Iran accused of attacks in UAE and Bahrain, smoke blankets Tehran from Israeli strikes

Israel has struck southern Lebanon, Beirut and an oil storage facility in Tehran as the war in the Middle East keeps escalating, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “many surprises” for the next phase of the conflict.

Iran also hit a desalination plant in Bahrain. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a U.S. airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, warning that in doing so “the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.” Such infrastructure is critical for drinking water supplies in the parched deserts of the Gulf.

An Israeli attack on an oil storage facility in Tehran sent up pillars of fire that could be seen in Associated Press video as a glow against the Saturday night sky. It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war.

The conflict has rattled global markets, disrupted air travel and left Iran’s leadership weakened by hundreds of Israeli and American airstrikes.

Here is the latest:

Israeli military says it has targeted several thousand sites in Iran

The Israeli military said on Sunday it had struck more than 3,400 targets in Iran and more then 600 in Lebanon since the Middle East war began last week.

Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani added that Israel believes it has destroyed 60% of the missile launchers across Iran, which he said is causing a bottleneck of launches and dramatically reducing firepower.

Strikes also destroyed Iran’s two major missile production sites that created the missiles with range to reach Israel, he said.

U.S. military accuses Tehran of endangering the lives of Iranians

U.S. Central Command says the Iranian government “blatantly disregards the safety of innocent people” in its own country.

Central Command says Iran is using areas with high civilian populations for military operations, including launches of drones and ballistic missiles.

“This dangerous decision risks the lives of all civilians in Iran since locations used for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law,” according to the statement.

Central Command says the U.S. military “takes every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes.”

Iran attacks on Arab countries condemned as ‘grave threat to international peace and security’

Arab foreign ministers on Sunday have strongly condemned Iran attacks on its Arab neighbors as a “grave threat to international peace and security.”

In a final communique following their virtual meeting, the ministers expressed support to Gulf states along with Jordan and Iraq in the “measure they take to deter and respond to these aggressions.”

Iran has said it targets U.S. assets in Arab countries in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes which triggered the war on Feb. 28. However, Iranian attacks hit civilian facilities and disrupted life across the Gulf states.

The ministers called for Iran to immediately stop its attacks and cease “provocative acts or threats to neighboring countries.” They urged the U.N. Security Council to condemn Iran and force it to “immediately and unconditionally halt its attacks” on Arab countries.

The ministers also voiced support to Lebanese government in its efforts to disarm Hezbollah, and urged the international community to pressure Israel to immediately cease its attacks on Lebanon.

The communique didn’t mention U.S. and Israeli strikes, which triggered the war.

Iran’s ‘brave soldiers’ are ready if outside forces enter the country, foreign minister says

Araghchi says Iranian forces are ready if ground troops were to enter his country.

“For the time being, we are capable enough,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said Iran has “very brave soldiers who are waiting for any enemy” and would “destroy” those who come on to Iranian soil.

“We have a great civilization. We have defended our land for thousands of years and we continue to,” he said.

Iran foreign minister says his country is attacking American bases, not countries in the region

Araghchi says his country isn’t attacking other countries in the region, but rather American bases, installations and assets “which are unfortunately located in the soils of our neighbors.”

“We are retaliating,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Asked about the apology Saturday by Iran’s president for attacks on “neighboring countries,” Araghchi says an apology “in our culture is a sign of dignity and strength.”

He says the apology from President Masoud Pezeshkian was for “the inconveniences they have faced because of this aggression by the United States and retaliation by us.”

Araghchi says it’s the president of the United States “who should apologize to the people of region and Iranian people for the killings and destruction.”

Iran foreign minister says his country is looking for a permanent end to the war, not a ceasefire

But before Tehran might even consider a ceasefire, Abbas Araghch said “they have to explain why they started this aggression.” Araghch did not specify about whom he was speaking.

Araghchi also told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “there should be a permanent end of the war and unless we get to that, I think we need to continue fighting for the sake of our people and our security.”

He says the war “was imposed on us” by the United States and Israel, and that “what we are doing is legal acts of self-defense and we have every right to do that.”

State Dept says more than 32,000 Americans have left the Mideast since start of Iran war; most on commercial flights

The State Department says more than 32,000 Americans have left the Middle East since the start of the Iran war last week.

Although most of them departed on commercial flights without government assistance, the department said Sunday that it had organized nearly two dozen charter flights that had carried several thousand U.S. citizens from the Mideast to destinations in Europe and the United States.

The department said in a statement that more than half of Americans who requested assistance in leaving have declined offers of seats on government-paid charter flights, some of whom have decided to remain in the Middle East and some who prefer to make their own travel plans.

It did not give a number of those who have turned down charter flights but said more than 19,000 Americans had sought information from the State Department about security or transportation options.

Strikes on Iran oil facilities push the war into ‘dangerous phase,’ official says

An Iranian official deplored the U.S.-Israeli strikes on oil facilities in Iran, saying they pushed the war into a “dangerous phase.”

“These attacks on fuel storage facilities amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against the Iranian citizens,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a social media post.

He said such attacks will have “devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale” because of hazardous materials and toxic substances they release into the air.

“The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe will not be confined within Iran’s borders,” he said.

Egypt’s leader concerned about ‘grave repercussions’ of the war in Middle East

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt on Sunday expressed concerns about the war in the Middle East and its “grave repercussions, including rising energy prices and disruptions to supply chains and air and maritime traffic.”

He warned of the dangers of the conflict expansion which he said could plunge the entire region into chaos, the Egyptian president said.

He called for intensified international efforts to stop the war which was triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.

El-Sissi’s comments came in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Palestinians in West Bank lack sirens and bomb shelters Israelis rely on to stay safe

But as missiles arc overhead, residents have remained unfazed, instead focused on the realities of Israel’s occupation, some of which are compounded during wartime.

In Ramallah’s few cafes open during the daylight hours of Ramadan, warnings ping from the one table where patrons prop their phones to catch rare pockets of Israeli cell service from nearby settlements. But before the distant boom of interceptions, nobody rushes for shelter, except on television, where Al Jazeera shows people in Israel roughly 10 miles away.

Palestinian families have gone outside at night to film missiles streaking through the sky and have reported falling debris but no injuries. Meanwhile, the more than 1,000 checkpoints and gates across the occupied West Bank have been mostly closed, drawing complaints.

Lebanon says 83 children among almost 400 killed in a week of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel

Lebanon’s health minister said Sunday that 83 children are among the 394 killed so far in the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group over the past week.

Israel’s renewed offensive began last week after Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel during the opening days of the war.