Iran claims it struck US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, forcing it to retreat from regional waters
The IRGC said the strike rendered the carrier non-operational and compelled the strike group to withdraw from the area at high speed. However, the Iranian authorities framed the operation as part of Tehran’s effort to defend its sovereignty and deter foreign military pressure in the region.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Friday claimed that it carried out a missile and drone strike against the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, damaging the vessel and forcing it to retreat from regional waters. Howebver, the US has not confirmed the claim and added that its naval forces instead responded to a threatening approach by an Iranian vessel, according to a CBS News report.
As per the Iranian state media outlet Press TV, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy launched a "precision operation" targeting the carrier while it was operating in waters near the Sea of Oman. In the meanwhile, the Iranian officials stated that the attack involved advanced missiles and drones that struck the vessel about 340 kilometers from Iran’s maritime borders.
The IRGC said the strike rendered the carrier non-operational and compelled the strike group to withdraw from the area at high speed. However, the Iranian authorities framed the operation as part of Tehran’s effort to defend its sovereignty and deter foreign military pressure in the region.
As American and Israeli strikes pound the Islamic Republic and Iran attacks Persian Gulf shipping and energy infrastructure with no sign of an end to the war, oil prices have soared back above $100 a barrel. Intense strikes hit Tehran and areas surrounding Iran's capital, as Iran continued striking at neighboring Arab Gulf States.
US President Donald Trump promised to "finish the job," even as Iran is "virtually destroyed. " The first week of war cost the United States $11.3 billion, according to the Pentagon.
The UN refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced, and authorities in Lebanon say 800,000 have been forced from their homes as Israel's military destroys buildings linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. More than 600 have been killed in Lebanon, as well as more than 1,300 in Iran and a dozen in Israel. At least even US soldiers have also died during the fighting.
Saudi Arabia says its air defences downed 50 drones
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said early Friday that its air defenses downed 10 more drones headed toward the kingdom's Eastern and Central Provinces, bringing the total to nearly 50 drones entering Saudi airspace over the span of a few hours.
The barrage represents a higher-than-usual number of aerial threats for the kingdom, which has seen sites including the US Embassy in Riyadh, oil infrastructure, and a military base hosting US troops targeted as the war involving Iran has intensified.
Debris from interception causes fire in Dubai
Thick black smoke rose over Dubai's skyline early Friday after what authorities described as a fire in an industrial area of the city-state. An Associated Press journalist saw the fire in Dubai's Al Quoz neighborhood. Bystanders gathered to watch the smoke from the blaze. Police stopped an AP journalist from going closer to the site of the blaze, which was in a cul de sac.
The Dubai Media Office, which issues statements for its government, said "debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the façade of a building in central Dubai." It said there had been no injuries, though the black smoke curled over the skyline as far as the sail-shaped Burj al-Arab luxury hotel.