BAGHDAD: Israel said the war against Iran was entering its “decisive phase” on Saturday (Mar 14), as explosions rocked cities across the Middle East, with strikes on the US embassy in Baghdad and a major Emirati energy facility.
Black smoke rose above Washington’s embassy in Iraq, AFP journalists saw, the second time it has been targeted since Feb 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran and plunged the Gulf into a conflict that has sent shockwaves through the global economy.
Millions have been displaced by waves of drone, missile and aerial bombing, while more than 1,200 people have reportedly been killed in Iran, with little sign of the conflict slowing down as it entered its third week.
Clouds of dark black smoke were also rising on Saturday from Fujairah, home to a major Emirati oil storage and export terminal, shortly after Iran’s military warned UAE civilians to avoid port areas.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the war was entering a “decisive phase”, even if he cautioned that it would “continue as long as necessary”.
Yet, despite facing superior US and Israeli firepower, Iran appears determined to fight on. It has launched missile and drone attacks against at least 10 of its neighbours and has choked off traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Israel’s army warned people in an industrial zone of Tabriz in northern Iran to evacuate, signalling an imminent attack.
The hit on the US embassy in Baghdad followed strikes against the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah, killing two members, including a “key figure”, security sources said.
President Donald Trump said Friday that US forces had struck Iran’s Kharg Island, its biggest oil export hub, and “obliterated every MILITARY target” while sparing its energy facilities.
Iranian media confirmed the island’s oil facilities were unaffected. Iran had threatened US-linked oil and energy firms would be “turned into a pile of ashes” if they were hit.