Israeli forces said they struck targets in Tehran and intercepted missiles launched from Iran on Saturday as the wider campaign in the region continued. Senator Marco Rubio told reporters the United States expects to complete its current military operations in a matter of weeks rather than months.
A US official told Reuters that an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base wounded 12 US service members, two of them seriously, as drone and missile attacks persisted across the Gulf. The fighting, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran about a month ago, has since spread across the Middle East, caused thousands of casualties and triggered the largest disruption to energy supplies on record, roiling global markets and stoking inflation concerns.
Israel also reported tracking a missile launched from Yemen. Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen, which previously targeted commercial shipping, have been largely inactive so far in the current Iran conflict, but their leadership said they would consider joining military action under certain conditions, including if new countries entered the campaign or if the Red Sea were used to launch strikes on Iran.
After meeting G7 counterparts in France, Rubio said Washington was on or ahead of schedule and expected to conclude operations at the appropriate time in weeks rather than months. He urged countries that benefit from trade through the Strait of Hormuz to help secure free passage and said the US could achieve its objectives without large-scale ground forces, though some troops are being deployed to give the president maximum flexibility should contingencies arise.
The war has strained relations between the US and many traditional allies, several of whom have remained on the sidelines. President Donald Trump said the lack of allied support raised questions about US commitments under NATO, asking why the US should defend allies that had not backed its actions. The NATO charter obliges mutual assistance if a member is attacked.
Washington has ordered two contingents of several thousand Marines and is preparing to send thousands of elite airborne troops. The planned deployments, including Marines due to arrive on a large amphibious assault ship, have raised concerns the fighting could turn into a prolonged ground campaign.
Markets reacted sharply: Brent crude topped $112 a barrel, more than 50 percent higher since the conflict began, and fuel prices have surged in the US. The American Automobile Association said diesel in California reached a record average of $7.17 per gallon, underscoring the political sensitivity of rising energy costs.
Trump has signaled a desire to wind down the unpopular conflict and has spoken of negotiations, though Tehran has repeatedly denied that talks have begun. He extended by 10 days a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its civilian energy infrastructure.
Iranian state and local media reported civilian casualties after a strike on a residential building in Zanjan, saying at least five people were killed and seven wounded. They also reported damage to the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran. Iran’s foreign ministry official Abbas Araqchi posted on X that, coordinated with the US, Israel had struck two steel plants and a power station, and warned Tehran would exact a heavy price for the attacks.
Israel’s military said it detected incoming missiles from Iran on Saturday, and Syrian state television reported explosions over Damascus as Israeli forces intercepted Iranian missiles. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also reported missile attacks in the early hours of Saturday, highlighting the conflict’s widening geographic impact.
