Cairo: Iranian missiles struck two communities in southern Israel late on Saturday, shattering buildings and injuring dozens in dual attacks not far from Israel’s main nuclear research centre, while US President Donald Trump warned the United States would “obliterate” Iranian power plants if Tehran did not fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
The events marked a dangerous new phase in the war as it entered its fourth week.
Trump, facing domestic pressure to secure the strait amid soaring oil prices, issued the ultimatum in a social media post from his Florida home, saying he would give Iran 48 hours to open the waterway or face new strikes and promising to destroy “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”
The Iranian strikes in Israel followed an earlier hit on Tehran’s main nuclear enrichment site at Natanz.
Israel’s military said it was unable to intercept missiles that struck the southern cities of Dimona and Arad; Dimona is the largest city near Israel’s sparsely populated Negev nuclear site. It was the first time Iranian missiles breached air defences in the area around the nuclear facility.
“If the Israeli regime is unable to intercept missiles in the heavily protected Dimona area, it is, operationally, a sign of entering a new phase of the battle,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X before reports of the Arad strike emerged.
Projectile hits close to a vessel off UAE coast
March 22, 2026 11:05 am
Cairo: A projectile struck close to a bulk carrier off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, causing an explosion, the British United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said early on Sunday. The attack occurred about 15 nautical miles north of Sharjah in the UAE. The UKMTO said the ship’s crew was safe. AP
Saudi air defenses intercept missiles, drones
March 22, 2026 11:04 am
Cairo: Air defences early on Sunday tracked the launch of three ballistic missiles towards Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, intercepting one, while the other two fell in an uninhabited area, the Defence Ministry said. The ministry said it shot down six drones headed toward the kingdom’s eastern region near major oil installations. No casualties or damage were reported. AP
Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants clash in Lebanon
March 22, 2026 10:13 am
Cairo: Israel’s military said it was conducting a “targeted ground operation” in southern Lebanon in which at least four militants were killed. Hezbollah said fighters clashed with troops in the southern village of Khiam. Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced over 1 million, according to the Lebanese government; Hezbollah’s civilian assets also have been targeted. AP
Global pressure increases to get shipping back on track
March 22, 2026 10:11 am
Cairo: As Iran threatens shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates joined 21 other countries, including the UK, Germany, France and Japan, in expressing “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage.” The Trump administration said it was temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded on ships as of Friday, though that does not raise production. Iran’s oil ministry said it “essentially has no crude oil left in floating storage.” AP
US can use Diego Garcia base to protect Strait of Hormuz
March 22, 2026 10:11 am
Cairo: UK officials gave few details about an unsuccessful strike targeting the UK-US Diego Garcia base on Friday. Britain’s Ministry of Defence described Iran as “lashing out across the region.” It’s unclear how close missiles came to the island. Iran has previously asserted a missile range limit below 2,000 kilometres, but experts say it may have improvised a launch using a space vehicle. “If you’ve got a space program, you’ve got a ballistic missile program,” said retired Royal Navy commodore Steve Prest. AP
Israel had denied responsibility for attack on Natanz
March 22, 2026 10:09 am
Cairo: Israel denied responsibility for the strike on the Natanz nuclear facility, about 220 kilometres southeast of Tehran. Iran’s judiciary news agency Mizan said there was no leakage. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the bulk of Iran’s estimated 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium is elsewhere, beneath rubble at its Isfahan facility, and that it was looking into the strike. The Pentagon declined to comment. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned such strikes risk “catastrophic disaster throughout the Middle East.” Iran retaliated hours later. AP
A dangerous new direction in the war
March 22, 2026 8:55 am
Cairo: “The war is not close to ending,” Israel’s army chief, Gen. Eyal Zamir, said. Iran also targeted the joint UK-US Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean about 2,500 miles away, suggesting Tehran may have missiles with greater range than acknowledged or may have used its space program for an improvised launch. The US and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war, from hoping to foment an uprising against Iran’s leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programs and its support for proxies. There have been no signs of an uprising, and internet restrictions limit reporting from Iran. The conflict’s effects extend globally, driving up food and fuel prices. AP
