Iran announced on Friday that it had targeted United States military assets at Kuwait’s Ahmad Al-Jaber airbase, describing the attack as retaliation for US strikes a day earlier.
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it → announce → strikes
Here is a recap of the latest developments in the US-Israeli war on Iran over the past 24 hours and a look at how the war could be expanding within the region.
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war → expand → region
Where has Iran attacked?
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Iran → attack → ?
The Iranian army said on Friday that its forces had targeted strategic US military facilities at Kuwait’s Ahmad Al-Jaber airbase in a drone attack, describing the operation as retaliation for recent US strikes.
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forces → say → strikes
In a statement reported by Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, the army said it had targeted hangars, satellite communication systems and equipment warehouses using drones.
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it → report → drones
The strike, according to the statement, was carried out in response to a US attack on a residential home on Qeshm island, adding that the Kuwait facility serves as a vital hub for US aerial surveillance and operational support in the region.
The US has not responded to Iran’s attack yet, and specific details about the damage and casualties are not known.
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details → accord → damage
Citing Iran’s recent claimed attack on a US military base in Jordan, Ali Akbar Dareini, a Tehran-based researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera that Tehran believes Washington is amassing equipment there in preparation for a major attack.
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Washington → cite → attack
He said Iran is likely trying to preempt any future attacks by the US in its current targeting in the region.
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Iran → say → region
Iran does not want to “allow the US to decide when to start the war, when to pause temporarily and when to restart the war”, he added.
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he → want → war
“Iran is now targeting the staging grounds of future operations.”
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Iran → target → operations
Dareini explained that while Washington has been pursuing “vertical escalation” by ramping up military attacks against Iran, Tehran has sought “horizontal escalation” by expanding the conflict’s “geographical scope”.
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Tehran → explain → scope
“Iran wants a complete, permanent end to war, or it’s going to be a wide-scale regional war,” he said.
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he → want → war
Where did the US attack Iran on Thursday?
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US → attack → Thursday
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran overnight on Wednesday.
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it → say → Wednesday
Three people were killed on Qeshm island when a residential building was hit.
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building → kill → island
Explosions were also heard in Fars province, Kish island, Bushehr province, Khuzestan province and Hormozgan province.
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Explosions → hear → province
The IRGC promised it would retaliate.
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it → promise → ?
The IRGC said that “with the help of God Almighty, the aggressor will be punished today,” according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
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aggressor → say → agency
Early on Thursday morning, the Jordanian Armed Forces said their air defence systems intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran targeting the kingdom’s territory.
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systems → say → territory
Kuwait’s Defence Ministry announced on Thursday that one worker had been killed in an Iranian attack that targeted a building belonging to a Chinese company in the country’s north.
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that → announce → north
On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing had concluded the attack had not affected any Chinese citizens.
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attack → say → citizens
She said China had asked Kuwait to take the necessary measures to protect Chinese nationals and institutions.
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China → say → nationals
Is the war expanding?
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war → expand → ?
Recent attacks in Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, as well as strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and the Caspian Sea, have sparked fears of the war expanding geographically – and may even have overlapped with the war in Ukraine.
Attacks on shipping
On July 20, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and have since attacked shipping in the Red Sea.
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Houthis → spark → Sea
The Houthis have accused Saudi leaders of imposing “an unjust and oppressive siege” on them in Yemen for nearly 12 years, “plundering our resources and imposing a comprehensive blockade on our ports and airports by land, sea and air”.
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Houthis → accuse → land
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia revealed plans for a multinational maritime defence coalition to safeguard international shipping and energy supply routes in the Red Sea.
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Arabia → reveal → Sea
A Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea prompted Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Tehran over what it described as a “hostile and criminal” attack on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported.
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IRNA → prompt → Saturday
Ukraine said it was targeting a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iranian-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.
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it → say → Sea
Strike in Egypt
Egypt has confirmed that a fire which damaged two ships at the Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday was caused by a drone attack.
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which → confirm → attack
In a statement, the Egyptian Cabinet said initial investigations had determined the fire was caused by a drone, but that no party had claimed responsibility.
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party → say → responsibility
It said authorities were investigating the circumstances of the strike to protect Egypt’s interests and national security.
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authorities → say → interests
Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, quoting people familiar with the incident, that the drone had hit the US-owned gas storage tanker Energos Winter, causing a fire that spread to a second vessel.
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that → report → vessel
Iran has denied involvement in the Egypt attack.
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Iran → deny → attack
“Egypt is an important friend and partner in the region, and its security is of utmost importance to us,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media.
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Araghchi → write → media
“We must all be vigilant against Israeli plots and false-flag operations designed to undermine regional peace.”
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We → design → peace
Strikes in Iraq and Jordan
Al Jazeera Arabic reported on Thursday that a drone attack targeted a camp belonging to an Iranian Kurdish opposition group located east of Iraq’s Erbil, according to local security sources.
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attack → report → sources
More information about this attack is not known yet.
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information → know → attack
On Wednesday morning, the US and Saudi Arabia launched attacks on Iran-backed groups in Iraq.
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US → launch → Iraq
The US and Saudi Arabia justified the attacks by claiming Iran was responsible for recent drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities apparently launched from Iraqi territory.
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Iran → justify → territory
They claimed Iran-aligned groups in Iraq had carried out “30 IRGC-directed” drone attacks in 72 hours.
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groups → claim → hours
…and 4 more, not listed.
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