The Latest: Israel hammers Beirut and Tehran as Iran attacks more Israeli targets

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Gulf countries say they have intercepted more ballistic missiles and drones on Saturday as Iran launched another wave of retaliatory strikes.

Saudi Arabia said early Saturday it stopped four drones attacking the country’s massive Shaybah oil field, the second attack within hours. In Dubai, people heard several blasts in the morning, with Emirati authorities saying there had been “a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception.”

Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes hammered Beirut and Tehran. Death toll continued to rise Saturday with at least 1,230 people killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials. Six U.S. troops were reported killed.

In the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war, two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence said Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region.

The war continued to intensify, with no end in sight. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel after Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran without its “unconditional surrender.”

Here is the latest:

An Israeli airstrike flattened a residential building in southern Lebanon, killing at least six people early Saturday, the country’s state-run news agency reported.

The dead from the strike in Jibchit town included four from the same family, the National News Agency said.

The Lebanese Health Ministry earlier reported at least 16 killed and 35 wounded in overnight Israeli airstrikes in the mountain town of Nabi Chit.

Sirens sounded in Bahrain ahead of a potential attack for the fifth time Saturday, the interior ministry said, urging people to head to the nearest safe location.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 16 people and wounded 35 others in overnight Israeli airstrikes in the mountain town of Nabi Chit.

The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with an Israeli force that landed late Friday in the mountains of eastern Lebanon.

Israel has yet to comment on the fighting there.

The Dubai Media Office issued a statement on behalf of the city-state, saying: “For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended.”

It did not give a reason for the suspension, which came after passengers there heard a loud boom while sheltering.

Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s three-man leadership council had been in touch with the armed forces over the attacks.

“I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,” the president said. “From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.”

He also suggested miscommunication in the ranks caused it. However, his statement aired after repeated attacks Saturday morning on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has been at the forefront of the war, answers only to the country’s supreme leader. However, an Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, at the start of the war on Feb. 28.

Pezeshkian, in his comments, specifically blamed the killing of Khamenei and other top leaders for what sounded like a loss of command and control in the armed forces for days.

It remained unclear just what command Pezeshkian and the leadership council could exert over the armed forces.

Iranian state television, after airing his speech, immediately went back to praising the country’s ongoing attacks across the region.

Passengers at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, heard a boom while sheltering in train tunnels at the massive facility.

Emirates has been trying to get its sprawling travel network up and running after several days of halting flights due to the war.

Iran’s president said Saturday that a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender is a “dream that they should take to their grave.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian made the statement in a prerecorded address aired by state television.

Pakistan cited a surge in global oil prices due to the war in the Middle East.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the 55-rupee-per-liter (about $0.20) increase overnight, saying the government had little choice but to pass on the impact of rising international prices.

Pakistan relies heavily on imported oil, mainly from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.

The Israeli military said the Imam Hussein University in Tehran was used for the training of Revolutionary Guard officers and contained “multiple military assets” used by the Revolutionary Guard.

It said over 80 fighter jets participated in the latest wave of strikes on Saturday, which also targeted an underground compound used for storing ballistic missiles and housing command centers from where the army said “senior officials of the Iranian regime” were operating.

Targets also included launch sites in central and western Iran, the army said.

Explosions echoed across Iran’s capital, Tehran, Saturday morning as new airstrikes hit the city.

The strikes appeared to target downtown Tehran and government buildings there.

Passengers waiting for flights at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, found themselves ushered down into train tunnels at the sprawling airfield after missile alert sounded.

Mobile phone alerts sounded Saturday morning in Dubai over “potential missile threats.” Emirati authorities urged the public to seek immediate shelter.

Emirati air defenses had activated over the missile threat, the government added.