Iran has launched long-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles towards the joint U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, in what Israeli officials said was a major escalation in the war.
The strikes, alongside missile attacks on southern Israel, have widened the scope of the conflict beyond the Middle East.
The UK Ministry of Defence condemned the strikes as “reckless attacks across the region” and warned they posed a threat to British interests and allies. Israeli officials said the launches were Iran’s first use of missiles of this range in the conflict, extending the potential threat well beyond the Middle East.
According to Israel Defence Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Iran fired two ballistic missiles with a range of about 4,000km at the U.S.-UK base on Diego Garcia. “These missiles are not intended to strike Israel,” Zamir said, noting that European capitals such as Berlin, Paris, and Rome are within range.
The attack came before the British government gave specific authorisation for the U.S. to use UK bases in strikes on Iranian missile sites, according to a Ministry of Defence source.
Late on Saturday, Iranian missiles hit southern Israeli cities, including Dimona and Arad, injuring dozens, among them children. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the strikes targeted “military installations” and security centres. Israeli air defences were reported to be functioning but did not intercept the missiles.
Israel’s nuclear facility is about 13 kilometres southeast of Dimona. Both cities are near several military installations, including Nevatim Air Base, one of Israel’s largest.
“This has been a very difficult evening in the battle for our future,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We are determined to continue striking our enemies on all fronts.”
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iranian power plants if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iran responded, warning it would target U.S. infrastructure, including energy facilities in the Gulf.
The war, now in its fourth week, has killed more than 2,000 people in Iran and 15 people in Israel, while global markets have reacted sharply to disruptions in energy supplies. In the United States, public opinion is divided, with a recent poll showing that 59% of Americans disapprove of military strikes against Iran.
The conflict has become a political and economic challenge worldwide, with rising energy prices fuelling inflation and heightening tensions across the region.
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Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar has said he does not support Ukraine’s fast-track entry to the European Union and will uphold an opt-out allowing Hungary to avoid contributing to a €90 billion EU loan for Kyiv.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on a five-day visit to China, his fourth trip in four years, highlighting Spain’s push to strengthen economic and strategic relations with the world’s second-largest economy.
Hungarians vote in elections on Sunday that could see the end of hard right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s more than 15 year rule. Opinion polls show Orbán’s Fidesz party trailing 45-year-old Péter Magyar’s centre-right opposition Tisza party.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators held their highest-level talks in half a century in Pakistan on Saturday in an effort to end their six-week war, as President Donald Trump said the U.S. military had begun the process of clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at Haiti’s Laferrière Citadel World Heritage Site, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
Donald Trump has warned that any Iranian ships approaching a declared U.S. blockade zone in the Strait of Hormuz will be “immediately eliminated”, as tensions escalate over maritime restrictions in the Gulf. The comments come after weekend peace talks in Pakistan failed to reach an agreement.
An Indian healthcare provider plans to invest $50 million in diagnostic and pharmaceutical projects in Uzbekistan’s Namangan region, aiming to expand access to advanced medical services between 2026 and 2028.
Nine suspects have been formally arrested over last week’s gun attack near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul, judicial officials have said. The assault left one attacker dead and two Turkish police officers lightly wounded.
Azerbaijani and Armenian civil society representatives have convened for a new round of dialogue under the ‘Peace Bridge’ initiative, as both sides seek to sustain engagement ahead of key political developments in the region.
The reopening of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran reflects the “special relationship” between the two countries, a regional expert has said.
Cement maker Lafarge was found guilty by a French court on Monday (13 April) of paying millions to jihadist groups, including ISIS, to keep a plant running during the Syrian civil war.
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