Iran-US war latest: Israel captures 900-year-old castle in deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years – UK Times

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it has targeted a US air base that has been used for launching attacks on a telecoms tower on Sirik Island in southern Iran.

The statement comes after the US a short while ago claimed it ​ conducted strikes on Iranian radar ⁠and command and control sites for drones ⁠in ​Iran’s ⁠Goruk and Qeshm Islands ⁠over the weekend.

US forces have struck Iranian air defence sites, a ground control station and brought down two one-way attack drones over the weekend, the central command said this morning.

It claimed that the strikes were in response to “aggressive Iranian actions”, including the downing of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters.

“No American service members were harmed,” it said.

Kuwait’s air ⁠defences were intercepting missile ⁠and ​drone ⁠attacks ⁠this morning as ‌sirens sounded across the ‌country, ‌the ⁠state news agency KUNA reported.

It was unclear where the missiles and drones were coming from.

Oil prices rose more than 2 per cent in early trading after Israel ordered troops to move further into Lebanon ​in the battle with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, despite a ceasefire announced more ‌than six weeks ago.

US crude futures rose $2.37 or 2.71 per cent to $89.73 a barrel. Brent futures rose $2.16 or 2.37 per cent to $93.28 a barrel.

The Israel-Lebanon conflict has been the broadest spillover of the Iran war. It started on 2 March ​when Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones across the border into Israel to back its ally Iran.

The two sides reached a ceasefire in mid-April but have continued to trade fire.

US secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with both Lebanese president Joseph Aoun and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the diplomatic ⁠negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and proposed a plan to allow for “gradual de-escalation”, a US official said.

The US has proposed that as a ⁠first step, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah ⁠group would stop all attacks on Israel and in return Israel would refrain from escalation ⁠in Beirut, the official told Reuters.

“This would create space ​for ⁠gradual de-escalation and an effective ‌cessation of hostilities,” according to the official.

They added that Aoun tried to advance the proposal ‌and secure an agreement.

However, Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who claimed to “guarantee” Hezbollah’s commitment to a ceasefire, placed the burden on Israel to stop “shooting first”.

The Trump administration is pushing to unleash the power of artificial intelligence for the U.S. military while facing calls to put up guardrails around the rapidly developing technology from some companies — and even notes of caution from top leaders in uniform.

Adm. Frank Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, told attendees of a recent annual special forces conference in Tampa, Florida, that troops “have to be very careful about how we come to (AI’s) employment and its inspiration into the delivery of lethality.”

Bradley said he can see a future where AI determines what targets to hit but that “we, as humans, have to have the confidence that … it’s going to deliver violence only where we intend it to be delivered.”

The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports…

Britain’s special relationship with the United States is “meaningless” unless it “locks arms and shields” with the US and matches its military capabilities, Donald Trump’s war secretary has warned.

Giving a speech in Singapore, Pete Hegseth said that “model allies” who comply with US demands will benefit from arms sales and access to intelligence, while those seen to be “freeloading” on US capabilities will be penalised.

Referring to conversations with the UK defence secretary, the politician said: “As my friends, Mr [Richard] Marles [the Australian defence minister] and John Healey know, I’m probably the most blunt with our closest friends about what our capabilities are and where they need to be to ensure that we’re locking arms and shields, considering the threats of the world.”

He continued: “You can’t just say, ‘Oh, we’ve been friends for a long time, so let’s work together.’ It’s: ‘We’ve been friends for a long time, so you better have the same capabilities we do, because if we don’t, our alliance is meaningless.’”

Mr Hegseth also vowed to move allies who step up their military capabilities to “the front of the line” when it comes to closer ties, praising countries such as South Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

Iran has warned that any new attack on its territory would trigger a stronger military response, as tensions remain high despite ongoing discussions over a possible ceasefire extension.

Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, Iran’s deputy army commander for coordination, said the country’s armed forces were prepared to respond to further military action.

“The enemy should know that any aggression against the country’s territory will be met with a response even more forceful than before,” he said, per Al Jazeera.

“Today, the army of the Islamic Republic stands firmly and resolutely against any hostile move by the enemy,” Sayyari added.

The warning comes as the US and Iran remain divided over a proposed agreement covering Tehran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

We heard earlier from Iran’s top negotiator and parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf.

He says no agreement with the US will be accepted until Iran’s rights are secured, according to Tehran’s IRNA state news agency.

The Iranian government does not trust promises made by the US side, he said, adding that only objective results matter.

It comes after Donald Trump reportedly asked for changes to the proposed Iran agreement negotiated by US envoys, triggering another round of talks with Tehran.

“At the turn of the week, we hope to have something,” a senior administration official said.