Iran, Israel trade attacks as US tanker hit in Gulf

2026-03-05 - 08:25

Shafaq News- Tehran Tehran launched drone attacks overnight targeting Israel’s Ramat David Airbase, while Tel Aviv carried out strikes on multiple sites inside Iran as the confrontation between the two sides entered its sixth day. In a statement on Thursday, the Iranian Army said its Navy deployed several Arash attack drones toward Israeli-controlled territory, describing the operation as targeting fuel storage facilities at the airbase. The statement did not provide details on the extent of the damage or possible casualties. Meanwhile, Israel reported a new wave of airstrikes against Iranian targets. The Israeli military said its aircraft destroyed a ballistic missile launcher in Qom that was allegedly prepared for launch toward Israel and struck an air-defense system in Isfahan that it said had been intended to target Israeli aircraft. #عاجل ❌هاجمت طائرات سلاح الجو ودمرت في منطقة قم بايران منصة صواريخ بالستية مسلحة ومجهزة للإطلاق نحو دولة إسرائيل. ❌كما تم تدمير نظام دفاع جوي مخصص لاستهداف طائرات سلاح الجو في أصفهان. ⭕️تأتي هذه الضربات في اطار الجهود الهادفة لضرب أنظمة النيران التابعة لنظام الارهاب... pic.twitter.com/xI0bZOO55c — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) March 5, 2026 Local Iranian officials also reported Israeli strikes in western Iran. The deputy security governor of Hamedan Province said Israeli fighter jets targeted a paper factory, a heavy-vehicle parking lot, and a reception hall in Malayer, killing one person and injuring three others. In a separate strike on a warehouse and storage facility in Bahar County, two people were killed and two others wounded. Iran’s Red Crescent Society said the conflict has affected 174 counties across the country since the start of the war, with 1,332 strikes recorded at 636 locations. The organization reported that 105 civilian sites and facilities were among the targets and suffered serious damage. Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for striking a US oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf. The Guard’s public relations office said naval forces hit the vessel and that the tanker was “currently burning,” without providing details on casualties or the extent of the damage. The IRGC also warned that Iran would enforce wartime navigation rules in the Strait of Hormuz, “in accordance with international laws and regulations,” saying military and commercial vessels belonging to the United States, Israel, European countries, and their supporters would not be permitted to transit the strategic waterway and would be targeted if detected. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also accused the United States of attacking an Iranian naval vessel in international waters near Sri Lanka. “The U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores,” Araghchi wrote on X, referring to the Iranian frigate Dena, which he said was carrying nearly 130 sailors and had been struck without warning. The U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores.Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set. pic.twitter.com/cxYiI9BLUk — Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 5, 2026 Sri Lanka’s Defense Ministry said the frigate issued a distress signal early Wednesday before sinking about 40 nautical miles south of the island’s coast. Sri Lankan naval officials said 30 to 32 sailors were rescued and transferred to hospital with injuries, while search operations continue for the remaining crew members whose fate remains unknown. The confrontation escalated on Feb. 28 after joint US-Israeli strikes targeted sites inside Iran, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory missile and drone attacks against Israel and US military bases across the region, including in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Read more: Larijani Network and Iran’s struggle to contain leadership vacuum