The China Mail - Beirut explosion, Qatar busts spy cells: Latest developments in Mideast war

Here are the latest developments:

- US commander says 2,000 targets hit in Iran -

Admiral Brad Cooper, who is leading US military forces in the Middle East, said in a video message that "nearly 2,000 targets" had been struck so far in Iran.

"We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones," he said.

- Explosion rocks Beirut -

A loud explosion was heard by an AFP journalist in the Lebanese capital Beirut shortly after midnight on Wednesday, as Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes and rocket fire.

The latest round of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel started early Monday when Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

- Qatar says Iranian spy cells dismantled -

Qatar, which hosts a major US military base and has been targeted by multiple Iranian strikes since the outbreak of the war, reported after midnight Wednesday that it had dismantled two spy cells linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Ten suspects were arrested who "admitted during the investigation their links to the Revolutionary Guards and having been instructed to conduct espionage and sabotage activities," the nation's official press agency said.

- Israel says launching new wave of strikes -

Israel's military said Wednesday it has launched a "broad wave of strikes" on targets in Iran, after the Islamic republic launched three separate missile barrages at Israeli territory in recent hours.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel said it had struck an underground nuclear site in Iran where it said scientists were "covertly" developing a key component for nuclear weapons.

- Drone attack on Dubai's US consulate -

A drone attack caused a fire by the US consulate in Dubai as Iran ramped up its targeting of American diplomatic missions in the Gulf.

Residents told AFP they heard a bang and one said she then saw the blaze. Police cordoned off roads nearby and shooed away passersby trying to see the damage.

- France deploys aircraft carrier -

France is sending its flagship aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the widening conflict in the Middle East, President Emmanuel Macron announced.

The Charles de Gaulle carrier has been pulled out of a deployment in the North Atlantic to head for the eastern Mediterranean. It made a stopover in the Swedish port of Malmo last week.

- Charter flights to help Americans leave -

The United States said that it had arranged charter flights to help Americans leave the Middle East.

US officials have helped arrange charter flights from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates "and will continue to secure additional capacity as security conditions allow," the State Department said.

- Trump threatens to cut all Spain trade -

President Donald Trump threatened to sever all trade with Spain after it refused to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran, while he also lashed out at Britain for not cooperating more.

Spain's left-wing government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of Europe's most defiant leaders against Trump, has said that bases long used by US forces could only be allowed for activities consistent with the United Nations Charter.

- US proposes escorts through Hormuz Strait -

Trump said the US navy would escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if needed amid the Iran war and ordered Washington to provide insurance for shipping.

"If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD," he said on his Truth Social platform.

- Air strike hits Iraq base housing pro-Iran group -

An air strike hit the Jurf al-Nasr military base Tuesday in southern Iraq but only caused material damage, according to sources from the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group, which has members located there.

More than 10 fighters, mostly from Kataeb Hezbollah, have been killed in strikes across Iraq since Saturday.

An explosion was also heard overnight by AFP in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah.

The autonomous Kurdistan region, which hosts US troops and Iranian Kurdish fighters, has been the main target of Iranian drones in Iraq.

burs-des/jgc

R.Lin--ThChM