Iran hits Kurdish groups in Iraq as Israel strikes Tehran, with regional war disrupting global shipping, energy markets and drawing in international powers.
TEHRAN: The Middle East conflict escalated dramatically with Israel launching fresh strikes on Tehran and Iran targeting Kurdish guerrilla groups in Iraq.
The war, ignited by US-Israeli attacks that killed Iran’s supreme leader, has rapidly spread, snarling global shipping and sowing panic in Gulf nations.
In Lebanon, AFPTV images showed buildings in rubble after Israeli strikes aimed at Iran-backed Hezbollah.
AFP reporters in Tehran heard fighter jets and several explosions during the Israeli barrage.
Iran said it had hit Iraq-based Kurdish groups, reportedly after the US sought to arm them to infiltrate Iran.
A representative said the strikes killed a member of an exiled Iranian Kurdish group.
“We will not tolerate them in any way,” said Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
The conflict is drawing in parties across the region and further afield, with Australia deploying military aircraft.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said he could not rule out his armed forces taking part.
NATO member Turkey was dragged in after a missile launched from Iran was destroyed heading towards its airspace.
Turkey summoned the Iranian ambassador over the incident.
The conflict reached Sri Lanka, where a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in Washington’s first torpedoing since World War II.
Sri Lankan officials said the strike killed at least 87 people, with 61 missing.
“The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abas Araghchi.
Iran’s IRNA news agency said 1,045 military personnel and civilians have been killed since the war began.
In Lebanon, Israel said its forces hit Hezbollah command centres in south Beirut.
A separate Israeli drone strike killed a senior Hamas official and his wife in a Palestinian refugee camp.
“We will not surrender,” Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem declared in his first speech since the fighting broke out.
Lebanese authorities said at least 72 people had been killed and 83,000 displaced since Monday.
Iran has retaliated by hitting US-linked interests and energy infrastructure in Gulf neighbours.
Thirteen people have been killed in countries around the Gulf, including an 11-year-old girl in Kuwait.
Qatar said it was evacuating residents near the US embassy after thwarting attacks on its airport.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar all said they had intercepted Iranian missiles on Wednesday.
In Washington, the US Senate rejected a resolution aimed at limiting US military action.
The war could usher in a “prolonged period of flux” for the global economy, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warned.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with oil tanker transits down 90%.
A tanker off Kuwait was hit with a “large explosion” causing an oil spill, the UKMTO reported.
Facing energy shortages, South Korea activated a USD 68 billion market stabilisation fund.
China reportedly told oil refiners to stop exporting diesel and gasoline.
The war is also hammering tourism in a region prized by holidaymakers worldwide.
“This is the start of the high season here. It’s catastrophic,” said Nazih Rawashdeh, a tour guide in Jordan.
The Sun Malaysia
