In Brief
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected to conclude military operations within weeks.
- One month into the war, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, say they may also be ready to intervene militarily.
Israel said it was attacking Tehran and defending against missiles fired from Iran on Saturday, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected to conclude military operations within weeks, not months.
An Iranian attack on an air base in Saudi Arabia has wounded 12 US military personnel, two seriously, a US official told Reuters on Friday, as drones and missiles continued to strike around the Gulf.
A month after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, the war has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands and causing the biggest disruption ever to energy supplies, hitting the global economy and fuelling inflation fears.
While Israel said it was hitting targets across Iran's capital, it said it had identified a missile launched from Yemen. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who had previously disrupted shipping with missile attacks, have not been active in the Iran war.
The Houthis said on Friday they were ready to intervene militarily under certain conditions, including if new allies joined the US and Israel in the war or if the Red Sea was used to launch attacks on Iran.
Rubio told reporters after meeting Group of Seven counterparts in France that Washington was "on or ahead of schedule in that operation, and expect to conclude it at the appropriate time here — a matter of weeks, not months".
Trump questions why US would 'be there' for NATO
The war has driven a wedge between the US and its traditional allies, who have stayed on the sidelines. President Donald Trump said this lack of support had implications for NATO, the West's most important alliance.
"We would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don't have to be, do we?" Trump told an investment forum in Miami on Friday. "Why would we be there for them if they're not there for us? They weren't there for us."
The charter underlying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has long been led by the US, says an attack on one member is an attack on all, requiring them to support one another.
Rubio said European and Asian countries that benefit from trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital choke point largely blocked by Iran, should contribute to efforts to secure free passage.
While he said the US could achieve its aims without ground troops, he acknowledged it was deploying some to the region "to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust the contingencies, should they emerge".
More strikes while Trump speaks of negotiations
Washington has dispatched two contingents of thousands of Marines to the region, the first of which is due to arrive in coming days on a huge amphibious assault ship. The Pentagon is also expected to deploy thousands of elite airborne soldiers.
The deployments have raised concerns that the war could turn into a prolonged ground battle.
The conflict has led to worldwide concerns over fuel shortages and soaring prices.
For now, Energy minister Chris Bowen has said Australia's supply looks secure, with 39 days of petrol (1.6 billion litres), 30 days of diesel (2.7 billion litres), and 30 days of jet fuel. On Saturday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the federal government will take on the financial risk of importing additional fuel and fertiliser.
In the US, where Trump is politically vulnerable to rising fuel prices, he has appeared eager to wind down the unpopular war. He emphasised this week what he called productive negotiations aimed at a diplomatic solution — despite repeated assertions from Tehran that no such talks have begun.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington "this week" to end the month-long war.
"We think there will be meetings this week, we're certainly hopeful for it," Witkoff told a business forum in Miami. "We have a 15-point plan on the table. We expect the Iranians to respond. It could solve it all."
On Thursday, Trump extended a deadline by 10 days for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks against its civilian energy grid.
Iran vows 'heavy price' for plant strikes
At least five people were killed and seven injured after a US-Israeli attack on a residential unit in Iran's northwestern city of Zanjan, Iranian media reported early on Saturday. The Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran was also struck, media reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X that Israel, in coordination with the US, had also hit two steel factories and a power plant. "Attack contradicts POTUS extended deadline for diplomacy. Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes," Araqchi said on Friday, using an acronym for president of the United States.
Meanwhile Israel's military struck Beirut's southern suburbs again on Friday, saying it was targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
In south Lebanon, Hezbollah said its fighters had clashed with "Israeli enemy army forces... with light and medium weapons".
Israel's military said on Saturday it had detected incoming missiles from Iran, and Syrian state television reported explosions heard above the capital Damascus from Israeli intercepts of the Iranian missiles.
Israeli emergency responders said a man died in Tel Aviv on Friday and several others wounded across the country as a result of the missiles.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also reported missile attacks early on Saturday.
More than 300 American troops have been wounded since the start of the war on February 28, US Central Command said.
A US official who asked not to be identified told AFP that 10 US soldiers remained seriously wounded.
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