Middle East conflict widens with new strikes

Regional conflict in the Middle East escalated as Iran launched missiles toward a U.S.-used military base in Jordan and attacked vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for strikes involving multiple ships, including U.S. vessels and oil tankers. Jordanian authorities reported that most incoming missiles were intercepted with no casualties. Simultaneously, Houthi forces attacked four cities in southern Saudi Arabia, wounding 73 people and igniting oil installations. These attacks, described as a major expansion of the six-month-old war, targeted a Saudi airbase and state oil company assets. NASA satellite images showed smoke plumes over a refinery and an oil distribution center. In response to Iran's targeting of a U.S. Navy warship, U.S. military forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island. A U.S. official stated that American forces directed crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck. Iran subsequently threatened to target oil tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports.