ANI photo.
West Asia: West Asia witnessed a sharp escalation in violence on Monday, with deadly maritime attacks, military crashes, and intensified cross-border strikes contributing to mounting casualties across multiple countries, according to multiple reports.
A bomb-laden drone boat struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MKD VYOM in the Gulf of Oman, killing one crew member, Omani authorities said. The state-run Oman News Agency reported that the attack occurred off the coast of Muscat, the sultanate’s capital. Officials confirmed that the deceased mariner was an Indian national.
In a separate development, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense said that several US military aircraft crashed in Kuwait on Monday. All crew members survived. Search and rescue operations were immediately launched, and the personnel were evacuated from the crash sites and transferred to hospitals for medical evaluation. Authorities said their condition is stable.
Colonel Saud Al-Atwan, official spokesman for Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense, said direct coordination was held with the US military to address the circumstances surrounding the incident and to implement joint technical procedures. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the crashes. He urged the public and media to rely only on official sources for information.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll from the ongoing joint Israeli-US strikes on Iran continued to rise. The Red Crescent reported that 555 people were killed in the attacks, which began last Saturday. Among them, 25 people were killed in Fars province in southern Iran. The organisation said 131 cities were targeted and warned that the death toll is likely to increase.
The attacks also resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 40 senior officials, according to the information provided.
In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes intensified following a rocket attack by Hezbollah. The death toll from Israeli bombings has risen to 31, with 149 people wounded, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. Airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut and parts of southern Lebanon. In the capital’s suburbs, 20 people were killed, and 91 were injured, while 11 were killed and 58 were wounded in southern areas.
Israel has declared war on Hezbollah. According to Al Jazeera, Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Samir said a series of deadly attacks against Hezbollah had begun. The escalating violence has triggered an exodus from parts of Lebanon as civilians flee affected areas.
Amid the intensifying conflict, Iran’s leadership signalled a hardening stance toward Washington. National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said Iran would not negotiate with the United States while the joint Israeli-US attacks continue. He stated that Iran is defending itself and emphasised that its armed forces did not initiate the war, noting that the country had previously attempted diplomatic intervention on two occasions.