Yemen’s Houthis join Iran war, fire missiles at Israel

More than 50 Israeli warplanes struck weapons production sites and facilities tied to Iran’s nuclear program in three areas of Iran on Friday, the Israeli military said on Saturday.

The strikes, carried out with intelligence guidance, included sites in Arak and Yazd and unfolded in three waves over several hours, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Among the targets were a military industry site used to make different weapons, a Defense Ministry site used to develop advanced explosive devices, and a facility producing components for ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft missiles, it said.

The military said the attacks were carried out alongside a strike on the heavy water facility in Arak, which it described as a key part of plutonium production for nuclear weapons, and on a plant in Yazd used to make explosive materials needed in uranium enrichment.

A lawmaker said a fast-tracked bill proposing Iran’s exit from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a shift in nuclear policy has been submitted to parliament’s legislative body.

The proposal includes three measures: withdrawal from the NPT, repeal of a law governing Iran’s commitments under the nuclear deal, and support for a new international pact with aligned countries on developing peaceful nuclear technology, Malek Shariati said Saturday.

The remarks come as parliament has not convened since the start of joint Israeli and US strikes on Iran, with no clarity on when sessions will resume.

Strikes on fuel storage facilities violate international humanitarian law and environmental obligations, Iran’s UN ambassador Saeid Iravani said in a letter to the UN secretary-general and Security Council president on Saturday.

He described the strikes on fuel tanks as deliberate and said they had damaged parts of Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure, and energy network.

“These actions have not only led to the destruction of parts of Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure and damage to its energy network, but have also resulted in catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences,” he said.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates came under missile and drone attacks by Iran early Saturday.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said air raid sirens were activated across the country and that a fire at one facility following the strikes had been brought under control.

The UAE’s Defense Ministry said its air defense systems were intercepting and responding to missiles and drones launched from Iran.

Five people were injured in Abu Dhabi after debris from an intercepted Iranian missile fell near the Khalifa Economic Zones, Reuters reported.

Authorities earlier said two fires broke out early Saturday in the same area following the fall of missile debris, adding that emergency crews were working to contain the blaze.