Israel says Iran war entering ‘decisive phase’

Israel said the war against Iran was entering its “decisive phase” on Saturday, as explosions rocked cities across the Middle East, with strikes on the American embassy in Baghdad and a major Emirati energy facility. Washington’s embassy in Iraq was hit by a drone, security sources said, the second time it has been targeted since Feb 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran and plunged the Gulf into a conflict that has sent shockwaves through the global economy. Clouds of black smoke rose Saturday over Fujairah, home to a major Emirati oil storage and export terminal, shortly after Iran’s military warned UAE civilians to avoid port areas. The Israeli military warned on Saturday that it may strike ambulances and medical facilities which it said were being used unlawfully by Hezbollah in Lebanon, though it did not provide evidence for the claim. “As part of its terrorist activities, Hezbollah is using ambulances extensively for military purposes,” the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesman Avichai Adraee said on X. Israeli strikes since March 2 killed 826 people: Lebanon Lebanon’s health ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 65 women and 106 children, since the start of the war with Hezbollah, adding that 2,009 others were wounded. A ministry statement said 31 paramedics were among the dead, raising an earlier toll after the bodies of additional health workers were found following an overnight strike that authorities said hit a healthcare centre in the country’s south.