Live. Israel launches new strikes on Iran and Lebanon as the US warns of intensifying attacks

South Korea say it has reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to purchase six million barrels of crude oil, as it aims to stabilise energy price hikes spiked by the US and Israel’s war on Iran.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes have targeted multiple Gulf states including Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar, and disrupted one of the world’s highest oil and gas producing and exporting regions, triggering fears of global energy crises.

In Qatar, Iranian strikes targeted northern gas field production sites, prompting Doha to fully shutter gas liquefaction to repair damages, and has warned the process could take weeks to restart and return to normal production and export rates.

Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, said in a briefing on Friday that the emergency supplies are intended to curb fuel costs which surged this week.

Iran claims it is now in control of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf chokepoint through which a fifth of the world's crude oil flows.

Heavily reliant on oil shipped through the strait, South Korea earlier said that it had dispatched tankers to secure alternative supplies of fuel.

Seoul is the fourth-largest importer of crude oil in the world, according to US government figures.

Approximately 70 percent of the crude oil South Korea imports passes through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the government.

Australia’s government revealed on Friday that three Australian service members were aboard a US submarine that sank Irania warship IRIS Dena earlier in week in off the coast of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, killing at least 87 people.

The Australian personnel were taking part in the trilateral US, Australian and British – AUKUS – training programme.

Canberra did not detail whether its service members were involved in the firing process of the torpedo, but analysts believe it is unlikely.

Neil James, executive director of the Australian Defence Association policy think tank, says it is “reasonably rare” for Australians embedded with another nation’s military to go to war against a country such as Iran that Australia wasn’t at war with.

James said an Australian would not have fired the torpedo that sank the Iranian ship.

The semi-official Iranian ISNA news agency reported on Friday that Tehran had launched a barrage of missiles and drones targeting Israel in retaliation for its ongoing strikes on Tehran.

The agency cited no sources and provided no details into the types of missiles being used, or quantities, but said that more attacks will be launched throughout the day. 

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says he spoke with the Sultan of Omar, Haitham bin Tarik, and the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to express his country’s solidarity in the face of what he described as “unjustifiable attacks” that their countries have suffered.

“No country should be attacked with impunity. Missiles and drones only sow fear and put innocent lives at risk. We must build the peace and security that everyone deserves,” wrote Sánchez in a post on X.

Indonesia’s foreign ministry said it began evacuating its citizens from embattled Iran on Friday amid intensifying US-Israeli attacks.

Attacks by the United States and Israel on the Islamic Republic and Iran's retaliatory strikes in the region have stranded tens of thousands of foreigners, with flights cancelled and airspace shuttered.

That includes around 329 Indonesians in Iran, most of them students in the city of Qom.

"The evacuation of Indonesian citizens in Iran will begin gradually today, and this first phase will be carried out via Azerbaijan," says Heni Hamidah, the official charged with the welfare of citizens abroad.

A first batch of 32 Indonesians are expected to arrive in Jakarta on Monday or Tuesday, she said.

"Evacuation routes will be determined based on the conditions on the ground," she added.

The ministry added that evacuations via Middle Eastern countries, where roughly half-a-million Indonesians live, were not currently being considered.

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told a legislative hearing that the United States has not requested military or non-military assistance from Seoul amid its war on Iran, but declined to comment on whether Washington was seeking to move some of its assets stationed in the country to support the fighting.

Cho Hyun said he could not confirm details related to US military operations when asked by a lawmaker about a US media report that the Pentagon was seeking to relocate some Patriot anti-missile defence systems to a major airbase near the capital, Seoul.

Cho said Seoul and Washington were maintaining close communication and that the allies’ combined defence posture would not be affected by developments in the Middle East.

US Forces Korea said in a statement that it does not comment on the “movement, relocation or potential repositioning of specific military capabilities or assets” for operational and logistical security reasons.

Their statement came in response to questions from reporters that the US had moved the defence systems to Osan Air Base, where transport aircraft were also spotted, suggesting that the US was looking to move these assets outside of the country. 

Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel on Friday after the ship sought assistance while anchored outside the country’s waters, as tensions mount in the Indian Ocean after a US submarine struck an Iranian warship earlier in the week.

Sri Lanka navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said the sailors of the IRIS Bushehr vessel were being brought first to the port of Colombo and the ship will later be moved to an eastern port on the island.

The move by the Sri Lankan government to take over the vessel came after the US sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the island nation’s coast on Wednesday, marking one of the rare instances since World War II in which a submarine sank a surface warship.

The IRIS Dena had been participating in naval exercises hosted by India before heading into international waters on its way back to Iran. At least 74 countries took part in the Indian naval drills, including the United States.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said late on Thursday that authorities decided to take control of the IRIS Bushehr vessel after discussions with Iranian officials and the ship’s captain, after one of its engines failed.

“We have to understand that this is not an ordinary situation,” he said. “No civilian should die in wars. Our approach is that every single life is as precious as our own.”

The IRIS Bushehr has however been described in previous Iranian media reports as a navy logistics ship that also had a helicopter pad on it.

The Saudi Defence Ministry says it has intercepted another drone launched from Iran on Friday, this time, northeast of the capital Riyadh.

It comes after an earlier announcement where the ministry announced that it has intercepted three drones targeting the city. 

The UAE’s flagship carrier, Etihad Airways, says it will resume a “limited flight schedule” from Friday, operating between Abu Dhabi and a number of key destinations.

In a post on X, the Emirati airline says guests with previous bookings on flights interrupted by the war will be accommodated on these flights, but has urged travellers to only make their way to the airport if directly contacted by its representatives, or hold a valid confirmed booking on one of these new flights.

“The decision has been taken in coordination with relevant authorities following extensive safety and security assessments. Etihad continues to monitor the situation closely and will only operate flights once all safety criteria are met,” says Etihad.

All other routes remain suspended until further notice, but the airline noted that its executives are constantly reviewing the situation and are working on making more flights available soon. 

Residents of Dubai have been receiving mass text messages warning them about their social media activity.

A message attributed to Dubai police said that “photographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability.”

There was no elaboration in the message.

It comes as Bahrain issued a similar, but sterner warning as the Iran war rages on across the Mideast.

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven autocratic sheikhdoms home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The UAE, while socially liberal in many regards compared with its Middle Eastern neighbours, has strict laws governing expression and bans political parties and labour unions.

Iranian state television reported on Friday that a leadership council in the country met and discussed how to hold a meeting of the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the nation’s new supreme leader.

The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.

The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the Assembly of Experts would meet in person or remotely for the vote.

Buildings associated with the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical panel, have been attacked during the US-Israeli military campaign.

The Saudi Defence Ministry said it destroyed three drones in the eastern areas of Riyadh.

The ministry said earlier Friday that it intercepted a cruise missile over the city of Kharj.