Iraqi prime minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi has called an emergency meeting of the national security council today after US and Saudi Arabia launched air strikes this morning.

Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least eight members were killed in a joint Saudi-US strike on its sites across Iraq.

Saudi Arabia and the US military said this morning that they launched a joint strike targeting Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

Kuwait has condemned an airstrike on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure as “blatant aggression” and a “flagrant violation” of Riyadh’s sovereignty.

Kuwait’s foreign ministry said the attack reflected the “insistence on escalating tensions” by Iran-backed groups despite Riyadh’s “sincere efforts” to de-escalate tensions.

Saudi Arabia on Monday said it had intercepted a “number of drones” that Iran-backed militias in Iraq had launched at oil facilities.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz claims that in the 24 villages destroyed in Lebanon, “there were Shiites who acted as enemies on behalf of Hezbollah and threatened our borders, our residents, and constantly carried out provocations”.

“Not house by house, not incrimination — all these villages, their destruction has been completed,” he said.

Human rights groups have condemned Israel’s plans to build a crocodile-filled moat around a prison holding Palestinian detainees as “vicious” and “nonsensical”.

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is seeking to introduce reptiles at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, a move directly inspired by Alligator Alcatraz, the US immigration detention facility that closed in June.

The Iranian army this morning said the body of Su-24 pilot Brigadier General Majid Kazemi would be returned to Tehran within hours.

The army confirmed that Kazemi was killed during an attack on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on 2 March and that the aircraft caused “extensive damage” to the base.

Tehran has ruled out Oman’s proposal ⁠for regional joint management of ⁠the ​Strait ⁠of Hormuz, saying it ⁠has no ​chance ⁠of success, ‌a senior Iranian official told ‌Reuters.

The US and ⁠Saudi Arabia are trying to pressure Oman to advance their “unrealistic plans” regarding ‌the strategic strait, ​the ‌official ⁠added

Iran is reportedly expected to receive within weeks a first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers.

The purchase, valued at $60-70m, is one of Tehran’s largest-known efforts to strengthen its short-range air defences since the outbreak of its war ⁠with the US and Israel, which exposed gaps in Iran’s ability to protect military sites and strategic infrastructure.

The contract covers the purchase of between 300 and 400 man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), including Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 missiles, Reuters reported, citing sources.

The deal was signed with Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment. Sources told Reuters the Hong Kong-based company was acting as an intermediary between the Iranian side and the Chinese supplier.

The US military announced it intercepted multiple ballistic missiles launched by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in an attempted surprise attack on US forces in the Middle East.

The US Central Command confirmed that all Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted, stating US forces remain vigilant.

The interception followed a meeting between president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Trump was expected to make a final decision on a ceasefire in Iran after his discussions with Netanyahu.

The US and Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq this morning, saying they were responsible for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

The strikes on targets inside Iraq come as Oman proposed a new regional deal aimed at resolving the conflict over the critical Strait of Hormuz, through ⁠which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war.

Saudi Arabia said yesterday that its air defences destroyed several drones targeting oil facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province. Iran-backed militias launched the ​attacks from Iraqi territory, ⁠the Saudi defence ministry said.

Later in the day, the US and Saudi Arabia said the two countries hit multiple sites across eastern Iraq that they said had been used by Iran to direct drone attacks.