CAIRO (AP) 鈥� U.S. President Donald Trump as the United States presses for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Hours later on Saturday, Kuwait said it responded to a new round of drone attacks from Iran while a tanker was struck in the strategic waterway.
Meanwhile, Israel heavily struck the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to disarm.
Here are the most important developments in the Middle East today:
US threatens new strikes in the conflict with Iran
Speaking to reporters Friday during a meeting with members of his Cabinet at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, Trump said 鈥渨e just want to win鈥� in Iran and signaled that he expected U.S. military action to continue for some time.
He said the U.S. will hit Iran 鈥渧ery hard鈥� until they can鈥檛 take it anymore.
Later that day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed the U.S. administration鈥檚 frustration anew, charging that Tehran last month signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. on a truce but then quickly 鈥渂roke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.鈥�
鈥淧resident Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur,鈥� Leavitt said in a statement on Friday evening. 鈥淚ran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.鈥�
New attacks on Kuwait and on shipping
Kuwait鈥檚 military said Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks, which were part of Iran鈥檚 assaults on the country.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, spokesman for Kuwait’s Defense Ministry, said the drones hit 鈥渁 number of vital facilities,鈥� including a government structure in the country’s north. He said there were no casualties.
The British Navy said Saturday that a tanker was struck and a separate explosion hit close to a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman. No casualties were reported in either incident, it said. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said an unknown projectile hit the vessel on Friday 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman. The attack damaged the vessel鈥檚 engine room.
The group said that on Saturday a large splash and an explosion were reported close to another tanker while it was sailing 21 nautical miles northwest of Khasab city.
Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorization as part of its ongoing conflict with the U.S.
Israel strikes Gaza after Hamas says it will disarm
Intense Israeli strikes Friday night killed at least two people in central Gaza and injured dozens more, according to local health officials.
The strikes came after Hamas confirmed Friday that in a potential breakthrough for ending the war in Gaza, though major obstacles remain. Israel has not officially commented on the Hamas deal, which is part of a announced last October.
That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw and an was to be deployed.
In a post on X Friday, Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir called the deal 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� and said the killings in Gaza must continue. 鈥淚srael must win,鈥� he said.
The strikes overnight in Gaza followed evacuation orders by Israel’s military. Israel’s military didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes.
The Associated Press of Trump鈥檚 plan to end the Israel-Hamas war.
for full coverage from AP on the disarmament deal for Hamas.
Elsewhere in the region
鈥� Houthi rebels forced eight Saudi ships to reroute from the Bab el-Mandeb strait after the Iranian-backed rebels announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the chokepoint. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement Friday that the vessels changed route to the Cape of Good Hope around Africa to avert the blockade.
鈥� In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces set off explosions Friday to destroy an underground tunnel network under the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle that Israel says had been used by Hezbollah militants as a command center. The 12th-century castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, was seized by Israeli forces in May. It was recently added to UNESCO鈥檚 World Heritage List over Israel鈥檚 objections.
鈥� Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli operation sent 鈥渘egative messages鈥� ahead of upcoming talks in Rome. Israeli and Lebanese negotiating teams are set to meet again there to continue hammering out a plan under which Israel would withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah鈥檚 disarmament.
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Madhani reported from Washington.
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