Morning update

Morning update

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

 The US Central Command said it completed its ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, claiming attacks on Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities.

On the other hand, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed attacks on Jordan, Kuwait and Syria alongside targeting "two offending oil tankers" attempting to travel through the Strait of Hormuz.

Here are the latest developments: 

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced they launched a "surprise attack" on a command centre in Syria's al-Tanf, in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA. They said that the assault was carried out as "revenge for the blood of martyred soldiers" killed in Iran's south eastern city of Iranshahr.

US President Donald Trump said that the latest attacks on Iran were carried out in "honour" of US service members recently killed. "We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honour of the, probably three, it's probably three great patriots," he told reporters. 

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a ship caught fire eight nautical miles north west of Oman's Kumzar. According to UKMTO, it received information from "military authorities that a vessel is on fire", adding that the cause has yet to be verified. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran of using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage amid the ongoing conflict in the region, calling on other countries to "step up" to protect global shipping. Despite ongoing exchange of attacks, Rubio said that the US remains "open to a diplomatic solution with Iran".

Gunfire from Israeli forces and settlers killed two Palestinians in the town of Deir Jarir east of Ramallah,  in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reported, citing Palestinian health ministry. ...