Israel’s onslaught in opposition to Iran has entered a new phase, concentrating on vitality assets in the nation together with gasoline storage websites.
Meanwhile, Iranian clerics are close to picking the country’s next supreme leader, in line with state media, however the chosen candidate has not but been named. The new figurehead would exchange Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the chief of almost 4 a long time who was killed in the war’s opening salvo.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes in opposition to US-friendly Gulf nations look like persevering with, regardless of President Masoud Pezeshkian apologizing Saturday for earlier assaults on the oil-rich kingdoms and suggesting they’d finish.
US President Donald Trump said American floor troops might “possibly” be despatched to Iran, however added there must be a “very good reason.”
Here’s what to know on day 9.
What are the foremost headlines?
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Iranian oil focused: Israel has begun striking oil storage sites in Iran as half of the subsequent section of the war. The Israeli navy stated it hit gasoline websites in the capital Tehran on Saturday night that distribute gasoline “to various consumers, including military entities in Iran.” A CNN workforce in Tehran noticed blackened rain fall on the metropolis on Sunday morning.
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‘Surprises prepared’: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded statement that Israel and the US have achieved “almost complete control” over Iranian skies, and that there are “many more targets and surprises prepared.”
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Gulf assaults proceed: Countries throughout the Persian Gulf reported airstrikes and interceptions heading into early Sunday morning. The varied drone and missile assaults come regardless of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologizing to Gulf nations for the previous week’s assaults on US bases in the area, saying Iran would cease putting its neighbors until it got here underneath assault.
What’s taking place in Iran and Lebanon?
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New chief? The physique tasked with selecting Iran’s subsequent supreme chief has reached a choice, a number of hardline members stated Sunday, with out naming the candidate chosen. Israel has already vowed to go after the successor to Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28.
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Mixed messages: Conflicting statements from Iranian officers underscore attainable rifts inside the management following Khamenei’s loss of life. While Pezeshkian apologized for assaults in neighboring nations, in a later “explanation” his workplace vowed to continue striking US targets in the area.
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‘Quagmire’: Iran’s high safety official stated Trump’s war in opposition to Iran is the consequence of his “international miscalculation,” in that Trump thought he might repeat the Venezuela mannequin in Iran. In an interview broadcast on Iranian state TV, Ali Larijani stated the US is now “stuck in the quagmire of its own miscalculations,” and that Trump had failed to attain his goals by strikes on Iran.
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Central Beirut hit: At least 4 folks have been killed and 10 others wounded after an Israeli strike hit a hotel in central Beirut, Reuters reported early Sunday, citing Lebanon’s well being ministry. The assault notably hit the coronary heart of Beirut, fairly than the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs the place the overwhelming majority of latest Israeli airstrikes have taken place. Israel’s navy stated it had “conducted a precise strike” concentrating on key commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.
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Strikes proceed: Countries throughout the Persian Gulf reported airstrikes and interceptions. The Kuwaiti Army stated {that a} “wave of hostile drones” focused gasoline storage at Kuwait International Airport. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar additionally all reported recent aerial assaults.
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Dubai evacuation: Buildings round Dubai’s Marina were evacuated Saturday after particles from projectile interceptions broken the facade of a high-rise constructing in the Emirati metropolis. Among the evacuees have been CNN employees.
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Drones shot down over Iraq: Two explosive-laden drones have been shot down over the Iraqi Kurdish metropolis of Erbil on Saturday, a safety supply informed CNN. According to the supply, the drones have been shot down round 11p.m. native time, the identical time a CNN workforce on the floor heard loud explosions and air defenses firing into the sky.
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Possible escalation: Trump said US troops might “possibly” be despatched on the floor in Iran, as the war continues, however there must be a “very good reason.”
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Kurdish involvement: Trump stated the US doesn’t need Iranian Kurdish teams concerned in the war with Iran, contradicting earlier efforts by the CIA, reported by CNN, to arm them in the hopes of sparking an rebellion. “We’re not looking to the Kurds going in. We’re very friendly with the Kurds, as you know, but we don’t want to make the war any more complex than it already is,” Trump stated.
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Shifting blame: The president cast blame on Tehran for the strike on an Iranian elementary college that killed at the very least 168 youngsters and 14 academics, regardless of analysis by CNN and experts suggesting the US navy was doubtless accountable.
