Middle East war round-up

Lebanon says Israeli attacks kill more than 1,240 

The Health Ministry says at least 1,247 people have been killed and 3,680 others wounded since the start of Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon and air strikes on 2 March.

More than 1.2 million Lebanese civilians have been forced from their homes.

Human rights groups have raised the alarm over the Israeli forced displacement orders, stressing many families have nowhere to go as Lebanon’s shelters are full.

Spain says ‘new red line’ crossed after UN peacekeeper killed in Lebanon

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has condemned the killing of an Indonesian peacekeeper with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon in an explosion late on Sunday.

“Spain strongly condemns these events. It demands that the origin of the projectile be clarified. And it calls on the Israeli government to halt the hostilities,” Sánchez wrote on ‘X.’

Attacks on UN peacekeeping missions are “an unjustifiable aggression against the entire international community,” he added.

EU says human rights sanctions on Iran extended for another year

The Council of the EU says the bloc’s restrictive measures meant to protect against serious human rights violations in Iran have been extended until 13 April 2027.

“These measures consist of a travel ban and an asset freeze, and a ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression, and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications,” a statement said.

EU citizens and companies are “forbidden from making funds available to the listed individuals and entities,” it said, adding the list comprises “a total of 262 individuals and 53 entities” after a deceased individual was removed from it.

The EU first introduced a sanctions regime for serious human rights abuses in Iran in 2011, and has extended it ever since on an annual basis.

UK will not send troops to Iran: PM Starmer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ruled out deploying troops to Iran, distancing the UK from direct involvement in the conflict.

“This is not our war, and we’re not going to get drawn into it,” he said.

Starmer said the UK is taking “defensive action” to protect “British lives, British interests and, of course, our allies in the region.”

He added that Britain will continue its efforts to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz but stressed “we are not going to get dragged into this war.”

The UK, however, has approved the use of British bases by the US for strikes against Iranian sites linked to threats in the Strait of Hormuz.

The UK has also deployed fighter jets to intercept Iranian projectiles.

Trump threatens to destroy Iran energy sites and Kharg Island

US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iran’s civilian energy infrastructure, including power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island, if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In a social media post, Trump warned of escalating action if a deal is not reached.

“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island,” he wrote.

Iran accuses Israel of attack on desalination plant in Kuwait

Iran’s military has accused Israel of attacking Kuwait’s desalination plant.

In a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, it said the “Zionist regime’s brutal attack on Kuwait’s desalination plant, under the pretext of accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran, which took place in the past few hours, is a sign of the vileness and baseness of the Zionist occupiers.”

“We declare that American bases and military personnel, their interests in the region, and the military, security, and economic infrastructure and facilities of the Zionist regime will continue to be our powerful targets,” it said.