The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces intercepted several Iranian ballistic missiles and drones fired toward the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Gulf amid stalled negotiations between the two sides.
According to CENTCOM, seven ballistic missiles were launched toward Kuwait and Bahrain on Friday evening, just hours after CENTCOM downed four Iranian attack drones fired toward the Strait of Hormuz. The agency added that six missiles were intercepted, and the seventh did not hit its target.
Meanwhile, US forces targeted Iranian coastal surveillance radar stations at Goruk and Qeshm Island.
According to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its attacks targeted US bases in the region in retaliation for Washington's airstrikes. The IRGC also said it fired on four oil tankers attempting to cross the nearly-blocked waterway.
The US and Iran have held indirect talks aimed at reaching an interim agreement to end the war, but the two sides remain at odds. Iran wants sanctions relief, access to frozen assets, and the lifting of the US blockade on ports, while the US demands the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and concessions on Tehran's nuclear program.
Al Jazeera's Almigdad Alruhaid, reporting from Tehran, said the latest IRGC attacks were a “warning” to the US. “The IRGC made it clear that this began when some US-backed oil tankers tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with the force,” he said, adding that a series of back-and-forth attacks followed. “They are clearly warning that this kind of American aggression in the region will not be left unaddressed, and they will retaliate strongly and immediately.”
As the US and Iran continued their attacks, Israel pressed on with airstrikes in southern Lebanon. On Saturday morning, the Lebanese army announced several soldiers, including an officer, were killed after an Israeli airstrike targeted their military vehicle on the Khardali-Nabatieh road. Although Israel and Hezbollah continue to clash, the Lebanese army has avoided confrontation and is not taking part in the current conflict. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel erupted in early March after the armed group said it was acting in support of Tehran.
On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's claim that Beirut is a bargaining chip for Tehran in negotiations with the US. “If Lebanon were Iran's bargaining chip, we would have reached an agreement long ago,” he wrote on X. “Save Lebanon from your real enemy, Mr. President.” Earlier in the week, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected a US-brokered ceasefire between the Lebanese government and Israel because the deal did not include Hezbollah and did not require Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
