DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� Iran targeted the world鈥檚 busiest international airport Wednesday and attacked as U.S. and Israeli strikes rocked Tehran, while most powerful body demanded a halt to the Islamic Republic鈥檚 strikes on its that threaten global oil supplies.
The latest attacks marked an escalation in Iran’s campaign aimed at generating enough to pressure the United States and Israel to end that started 12 days ago. But there were no signs that the conflict was subsiding.
On Thursday, an Iranian attack sparked a major fire on Bahrain鈥檚 Muharraq Island, home to the island kingdom鈥檚 international airport. Authorities urged people to stay indoors and close windows to avoid smoke. The airport has jet fuel tanks, and other tanks in the area serve the kingdom鈥檚 oil industry.
Also, an attack on Iraq鈥檚 Basra port killed at least one person and forced a halt to operations at all the country鈥檚 oil terminals. Farhan al-Fartousi, the director-general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, said the attack targeted a vessel in a ship-to-ship transfer area at the port on the Persian Gulf. Iraq鈥檚 commercial ports remained open, though the oil terminals had been shut, according to his statement carried by the state-run Iraqi 91欧美激情 Agency.
The first week of war with Iran cost the United States $11.3 billion, according to the Pentagon, which provided the estimate to Congress in a briefing earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. The military reported spending $5 billion on munitions alone in the war’s first weekend.
Both sides have dug in, as the conflict upends trade routes, chokes supplies of fuel and fertilizer coming out of the Gulf and threatens air traffic through one of the world鈥檚 most-traveled regions.
Iran has in Gulf Arab nations and effectively stopped cargo traffic through the narrow , through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.
In response, the International Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil, the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, in a bid . The U.S. planned to release 172 million barrels of oil next week from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to combat steep prices.
UN body demands Iran stop 鈥榚gregious attacks鈥� on Gulf nations
The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to approve a resolution demanding a halt to Iran鈥檚 鈥渆gregious attacks鈥� on its Gulf neighbors.
Among the most recent attacks, four people were wounded after two Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, though flights continued, the Dubai Media Office said. Firefighters extinguished a blaze early Thursday at a luxury apartment tower in Dubai Creek Harbor after an Iranian drone strike.
At Oman鈥檚 Port of Salalah, crews battled a blaze at fuel storage tanks there, according to the Oman 91欧美激情 Agency.
鈥淭he international community is resolute in rejecting these Iranian attacks against sovereign countries that are threatening the stability of the peoples, especially in a region of strategic importance to global economy, energy, security and security of global trade,鈥� said Bahrain鈥檚 U.N. ambassador, Jamal Alrowaiei.
The 13-0 vote in the U.N.鈥檚 most powerful body reflects Iran鈥檚 isolated position as it has aggressively responded to Israeli and U.S. strikes. China and Russia 鈥� two Iranian allies 鈥� abstained from the vote.
Their U.N. ambassadors called the proposal 鈥渆xtremely unbalanced鈥� in not mentioning the strikes against Tehran that began the war.
Russia鈥檚 U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said it might leave the impression that Iran, 鈥渙n its own volition and out of malice, conducted an unprovoked attack on Arab states.鈥� Iranian U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the resolution 鈥渄eliberately ignores the root causes of the current crisis.鈥�
Meanwhile, more attacks in Gulf countries were reported.
Drones were launched toward the cities of Irbil and Sulaymaniyah in Iraq鈥檚 Kurdistan region, while in the southern part of the country, an oil vessel flying the Australian flag was struck near Khor Al-Zubair Port, according to two Iraqi navy officials who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
The official said 25 members of the crew were rescued. It was not immediately clear whether any others were missing.
Explosions rock Jerusalem while Lebanon hit by Israeli strikes
On Thursday, sirens wailed and loud explosions were heard shortly after midnight in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel. The Israeli military said it was responding with another 鈥渨ide-scale wave of strikes鈥� in Tehran.
The fallout across the Middle East widened as Israel also struck what it said were targets connected to in Lebanon.
An Israeli strike hit a car Thursday in Ramlet al-Bayda, a major seaside tourist area of Beirut where dozens of displaced people have been sheltering. Seven people were killed and 21 others were wounded, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The Israeli military press office told The Associated Press it was 鈥渘ot aware鈥� of a strike at that location.
Blasts shook Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs Wednesday, producing fires and plumes of smoke. Israel’s military said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah firing dozens of rockets fired simultaneously across northern Israel. It marked some of the heaviest fighting between the two since the war began.
One rocket hit a house near the Israeli town of Karmiel, lightly injuring two people, according to Israeli rescue services.
At least 634 people have been killed in Lebanon since the latest fighting began, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Wednesday.
The U.N. refugee agency said at least 759,000 people have been .
Iranian authorities say more than 1,300 people have been killed there, and Israel has reported 12 people dead. The U.S. has lost seven soldiers while another eight have suffered severe injuries.
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This story has corrected the name of Bahrain’s U.N. ambassador and corrected the location of the Beirut strike by removing the word 鈥渆astern.鈥�
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Abou AlJoud reported from Beirut. Mascaro reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, also contributed to this report, along with AP journalists around the world.
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