US-Iran conflict escalates with drone strikes, Gulf attacks and regional fallout

Kuwait reported intercepting drones while Bahrain sounded air-raid sirens. This came after the United States said it shot down Iranian drones and attacked radar sites.

Iran has attacked US bases in the Gulf. The government says the attacks are in response to US strikes along Iran's coastline. The US has said it shot down Iranian drones and attacked Iranian radar sites.

The US military's Central Command said it intercepted two Iranian drones in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. "Earlier today, US forces in the Middle East shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said on X. "American forces remain postured and ready to continue defending against Iranian aggression."

The US and Iran have each launched retaliatory strikes at assets in the region over the weekend after weeks of indirect ceasefire talks failed to produce an outcome.

A seven-month-old baby boy was laid to rest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The infant was shot dead while his parents were driving Friday evening in the Tel Rumeida area, south of the northern West Bank city of Hebron, according to the ministry. His parents were injured in the same incident.

The Israeli military has acknowledged that its forces fired a shot at the vehicle and that "uninvolved civilians" had been injured, saying that soldiers had "perceived a vehicle accelerating towards them before the shot was fired." It said that the incident is under review. The British consulate in Jerusalem said it was "shocked and saddened" by the killing. "Civilians must be protected. Call for immediate and transparent investigation and accountability," the UK mission said in a post on X.

Lebanese army chief Rodolphe Haykal departed for Pakistan on Saturday to meet with Pakistani counterpart Asim Munir, the Lebanese military said. The visit is linked with Pakistan's mediation efforts in the war between the United States and Iran. Iran has insisted that Israel cease its ground invasion and bombing campaign in Lebanon as part of any ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington. On Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for Iran to stop using Lebanon as a "bargaining chip" in negotiations. The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has rejected a conditional truce between Lebanon and Israel announced earlier this week and has demanded a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

Iran accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of allowing its reports to be politicized in the conflict between Tehran and Washington. "If the agency wants to be part of a diplomatic solution, it must refrain from turning a technical report into a tool of political pressure," Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on the platform X. "One cannot bomb safeguarded facilities, destroy the access and safety necessary for inspections, and then use the consequences of that very attack as a grievance against Iran," he argued.

The deputy minister's comments come in response to an IAEA report that expressed concern over its lack of access to Iran's nuclear sites. "While the agency acknowledged that the military attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and sites have created an unprecedented situation, it is critical for the agency to conduct verification activities in Iran without delay," the IAEA said in a statement. The United States and Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025 and also in the current war with Tehran they launched on February 28. Washington and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear enrichment program serves purely civilian purposes.

Pope Leo XIV has commended Spain's government during his state visit to the country for its "commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples." The American-born pontiff was speaking at a reception at Madrid's royal palace as he began his six-day tour of the country. "I express my gratitude to your country for its faithful adherence to international law and multilateralism, which is reflected in an active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples," he said. The pope and members of the Donald Trump administration have clashed repeatedly amid the conflict in Iran. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also drew rebukes from the US for refusing the US access to joint military bases for strikes against Iran. His government is also among the most staunch European critics of the war in Gaza in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks on Israel, and permanently withdrew its ambassador to Israel earlier this year.

Kuwait's Foreign Ministry has condemned "in the strongest terms" repeated Iranian attacks on its territory, "the latest of which occurred at dawn today." It said that the "brazen" assault disregarded international calls for an end to such attacks "and shows utter indifference to the direct threat they pose to the lives of civilians and residents, as well as to the security and stability of the region." Kuwait referred to the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2817 reached earlier in the year calling for a halt to Iranian attacks on Gulf states. Kuwait called the strikes a "dangerous escalation" at a time when the international community "is exerting tireless efforts to halt combat operations and spare the region additional escalation." The ministry made no mention of damage or casualties in its statement.

Israel's military has commented on a rare strike not against Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, but rather against a Lebanese Army vehicle on Saturday. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) said it had "identified a vehicle moving suspiciously toward IDF soldiers near the area of Tebnit in Lebanon." It said that the vehicle was traveling through an active combat zone that had been evacuated. It also said its forces had a "concrete indication" of possible Hezbollah fire in the area. "An initial inquiry indicates that two officers and a soldier in the Lebanese Army were inside the vehicle," the IDF wrote. "The IDF is reviewing the incident, and lessons will be learned accordingly. The IDF operates against the Hezbollah terrorist organization, not against the Lebanese Army," it said. Lebanon's military has not engaged Israel during the fighting this year and the Lebanese government has tried to stop Hezbollah from attacking Israel. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Saturday's attack and called it a "flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and of international laws and norms."

Iran's embassy in Turkey has criticized US officials for withholding visas for several members of the Iranian World Cup squad's accompanying staff. The Iranian embassy accused Ambassador Tom Barrack of trying to "whitewash conduct that violates FIFA regulations" and the US's obligations as co-host of the competition. The embassy accused the US government of escalating its "deliberate and discriminatory treatment of Iran's national football team to its highest level." It called on FIFA to "hold the US accountable for violations of its rules." According to Iranian news agency Tasnim, a total of 12 visa applications were denied. The Iranian squad is traveling to its base of operations in Mexico — relocated from the US in response to the conflict — this weekend. But all three of Iran's group stage matches will take place on the US Pacific Coast, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

Global airline chiefs are gathering in Brazil for an annual three-day summit. This year's International Air Transport Association (IATA) summit is sure to be overshadowed by the sharp pressure on aviation fuel costs amid the conflict in Iran and the Gulf. It also comes as many airlines continue to restrict their services to the region and alter their flight paths amid security concerns. The IATA, which represents more than 370 airlines and around 85% of global air traffic, had forecast record net profits of $41 billion for 2026 prior to the conflict. That figure will almost certainly be revised downwards. A Deloitte survey of 21 global airline CEOs said that "what was supposed to be a record year" had suddenly turned "into a fight for margin" for the industry.

Bahrain's Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned attacks by Iran against its territory and neighboring Kuwait, saying the countries intercepted seven missiles in total. "The ministry of foreign affairs strongly condemns the renewed attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Kingdom of Bahrain and the sisterly state of Kuwait," Bahrain, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, said in a statement. "This blatant aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of both countries," it said. Bahrain also said that the attacks breached this year's UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf states and efforts to close or obstruct shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said that security was not built through missiles and drones and that stability was not preserved by laying mines, a reference to Iran mining large segments of the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

The Lebanese army says that "several Lebanese soldiers, including an officer" were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting their vehicle. The strike took place on the Khardali-Nabatieh road in south Lebanon, the army said early on Saturday. Khardali and Nabatieh are both near the de facto border and near the Beaufort Castle fortress seized from Hezbollah forces by Israeli troops last weekend. Lebanon's army has typically avoided involvement in confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel and has not engaged Israel in the current conflict.

A 7-month-old baby was killed and his parents were wounded by Israeli gunfire south of the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday evening, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The ministry reported that the infant died at the scene and his parents were in moderate condition. According to the baby's grandmother, the family was driving near a checkpoint when they saw Israeli military vehicles and stopped the car before coming under fire. Israel's military claimed that soldiers had perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them and one soldier fired shots in its direction. According to the military, a preliminary review found that the incident affected "uninvolved civilians." The event was under investigation. The Tel Rumeida area of Hebron is a known flash point in the occupied West Bank, home to Israeli settlers living with heavy military protection among the Palestinian population.