War Widens: Hamas Urges Iran to Spare Neighbours as 773 Die in Lebanon Strikes -

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Saturday called on Iran to refrain from targeting neighbouring countries, while affirming Tehran’s right to defend itself against Israel and the United States.

“While affirming the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to this aggression by all available means in accordance with international norms and laws, the movement calls on the brothers in Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries,” Hamas said in a statement.

Latest Developments:

US Embassy In Baghdad Attacked

A drone struck the US embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, an Iraqi security official said, as an AFP journalist saw smoke rising from the complex. A second security source confirmed that an attack targeted the diplomatic mission.

It came after explosions rocked the Iraqi capital on Saturday after two strikes targeted the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah, killing two members, including a “key figure”, security sources told AFP.

The sources did not identify who was behind the strikes.

Trump Says Iran ‘Defeated’, Wants Deal

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has been “totally defeated” in the US-Israeli military campaign against the country, despite Iranian officials pledging to continue the fight.

“The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal – But not a deal that I would accept!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.

Trump said that the US military had heavily bombed military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, which handles almost all of the country’s crude exports, and threatened to hit the island’s oil infrastructure.

“I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the bombing.

READ ALSO: Iran Vows To Fight On, Block All Gulf Oil

In response, Iran’s military threatened on Saturday to destroy US-linked energy infrastructure in the region if its oil facilities were attacked, according to a statement reported by Iranian news agencies.

Trump told reporters Friday that the US Navy would start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “very soon” to restore oil exports as he struggles to tackle soaring energy prices.

Qatar’s interior ministry said Saturday that it was evacuating a number of “key areas” as Iran presses its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf countries.

In Doha’s central Musheireb district, some residents received phone alerts telling them to “evacuate the area immediately… to the nearest safest place as a temporary precaution”.

The country launched a fresh round of missiles towards Israel, state media reported just after midnight on Saturday in Tehran, but Israeli rescue workers said there were no reported casualties following the strikes.

Israel’s military said it had identified missiles from Iran and “was operating to intercept the threat,” as air raid sirens in multiple areas sent people into shelters.

An Israeli strike on a healthcare centre in southern Lebanon killed 12 medical personnel, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The ministry said the attack was “the second against the health sector in a few hours”, following a strike on Sawaneh that killed two paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally Amal.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 773 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to the health ministry.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel, as the latter threatened to make Lebanon pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the Tehran-backed militant group attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes.

Israeli strikes continued Friday, including an attack that killed eight people in a south Lebanese village near the port city of Sidon, according to the health ministry.