Blast Rocks Tehran After Israeli Threat

A pro-Iranian group in Iraq warned Friday that French interests "in Iraq and the region" would be "under targeting fire" after the arrival of a French aircraft carrier.

The statement on the Telegram page of the Ashab Alkahf group came as French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of a French soldier and the injury of several others in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Explosions rattled buildings in Dubai and a large cloud of smoke hung over a central area of the Middle East financial hub on Friday, AFP correspondents said.

An AFP correspondent felt the building shake and heard a huge explosion.

The attack targeted Irbil in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, President Emmanuel Macron said Friday on the social platform X.

Macron identified the soldier as Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins from Varces.

“To his family, to his brothers in arms, I want to express all the affection and solidarity of the nation,” Macron said. “Several of our soldiers have been wounded. France stands by their side and with their loved ones.”

France said earlier that six soldiers were hurt in a drone attack in Irbil. French troops are in Iraq as part of a multinational counterterrorism mission supporting local forces in their fight against Islamic State militants.

Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said some 30 people were hurt in a missile attack on Zarzir, a city around 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Jerusalem near the border with Lebanon. It described most of the wounds as coming from glass broken in the attack.

Hezbollah said early Friday it had fired several rocket salvos toward Israel. - Associated Press

Oil prices held around $100 Friday and most equity markets dropped after Iran's leader called for the blocking of the crucial Strait of Hormuz and opening up of new fronts in the war against the United States and Israel.

With the conflict heading towards its third week and showing no signs of ending, investors are growing increasingly worried about an extended crisis that could fan inflation and hammer the global economy.

Russia's economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Friday that the global energy market "cannot remain stable" without his country's oil.

His comments came after the United States said it would temporarily allow the sale of Russian oil that is at sea, as energy prices soared after US-Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the oil-rich Middle East into war.

"The United States is effectively acknowledging the obvious: without Russian oil, the global energy market cannot remain stable," Dmitriev posted on Telegram.

US and Israeli strikes hit parts of Tehran on Friday, Iranian media reported, adding that homes shook from the blasts.

"The intensity of the explosions was such that residents of these areas reported their houses shaking. No further details have been provided about the extent of damage or possible casualties," Iran's Fars news agency reported. - AFP

Saudi Arabia intercepted dozens of drones entering its airspace, the defence ministry said on Friday, as Iran carries out attacks on oil-rich Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli strikes.

"Twelve drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering Saudi airspace," a spokesperson for the defence ministry posted on X.

A wave of nine and then seven drones had also been shot down, they said in separate statements.

An American military refuelling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, US Central Command said Thursday.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. A US official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the KC-135 aircraft that crashed had at least five crew members aboard.

The crash was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire, the military said in a statement, which described the plane as "a loss."