While Donald Trump asserts that Iran wants to reach an agreement to end the war but that the country's leaders deny it out of fear of "being killed by their own people" and also fear being "killed" by United States, the attacks continue in Middle East.
Iran launched five missile barrages against Israel on Thursday in just over two hours, while continuing its attacks on neighboring Persian Gulf states. Two people have died and three were injured in Abu Dhabi from the shrapnel of an Iranian ballistic missile that fell on a road in the capital of the Emirates.
Meanwhile, Israel has carried out a series of "large-scale attacks" in various regions of Iran, while continuing its ground offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah. On Thursday, the army announced that a 21-year-old Israeli soldier died in combat against the Shiite militia.
In addition, the Iranian Parliament wants to pass a law to charge tolls to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage through which 20% of the world's oil flows.
Iran launches five missile barrages at Israel in just over two hours
Iran launched five missile barrages on Thursday morning at areas in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa in just over two hours, causing fragment falls in several areas that resulted in at least five injuries, none serious.
The first wave, warned by the Israeli Army, was at around 7:00 local time (5:00 GMT), triggering alarms in a strip from the coastal city of Tel Aviv to the north of Jerusalem. About twenty minutes later, another launch from Iran activated alarms also in the country's metropolitan area and to the east, covering Ben Gurion Airport.
The third barrage was at 8:20 local time and also affected Tel Aviv, the airport area, and the city of Jerusalem. About forty minutes later, another wave of Iranian missiles affected the same area of the country. Around 9:20 local time, alarms were activated in the area of the coastal city of Haifa in the north of the country.
Furthermore, alarms sounded several times overnight and in the morning in northern Israel due to projectiles and drones from the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah. In one instance, around 1:20 local time, alarms were activated up to Tel Aviv, where alerts for projectiles from the neighboring country are uncommon. Reported by Efe.
Oil price rises to $114
The price of Brent crude oil, a European benchmark, rose by almost 2.5% around 8:00 on Thursday and was trading above $114 per barrel before the opening of European stock exchanges, compared to $72 before the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel. Meanwhile, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil barrel, a U.S. benchmark, increased by 2.4% to $92.4 per barrel, according to Europa Press.
The rise in oil prices on Thursday's opening is due to conflicting signals that the markets are receiving regarding the possibility of a ceasefire in the war against Iran by the United States and Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated early this morning that the Iranian government "is eager to reach an agreement," but does not make it public because they "believe that their own people will kill them."
Israeli soldier dies in combat in southern Lebanon
An Israeli soldier 21 years old died in combat in southern Lebanon, where Israel maintains a ground offensive, as reported by the Israeli Army in a statement on Thursday.
The soldier's name was Ori Greenberg and he was part of the special forces of the Golani Brigade, the statement added, informing that he died "in combat" in the southern part of the neighboring country.
With this soldier, three Israeli military personnel have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon against the Shiite group Hezbollah, forcing hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to leave their homes and head north. Reported by Efe.
Israel removes Araqchi and Qalibaf from its target list, according to a Pakistani official
Israel has removed Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, and the Parliament President, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, from its target list after Pakistan requested Washington not to attack them, as stated by a Pakistani official to Reuters on Thursday.
"The Israelis had their coordinates and wanted to eliminate them. We told the United States that if they were also eliminated, there would be no one left to dialogue with; therefore, the U.S. asked Israel to refrain," explained the official.
Two dead in Abu Dhabi after missile interception
Two people died in Abu Dhabi after the debris of an intercepted missile fell on Sweihan Road, as reported on Thursday by the emirate's media office, as cited by Reuters. Additionally, three other people were injured, and several vehicles were damaged.
Israel says one of its soldiers in Lebanon is critically injured
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Thursday that one of its soldiers was critically injured the day before due to a projectile directed at Israeli positions in Lebanon. According to the Israeli Army on Telegram, the soldier was evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment, and his family was informed of his condition.
Israel is conducting an intense bombing campaign mainly against southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the outskirts of Beirut, while carrying out a ground operation in the southernmost region of its territory.
There, they face the Shiite group Hezbollah, amid growing indications that Israel may be seeking to occupy the border strip of the neighboring country in the long term, a scenario of almost daily clashes within the framework of the U.S. and Israeli expansion of the war against Iran. The pro-Iranian Lebanese movement has been facing Israel since March 2, in its second war in just a year and a half.
Iranian Parliament seeks to pass a law to charge tolls for transit through Hormuz
The Iranian Parliament aims to pass a law to charge tolls to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage through which 20% of the world's oil flows.
"We are seeking a bill that legally recognizes Iran's sovereignty, ownership, and supervision over the Strait of Hormuz, and also generates a source of income for the country through toll collection," said the president of the Parliament's civil affairs committee, Mohamad Reza Rezaei Kochi, as reported by the Tasnim agency.
The source indicated that a bill is being drafted to "charge a fee for providing security to ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz."
Reza stated that the bill is expected to be finalized next week - the Iranian week starts on Saturday - and will then be presented to the Parliament for discussion.
The Islamic Republic has blocked the Strait of Hormuz "for its enemies" since the beginning of the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, although it has allowed the passage of tankers from what it considers friendly countries, such as Thailand or India. Reported by Efe.
Six injured in Israel from Iranian missile attacks
Six people were slightly injured on Thursday in an Arab town in central Israel after one or more missiles launched from Iran hit the area, according to the latest report from Israeli emergency services.
The Magen David Adom (MDA), equivalent to the Red Cross in Israel, reported that the injured suffered injuries from the blast wave in Kafr Qassem. All of them, with minor injuries, were taken to hospitals in the central area of the country. Additionally, emergency teams assisted several people affected by anxiety attacks at the scene.
After a relative calm of almost 14 hours, Israel was again targeted on Thursday morning by two missile attacks from Iran, as reported by the Israeli army and cited by Afp.
Israeli attacks leave five dead in Lebanon
At least five people died and 19 were injured in bombings attributed to Israel in southern Lebanon, while the Shiite group Hezbollah intensified its attacks against Israeli targets, as reported by Lebanese official sources and statements from the movement itself early on Thursday.
The Emergency Operations Center of the Lebanese Ministry of Health indicated that two people died and eight were injured in an attack on a town in the Nabatieh district. In separate actions, three people died and eleven were injured in bombings in areas of the Marjayoun and Bint Jbeil districts.
Parallelly, Hezbollah announced in the last hours dozens of operations against military positions and settlements in northern Israel, including rocket attacks, artillery, and drones, as well as impacts against tanks, according to a series of statements released during the day, collected by Efe.
Iran says to have hit several points in Israel and Gulf countries
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said in the early hours of Thursday to have attacked and hit several points in Israel and in the Persian Gulf countries. According to a statement released by the Iranian agency Tasnim, linked to the elite corps of Tehran, the Islamic Republic targeted objectives with drones and missiles such as the Al Azraq base in Jordan, the Sheikh Isa base in Bahrain, and Ali Al Salem and Arifjan in Kuwait in its 79th wave of bombings. It also directed attacks against "strategic, military, and security" centers in northern Israel with "continuous missile attacks" in the 80th wave coordinated with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. A new barrage of missile attacks hit over 70 points in Haifa, Dimona, and Khadra, also in Israel, according to the Revolutionary Guard. This elite corps claimed to have hit a US F-18 aircraft, something that the Washington Central Command has denied, and the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.
Trump says that Iranian officials "negotiating" with Washington fear being "killed by their own"
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, confirmed on Wednesday that Iran is negotiating a peace agreement with Washington, a claim denied by Tehran due to, according to the US president, the fear of Iranian leaders in charge of "negotiating" being "killed by their own." "They are negotiating, they really want to close a deal. But they are afraid to say it because they believe that if not, they will be killed by their own," clarified Donald Trump to Republican lawmakers in Congress.