Iran and Israel Declare War: US Soldier Killed, Israeli Forces Report First Death
The US military announced on the 8th that a soldier serving in Saudi Arabia was injured in an Iranian attack and died, becoming the 7th US military fatality since the war broke out. The Israeli military also reported on the 8th that a soldier had died for the first time since the war began.
According to AFP, the US Central Command, which is responsible for US military operations in the Middle East, released a statement on the 8th stating that the soldier "was injured during the first wave of attacks by the Iranian regime against various locations in the Middle East" and died yesterday.
The Israeli military also reported that two soldiers were killed when the Israeli military targeted Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, in southern Lebanon. In the afternoon, three more people were injured in an attack within Israel.
Additionally, as the scope of Iran's attacks expanded to include civilian infrastructure on the 8th, Bahrain accused Iran of attacking desalination plants critical to the drinking water of Gulf countries. After warning of retaliation for the attack, Saudi Arabia issued its first death report, stating that a military projectile fell in a residential area, killing an Indian and a Bangladeshi national, and injuring 12 Bangladeshi nationals. The casualties caused by this war in Gulf countries are mostly foreign residents and workers.
Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones, escalating regional tensions. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, criticized Iran's "reckless policy" of attacking Arab countries.
On the 8th, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates all reported that Iranian missiles had been fired into their territories.
According to AP, after a night-time Israeli air strike, the oil depot in Tehran was still smoldering, and authorities issued environmental warnings to citizens. Meanwhile, the Iranian president, on the 9th day of the war, vowed to further expand attacks on US targets in the region.
After hardliners stated that the operational strategy would not change, Iranian President Pezeshkian abandoned the conciliatory tone he used on March 7th to apologize for attacking neighboring countries' territories. On the 8th, he said: "The more pressure they exert, the stronger our response will naturally be. We, Iran, our country has never, and will never easily yield to bullying, oppression, or aggression."
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859134601424007/
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