The Albany Gazette - War in the Middle East: latest developments

- 'Force for peace' -

China will send a special envoy to mediate. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing had "always been a force for peace and is willing to continue playing a constructive role".

- Israel enters Lebanon -

Israeli forces have advanced into towns and villages in south Lebanon, a source from the UN peacekeeping force in the country, UNIFIL, told AFP.

The towns included Khiam, six kilometres (four miles) into Lebanese territory, as the Israeli military tries to set up a buffer zone against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

- Qatar, Turkey ire -

Qatar's PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has lambasted Iran's foreign minister during a call, accusing Tehran of trying to drag their neighbours into war.

Turkey, meanwhile, summoned the Iranian ambassador after a missile -- apparently targeting a Cyprus base -- landed in Turkish territory.

- Cargo crisis -

Danish shipping giant Maersk said it was suspending bookings in the Gulf "until further notice" following a risk assessment.

- 'Clownish antics' -

"Mr Trump, with Netanyahu's clownish antics, dragged the American people into an unfair war with Iran," Iran's security chief Ali Larijani posted on X.

- Hormuz crew rescued -

The Omani navy rescued 24 crew members of a container ship struck by missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and particularly important for oil tankers.

Iranian forces claimed "complete control" of the strait a day after President Donald Trump said the US Navy was ready to escort tankers through the channel.

- '87 bodies' -

Sri Lanka is dealing with the aftermath of an apparent US torpedo strike on Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which sank off the island's coast with scores of sailors on board.

"We have collected 87 bodies, and a search is still on for the others who are still missing," a Sri Lankan navy official told AFP hours after an Iranian warship was sunk.

- Oil traffic tanks -

Oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has plunged by 90 percent since the outbreak of the war, energy market intelligence firm Kpler said on X.

- 'Two more weeks' -

The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli military was planning "at least one or two more weeks of operations in Iran, during which it aims to hit thousands more Iranian regime targets".

Earlier the military said it had begun a fresh wave of strikes on Tehran, as an AFP journalist reported a fresh explosion in the northeast of the Iranian capital.

- Khamenei funeral postponed -

The funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that was due Wednesday evening has been postponed, state television announced, "in anticipation of unprecedented turnout". A new date will be announced later, it said.

Deliberations over who would succeed Khamenei were still going on, it said.

- State media: 1,000 killed -

Iran's official IRNA news agency said US-Israeli strikes had killed 1,045 military personnel and civilians since the start of the war. AFP was not in a position to independently verify the toll.

- Iran targets Israel -

Air raid sirens wailed in Jerusalem after the Israeli military said it had detected two incoming missile barrages from Iran, which the military later said were intercepted.

AFP journalists heard blasts over Jerusalem hours later.

- Iran hits Iraqi Kurdistan -

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had hit armed opposition groups hostile to Tehran in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

- UAE, Qatar intercept missiles -

The United Arab Emirates said it had shot down three missiles and 121 drones, while Qatar said it had intercepted 10 drones and two missiles.

- Sanchez-Trump spat -

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defiantly said "no to the war" after Trump threatened to sever all trade with Spain for refusing to allow US planes to use its bases to attack Iran.

- Stocks level out -

European stock markets steadied after steep losses across Asia, where rising oil prices rattled investors.

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(C.Young--TAG)