War in the Middle East: latest developments

WASHINGTON (United States) (AFP) – Here are the latest main events related to the war in the Middle East:

SISI SAYS EGYPT IN 'STATE OF NEAR-EMERGENCY'

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his country was in an economic "state of near-emergency" as he warned of runaway inflation.

At a military academy event, Sisi added that price-gouging traders could be tried in military courts, according to a statement from his spokesman.

NATO RAISES MISSILE DEFENCE POSTURE

NATO said it has strengthened its "ballistic missile defence posture" as Iran steps up its strikes across the Middle East with a missile launched at alliance member Turkey before being shot down.

The alliance's 32 member states concurred with NATO commanders that the posture should remain at its "heightened level" until the threat from Iran's "indiscriminate attacks across the region" subsided.

ISRAEL PROMISES 'MORE SURPRISES'

Israel's military chief said the US-Israeli campaign against Iran was entering its next stage, with operations aimed at further dismantling the Islamic republic's military capabilities.

"In this phase, we will further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities. We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.

IRAN STRIKE SPARKS BAHRAIN REFINERY BLAZE

An Iranian missile strike sparked a blaze at Bahrain's main state-owned oil refinery as Iran pressed attacks across the Gulf for the sixth day.

Some Western embassy staff in Riyadh were meanwhile told to shelter in place, diplomatic sources said, following an attack on the US embassy compound earlier this week.

TRUMP BACKS KURDISH OFFENSIVE

US President Donald Trump said he would approve of any offensive by Iranian Kurdish fighters into Iran in support of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

"I think it's wonderful that they want to do that, I'd be all for it," Trump said.

SRI LANKA TAKES CONTROL OF IRANIAN SHIP

Sri Lanka has offloaded crew of an Iranian navy vessel and assumed control of it, a day after a deadly US submarine attack on another ship.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that his country's navy had taken 208 sailors from the IRIS Bushehr which, like the ship torpedoed off Sri Lanka's southern coast on Wednesday, had participated in a naval exercise in eastern India.

TRUMP WANTS ROLE IN PICKING IRAN LEADER

Trump insisted he should have a role in picking Iran's next supreme leader after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose son he said he found unacceptable.

"Khamenei's son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy," Trump said, drawing a comparison to Venezuela, where interim president Delcy Rodriguez has cooperated with him under threat of violence after the United States ousted her boss, Nicolas Maduro.

IRAN SAYS GROUND INVASION WOULD BE DISASTER FOR FOES

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was prepared for any ground invasion, saying such a move would spell "disaster" for the Islamic republic's enemies.

"We are waiting for them," Araghchi said, as the United States and Israel kept up strikes on Iran. "We are confident that we can confront them and that would be a big disaster for them."

LEBANON DEATH TOLL RISES

The Lebanese health ministry said that the death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon has risen to 102 since the country was drawn into the regional war earlier this week.

The ministry added that 638 people have also been wounded since Monday.

OIL PRICES SOAR

The benchmark US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, soared more than five percent to $78.88 per barrel in trading, the highest level since January last year, as the war threatened supplies.

The international benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, jumped 3.6 percent to $84.34 per barrel.

ABU DHABI BLASTS

Residents in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi reported hearing a series of loud explosions, with UAE air defences responding to a missile threat.

"Air defence systems are currently responding to a missile threat," the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said in a statement on X. Abu Dhabi residents said they heard numerous heavy explosions.

IRAN WARNS VPN USERS

Iranian authorities issued warnings to people connecting to the internet in defiance of a communications blackout that had left the country largely cut off from the outside world.

Iran's internet connectivity was running at around 1 percent of ordinary levels, according to monitor group Netblocks. Those who had successfully connected using VPNs (virtual private networks) received warnings over their phones.