PHOTO- Palestinian security forces gathering at the scene where three Palestinian women were killed in an Iranian missile attack near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Wednesday.Credit…Yosri Aljamal/Reuters
At least three Palestinians were killed and several others wounded during an Iranian missile attack that damaged a makeshift beauty parlor in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Wednesday night, Palestinian officials and local residents said.
The strike hit a caravan that had been converted into a hair salon in the town of Beit Awwa, in the southern part of the territory. The Israeli military blamed the attack on an Iranian missile, while Palestinian officials said the damage was caused by an errant Israeli aerial defense interceptor.
Drone and missile attacks targeted major energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, hours after Iran vowed retaliation for the largest set of strikes on its energy production in nearly three weeks of war, stoking fears of a worsening global fuel crunch and the resulting rising prices.
Earlier in the day, airstrikes hit the infrastructure of Iran’s vast South Pars offshore gas field, its biggest source of natural gas, which could worsen the country’s already severe domestic energy shortages. Iraq, which normally gets one-third of its natural gas from Iran, said that flow had been completely cut off, knocking out a large part of Iraq’s electric power supply.
Habshan gas facilities , UAE- Early on Thursday morning in the Middle East, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said that authorities had responded to incidents at the Habshan gas facilities and at the Bab oil field caused by debris from missile interceptions. Operations at the gas facilities, one of the world’s largest gas processing plants, have been suspended. No injuries were reported, the media office said. The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry condemned the attack in a statement, calling it “a dangerous escalation” and a threat to regional security and stability.
Summary of what happened Wednesday
Drone and missile attacks targeted energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after Iran vowed retaliation for strikes on the infrastructure of its South Pars offshore gas field that prompted a spike in oil prices.
The attacks on Iran’s largest natural gas source could deepen an already severe domestic energy shortage and immediately affect Iran’s neighbors. Iraq, which normally gets one-third of its natural gas from Iran, was cut off. Qatar’s state-owned energy company reported missiles caused “extensive damage” to a major energy hub, while the country’s foreign ministry condemned Iran’s “escalatory policies that are pushing the region toward the brink.”
President Emmanuel Macron of France said on Wednesday evening that he had just spoken with the emir of Qatar and President Trump following strikes that hit gas production sites in Iran and Qatar earlier in the day. Macron said it is in everyone’s interest to impose a moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water infrastructure, so that people can meet their essential needs and to ensure the security of energy supplies.
funeral jn Iran for those killed in strikes. The Iranian government has urged citizens to come out and show patriotism during the war, and on Wednesday they did, this time to attend a funeral procession for countrymen killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes.
For many Iranians living under relentless Israeli and American airstrikes, each day brings a new level of anger and fear.
Iran imposes internet blackout amid U.S.-Israeli strikes. For 19 days, the majority of Iran’s 92 million people have been cut off from the outside world, according to watchdog groups that track internet censorship in the country, as the country’s regime has tried to suppress communication and maintain control over its population during wartime.
Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah has said it would suspend attacks on the US embassy for five days if its conditions are met. The conditions listed by the group in a statement included Israel’s halt of displacing and striking residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs and a commitment to not shelling residential areas in Baghdad and other provinces.
Gulf energy industry – Iran has warned that it would destroy the oil and gas industry of its Gulf neighbors, which it considers US interests, if its own energy sector is harmed again. “We warn you once again that you made a big mistake in attacking the energy infrastructure of the Islamic Republic, the response to which is being implemented,” the Revolutionary Guards announced, in a statement carried by Iranian media.
Israel Air raid warnings
Air raid sirens rang out late Wednesday across Israel from the north to the south following what Israeli media said was one or more missile launches from Lebanon.
Striking north Iran- The Israeli military has said it launched airstrikes in northern Iran for the first time since the war began on February 28.
“The Israeli Air Force, acting on navy and IDF intelligence, began striking targets in northern Iran for the first time during Operation Roaring Lion,” the military said.
Hezbollah terrorist cell – Kuwait arrested 10 militants affiliated with the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group, who were accused of plotting “terrorist” actions against vital infrastructure, the interior ministry said.
EU – The European Union has called on Israel to cease its military campaign in Lebanon. The EU is deeply concerned about the ongoing Israeli offensive in Lebanon which already has devastating humanitarian consequences and risks triggering a prolonged conflict,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 968 people and displaced over a million, according to local authorities.
