Tehran, Sep 9: Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced early Wednesday that its aerospace forces have attacked a US air base in Jordan in retaliation for US “aggressive” attacks against Iranian oil tankers.

The IRGC said in a statement that it struck a hangar for the maintenance, repair, preparation and deployment of the US Army’s F-35, F-16 and F-15 fighter jets and a shelter for the US fighter aircraft at the Al-Azraq Air Base, “inflicting heavy damage on the enemy.”

Jordan’s military said on Wednesday that its air defence systems have destroyed 18 of 20 Iranian ballistic missiles, reports Xinhua news agency.

Two missiles fell in unpopulated areas, causing no casualties, it said.

Earlier, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the United States military has destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers after the IRGC twice targeted an American warship with ballistic missiles.

The strikes were carried out Tuesday (Local time) in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran’s Kharg Island, an important hub for the country’s oil exports.

CENTCOM said the American warship successfully evaded both attempted attacks, which occurred over the previous two days. No US personnel were injured.

The military command identified the tankers destroyed in the Gulf of Oman as M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco. A fifth tanker, M/T Derya, was attacked near Kharg Island.

US forces instructed the crews to abandon the ships before striking them and rendering the vessels inoperable, according to CENTCOM. The military did not report any casualties among the tanker crews.

CENTCOM described the vessels as crude oil carriers operated by the IRGC and said they formed part of a multibillion-dollar network used to finance the Iranian military organisation and its regional proxies.

The US military did not disclose which American warship Iran allegedly targeted, where the attempted attacks occurred or how many ballistic missiles were fired.

The latest operation marked the second US attack on Iranian oil tankers in four days.

Paris, Sep 9: British, French, and Canadian leaders issued a joint statement affirming their “commitment to protect the two-state solution” in the face of the “systematic expansion” of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

“A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is critical for peace, stability and security in the Middle East and beyond,” and the settlements “pose a direct and urgent threat to that vision for peace,” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in the joint statement on Tuesday (local time).

“Settlements are illegal under international law,” they said, condemning the Israeli government’s latest decision to progress the E1 settlement, and the “dramatic increase in settler violence.”

The three countries will therefore ban the importation of goods from settlements and enforce targeted measures against settlements and those who facilitate them or profit from them, reports Xinhua news agency, citing the joint statement.

The three leaders also reiterated their desire for a close and productive partnership with Israel. “We support a safe and secure Israel, living alongside a safe and secure Palestine,” they said.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over escalating Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon that have killed civilians, displaced thousands and destroyed a hospital, said his spokesperson.

“The secretary-general said he was particularly alarmed by reports of Israeli strikes affecting hospitals, healthcare workers and public institutions, along with restrictions on humanitarian access,” said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson.

Dujarric said the UN chief is concerned about attacks over the weekend through Monday, particularly in Nabatieh governorate.

The spokesperson said that while the attacks occurred outside the area of operations of the UN peacekeepers, known as UNIFIL, the peacekeepers monitored developments closely and expressed concern over the broader deterioration of the security situation.

Dujarric said UNIFIL recorded a significant increase in Israeli military activity, including ground operations, projectile fire, airstrikes and violations of Lebanon’s airspace.

Sanaa, Sep 8: An airstrike hit a prison in Houthi-controlled Al-Jawf province in northern Yemen, causing casualties, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported, attributing the strike to the Saudi-led coalition.

The strike hit the prison in Al-Hazm, the provincial capital, on Monday (local time), the report said, adding that women and children were among the casualties.

Al-Masirah quoted the prison director as saying that 35 inmates and a woman visiting her husband remained trapped beneath the rubble.

Footage aired by al-Masirah apparently showed extensive damage to the facility and rescuers searching through debris.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting al-Masirah TV.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on social media platform X on Monday that the Saudi military operations in Yemen “will not go unanswered,” alleging that the operations included airstrikes, reconnaissance flights and the supply of weapons to Yemeni government forces.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

A UN-brokered truce that took effect in April 2022 expired six months later without a formal extension, but a fragile de facto ceasefire has largely held until the recent escalation.

The Houthi group announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping in July and has since claimed attacks on Saudi tankers and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has said that recent Houthi attacks across several frontlines are “an extremely alarming development” that threatens to further expand the conflict.

In a statement posted on social media platform X on Monday (local time), Grundberg said reports of civilians killed and injured, families displaced, and civilian infrastructure damaged were “deeply troubling.”

Grundberg said a return to sustained large-scale fighting will have grave consequences for civilians and make an already difficult path toward a political settlement even harder.

He called on all parties to “cease all hostilities,” exercise maximum restraint, and use existing channels, including the UN’s Military Coordination Committee, to prevent further escalation.

The envoy said he will continue engaging directly with the parties to contain the current escalation and preserve space for dialogue, while urging regional and international actors to use their influence towards those objectives.