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War in the Middle East: latest developments Paris, France, March 20 (AFP) Mar 20, 2026 Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - Gulf attacks - Drone attacks hit Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery, causing several fires but no casualties, state media said, citing the national oil company. Earlier Friday, Kuwaiti and Emirati authorities said air defences were responding to missile and drone attacks. Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed more than a dozen drones in the country's east and another in the north. Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.
The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus.
A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."
"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.
AFP reporters heard several loud blasts over Jerusalem late Thursday night. The Magen David Adom emergency services reported no casualties, but police said there was damage in several locations.
"To avoid a similar situation, the EU is ready to fully mobilise its diplomatic, legal, operational and financial tools to prevent uncontrolled migratory movements to the EU and preserve security in Europe," the leaders said after talks at a summit in Brussels.
"We will be compelled to declare force majeure for up to five years on some long-term LNG contracts," Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said in a statement.
"We are winning and Iran is being decimated," Netanyahu said, adding that Iran was no longer able to enrich uranium or to build ballistic missiles. He also denied that Israel "dragged" the US into the war, saying "Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?"
"Israel acted alone against the Asaluyeh gas compound... President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks and we're holding out." Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he told Israel not to carry out any more such strikes. "I told him, don't do that, and he won't do that," Trump told reporters.
Earlier, Lebanon's health ministry said that Israeli attacks have killed 1,001 people in the country since the war erupted, including 79 women, 118 children and 40 health workers, with 2,584 other people wounded.
"We have asked them to clarify or explain regarding the role of Ramstein," Tehran's ambassador to Germany Majid Nili told AFP, saying that "the role of Ramstein is not officially clear for us".
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