War in the Middle East: latest developments

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - US, Israel target Iran steel - US-Israeli airstrikes damaged two major steel plants in Iran, Iranian media reports said. "Minutes ago, the American-Zionist enemy targeted the Khuzestan Steel (in southwest Iran) and Mobarakeh Steel factories in Isfahan (central Iran) in two separate attacks," the Fars news agency said, with state broadcaster IRIB also reporting the strikes. - Lebanon 'humanitarian catastrophe' - Nearly a month into the Middle East war, Lebanon faces a deepening humanitarian crisis that now risks teetering over into a "catastrophe", the UN refugee agency warned. Since March 2, more than a million people -- one in five residents -- have been forced to flee their homes, said the UNHCR. - Putin hoping for Mideast diversion - Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping the war in the Middle East will shift the focus from his "crimes" in Ukraine, the German foreign minister said. "Putin is cynically hoping that the escalation in the Middle East will divert our attention from his crimes in Ukraine," Johann Wadephul said during a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France. - US, Iran talks in Pakistan? - The United States and Iran are preparing for direct talks, the German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephulforeign minister also said, adding it was "expected to take place in Pakistan very soon", without revealing the source of the information. - G7 pressure - G7 allies were pressing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for clarity on American plans for Iran at talks outside Paris. The UK's foreign minister Yvette Cooper urged a "swift resolution to this conflict that restores regional stability". - Iran turns back ships - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had turned back three ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz, adding the route was closed to vessels travelling to and from ports linked to its "enemies". "The movement of any vessel 'to and from' ports of origin belonging to allies and supporters of the Zionist-American enemies, to any destination and through any corridor, is prohibited," they said. The Guards also urged civilians across the Middle East Friday to stay away from areas near US forces. - Ukraine-Saudi deal - Ukraine and Saudi Arabia have signed an air defence agreement during President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the kingdom facing Iranian drone attacks, two senior officials told AFP. "The point of the agreement is that Ukraine will support them in developing all the necessary components of air defence, which they currently lack," one official said of the document which, according to another, was signed on Thursday. - Kuwait's main port hit - Kuwait's main commercial port was damaged in a drone attack at dawn. The Shuwaikh port was targeted "by enemy drones, preliminary reports revealed material damage but no human casualties", the Kuwait port authority said in a statement on X. - Iran keymuseums, historic sites damaged - US and Israeli strikes on Iran have damaged at least 120 museums and cultural and historic sites across the country since the start of the war, the head of Tehran city council's cultural heritage committee said. "At least 120 museums, historical buildings and cultural sites across various provinces were directly targeted and sustained serious structural damage," said Ahmad Alavi. - Iran warning to US soldiers - Iran's military has warned that hotels housing US soldiers across the region would be targets. "When all the Americans (forces) go into a hotel, then from our perspective that hotel becomes American," armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi told state television. - School strike was 'calculated' - Iran's foreign minister branded a deadly strike on an Iranian school on the first day of the Middle East war as a "calculated" US assault. The February 28 strike on an elementary school in Minab in which in which "more than 175 students and teachers were slaughtered in cold blood", was a "calculated, phased assault," Abbas Araghchi said. - UN Security Council meeting - The UN Security Council will hold closed-door consultations on Friday to discuss attacks on Iran at Moscow's request, Russian state media reported. "The Russian Federation has requested closed-door consultations with the UN Security Council due to the ongoing strikes on civilian infrastructure in Iran, including educational and healthcare facilities," said Evgeny Uspensky, spokesman for Russia's envoy to the United Nations, according to state news agency TASS. - Israeli strikes on Beirut - Lebanese media reported an Israeli strike hit Beirut's southern suburbs early Friday, as AFP correspondents heard several explosions from the Hezbollah stronghold that Israel has repeatedly struck since war erupted this month. Israel has previously issued sweeping evacuation warnings for the area, but provided no specific warning in advance of the strike on Tahouitet al-Ghadir. - Saudi Arabia intercepts drones - The Saudi defence ministry said it had "intercepted and destroyed" four drones over the kingdom's east. burs-achsbk/fgkjm