US and Saudi Arabia strike Iran-backed militants after 'surprise attack'
Fresh fighting has erupted after the US accused Iran of launching its first ballistic missile attack on an American base since strikes were paused on Friday. Here's your three-minute briefing on the key developments in the Middle East overnight.
Ceasefire Shenanigans$CFSH
A satellite image shows a trail of smoke rising from an oil facility in Jizan, Saudi Arabia. ( Reuters Photo: European Union/Copernicus Sentinel 2 )
This is your three-minute briefing on the key developments overnight in the Middle East.
Hello. It is day 42 since the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was signed and 21 days since strikes resumed.
Here's what you need to know to catch up quickly.
The US says it has carried out fresh air strikes in Iraq alongside Saudi Arabia, targeting Iran-backed militant groups after a wave of drone attacks on US forces.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) later said they fired several ballistic missiles at a US air base and a US military Central Command centre in Jordan, in what they described as a response to US actions against Iranian interests.
The fresh strikes came hours after the US accused Iran of launching multiple ballistic missiles at American bases in the Middle East in what it described as a "surprise attack".
US Central Command said all of the missiles were intercepted and that American forces would remain on high alert.
Iran's latest missile attack marks the first time it has targeted a US base since US President Donald Trump paused military operations last Friday to give diplomacy another chance.
The renewed fighting also comes after weeks of mounting political pressure on Mr Trump over the conflict.
Commercial vessels appear anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, as young men ride motorcycles along the shore. ( AP Photo: Razieh Poudat/ISNA )
Iranian pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as one of them waves a flag bearing a portrait of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at square in Tehran, Iran. ( AP Photo: Vahid Salemi )