territory to attack Tehran, cautioning them to be prepared for the consequences if it occurs, WSJ quoted Arab officials as saying.
These countries have conveyed a message to the Joe Biden administration that they do not want the US or Israel to use their airspace and military infrastructure for an offensive in the Middle East, officials said.
US‘ New Sanctions Against Iran
Meanwhile in response to the October 1 attack on Israel, the US on Friday announced new sanctions against Iran’s energy sector. Iran had reportedly fired approximately 180 missiles at Iran.
Iran said the attack was a response to recent Israeli attacks on the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon – Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets at Israel since the start of the Gaza conflict.
Announcing the sanctions, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said they “will help further deny Iran financial resources used to support its missile programs and provide support for terrorist groups that threaten the United States, its allies, and partners.”
“The new designations today also include measures against the ‘Ghost Fleet’ that carries Iran’s illicit oil to buyers around the world,” Jake Sullivan said.
Middle East Crisis
As Israel continues its airstrikes against Hamas-backed Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon, two United Nations peacekeepers were wounded in southern Lebanon when fresh explosions rocked the organisation’s headquarters. Earlier, a cross-border fire from Lebanon killed a Thai man working on a farm in northern Israel.
According to local health authorities, more than 42,000 Palestinians were killed during the Israeli offensive in Gaza. They did not specify the number of fighters but said more than half of the dead were women and children. The war has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip and displaced about 90 per cent of the country’s 2.3 million population, often repeatedly.
