6.00pm What we covered today By Angus Delaney and Daniel Lo Surdo
Thank you for joining our rolling coverage of the war in the Middle East. Our live blog has closed for the day and will return early tomorrow morning.
Here’s a look at today’s biggest stories:
Three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia have been killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend in which Lebanese journalists and medics were also killed in Israeli strikes. Two peacekeepers were killed on today after an explosion from an unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in southern Lebanon. Another was killed yesterday. Iran’s vice president has warned US President Donald Trump that if US soldiers set foot on Iran’s key oil terminal, Kharg Island, they’ll be killed. Trump today threatened to “completely obliterate” all of Iran’s energy assets, including the major oil hub on Kharg Island. Trump said earlier this month that the US military had bombed Iranian miliary sites on the island. Trump claimed to have made progress in talks with Tehran, but Iran has denied the claim and said “no negotiations” with the US since the war began. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said the US submitted a request to negotiate, accompanied by a set of proposals for a ceasefire deal, but “all our efforts and capabilities are devoted to defending Iran’s essence”. Iran’s foreign minister has insisted the Islamic Republic is only targeting US troops stationed in Gulf states, despite Iranian attacks killing civilians, including numerous migrant workers, across the region. The United Nations has urged Israel to repeal a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, after the bill was passed in parliament overnight. Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised concerns over the law, too. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the war was “definitely beyond the halfway point”, and has ordered his military to further expand its operations in southern Lebanon. 5.52pm Iran targets ship in the Gulf By Angus Delaney
Iran’s revolutionary guards said they have targeted a ship in the Gulf, AP reported, citing the Islamic Republic state news outlet Tasnim.
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