Israel said it struck targets in Tehran and intercepted missiles from Iran on Saturday, as Senator Marco Rubio said the United States expects to finish its military operations in weeks rather than months.
A US official told Reuters that an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base wounded 12 US service members, two seriously, amid ongoing drone and missile attacks across the Gulf.
A month after US and Israeli strikes on Iran began, the conflict has spread through the Middle East, killed thousands, and caused the largest disruption to energy supplies on record, roiling the global economy and stoking inflation worries.
While Israel reported strikes across Tehran, it also said it had tracked a missile launched from Yemen. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, who previously attacked shipping, have so far been mostly inactive in the Iran conflict. The Houthis said on Friday they would consider military intervention under certain conditions, including if new countries joined the US and Israel or if the Red Sea were used to launch attacks on Iran.
After meeting G7 counterparts in France, Rubio told reporters Washington was “on or ahead of schedule in that operation, and expect to conclude it at the appropriate time here—a matter of weeks, not months.” He said countries that benefit from trade through the Strait of Hormuz should help secure free passage and that the US could meet its goals without large-scale ground forces, though some troops are being sent to the region “to give the president maximum optionality” should contingencies arise.
The war has strained ties between the US and traditional allies, many of whom have stayed on the sidelines. President Donald Trump said the lack of allied support raised questions about US commitments to NATO, asking rhetorically why the US should defend allies who had not supported it. The NATO charter treats an attack on one member as an attack on all, obliging mutual assistance.
Washington has dispatched two contingents of thousands of Marines, with the first set due to arrive on a large amphibious assault ship, and is expected to send thousands of elite airborne troops. Those deployments have fueled concern the fighting could evolve into a prolonged ground campaign.
Markets slid sharply on Friday and Brent crude topped $112 a barrel, more than 50% higher since the war began. Rising fuel costs are politically sensitive in the US; diesel in California hit a record average of $7.17 per gallon, the AAA said.
Trump has signaled a desire to wind down the unpopular conflict, speaking of negotiations despite Tehran’s repeated denials that talks have started. On Thursday he extended by 10 days a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its civilian energy infrastructure.
Iranian media reported at least five dead and seven wounded after a US-Israeli attack on a residential building in Zanjan, and said the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran was hit. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on X that, coordinated with the US, Israel had struck two steel plants and a power station, warning Iran would exact a “heavy price” for the attacks.
Israel’s military reported detecting incoming missiles from Iran on Saturday, and Syrian state television said explosions were heard over Damascus as Israeli forces intercepted Iranian missiles. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also reported missile attacks early on Saturday.
