Tehran (TDI): Iran has accused Israel of conducting drone strikes on energy and civilian facilities in Gulf countries, claiming the attacks are intended to provoke regional tensions and drag Arab states into the ongoing US-Israel war against Tehran.
According to Iranian officials cited by regional media, some of the recent attacks on Gulf targets were not carried out by Iran. A Foreign Ministry official said Israel was responsible for several incidents, including strikes on facilities in Saudi Arabia and at least one attack in Oman.
“These actions are an Israeli attempt to sabotage regional peace and damage cooperation between neighbouring countries,” an Iranian official said.
The accusations follow multiple drone and missile attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including the Ras Tanura Refinery, as well as strikes targeting Oman’s Duqm Port, a strategic logistics hub that has hosted United States naval access since 2019.
Iranian officials said Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad may have used covert networks inside Iran to launch the attacks in an attempt to inflame tensions between Tehran and Gulf states. Tehran has reportedly assured Saudi officials privately that it was not responsible for the Ras Tanura strike.
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The Israeli military reported that Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel on Thursday, marking the sixth day of a widening regional conflict.
“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military said in a statement.
Millions of Israelis reportedly took shelter as air-defense systems engaged the incoming missiles. Explosions were heard in Jerusalem and across central Israel, although emergency services reported no immediate casualties.
Israel also launched strikes in Beirut, targeting positions linked to Hezbollah. Lebanese state media reported multiple strikes in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.
In a separate incident, a drone strike in the Beddawi Refugee Camp killed a senior Hamas official, Wassim Atallah al-Ali, along with his wife.
Lebanese authorities say at least 72 people have been killed, 437 wounded, and more than 83,000 displaced since the latest escalation began.
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In his first speech since the conflict intensified, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed continued resistance. “We are facing aggression. Our choice is to confront it until the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
Amid rising tensions at sea, Iran has reportedly dispatched another warship toward waters near Sri Lanka after a US submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean a day earlier. The attack killed at least 80 sailors and triggered rescue operations by Sri Lankan authorities.
