Tehran: Israel and Iran continued their military exchanges, marking the start of a second week of conflict, while Iran issued an apology for its "actions," seen as an attempt to defuse international tension after targeting civilian areas in Gulf Arab countries.
According to Thai News Agency, the ongoing conflict has expanded beyond Iranian borders, involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Iran responded by attacking Israel and Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, where US bases are situated, while Israel targeted the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have all reported drone and missile attacks over the past week.
Iranian President Masoud Peseshgiyan announced that Iran's interim leadership council had agreed to a moratorium on attacks on neighboring countries, conditional on the absence of attacks originating from those countries. Peseshgiyan apologized to neighboring nations affected by Iran's actions. It remains uncertain how much this statement reflects Iran's decision or if there are ulterior motives, as some attacks targeting Gulf states continued into Saturday morning.
Historically, Iran has sought to mend relations with its Gulf neighbors, including Saudi Arabia. However, these diplomatic efforts unraveled after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launched significant drone and missile attacks. The Gulf states expressed dissatisfaction with the attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hotels, ports, and oil refineries, despite their non-involvement in US and Israeli actions.
The Iranian military declared early Saturday that its navy had launched drone strikes on Israeli targets, including US troop assemblies and bases in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Kuwait, in retaliation for the US attack on the USS Iris Dena, which resulted in numerous crew casualties.