Israeli airstrikes on Iran raise Middle East tensions: analyst

Israeli airstrikes on Iran early Saturday signaled an unmistakable "red line", raising Middle East tensions as regional dynamics grow more complex, an Iraqi security analyst said on Monday.

Israel carried out airstrikes on military bases in western and southwestern Tehran early Saturday, killing at least four soldiers, according to Iran's Fars News Agency.

The Israeli attack came in response to Iran's missile barrage against Israel on Oct 1, itself a retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said early on Saturday that Israel had completed what it called retaliatory "precise and targeted" airstrikes on military targets in Iran earlier in the day.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Monday in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Fadhel Abu Raghif, an Iraqi security analyst and former intelligence official, highlighted the region's escalating security risks, noting that Israel, feeling its deterrence capacity challenged, sought to reassert its military power through recent airstrikes.

He said Iran might counter with either flexible tactics or stronger retaliatory measures, potentially through short-term escalation by Iranian forces or allied armed groups against Israel and Israeli targets along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

"The presence of Shia militias has a tangible impact on Israel, potentially emboldening these groups to continue their attacks on Israel," said the security analyst.

Raghif also emphasized that the strikes underscore Israel's close collaboration with the United States (U.S.), making the conflict between Iran and Israel part of a broader geopolitical crisis.

"As Israel's patron state, U.S. support has empowered Israel to take unilateral actions, and such backing must be restrained to prevent the Middle East from spiraling into conflict," he said.

Israeli airstrikes on Iran raise Middle East tensions: analyst

Classes have been suspended and trapped workers were saved as downpours from Typhoon Trami impacted inland counties in China's southernmost island province of Hainan.

Trami, the 20th typhoon of the year, made landfall in Vietnam on Sunday morning, causing significant disruptions and raising concerns over safety and flood risk on the island.

Due to heavy rainfall, the Baisha Li Autonomous County Education Bureau issued a notice on Tuesday, prompting all primary and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens in the county, to suspend classes starting Tuesday afternoon. The specific date for the resumption of classes will be announced later.

"During the class suspension period, we will require all schools and kindergartens to continue implementing various flood control measures to ensure the safety of individuals," said Mai Jiale, director of the elementary education office under the Baisha Li Autonomous County Education Bureau.

In Tunchang County, heavy rainfall has resulted in significant flooding, submerging roads in several towns.

On Tuesday afternoon, the local fire department rushed to carry out a rescue operation after receiving an emergency call about 14 workers trapped by the rising waters.

"We measured the water depth with a pole and found it to be more than two meters—almost three meters—while the 14 trapped workers were standing on the shelves of the warehouse. The situation is urgent, as the water current is very strong, making it difficult for our boat to maintain a steady position," said Mo Xiqian, deputy head of a local fire rescue station.

All trapped workers were evacuated to a safe place.

Classes suspended, trapped workers saved in Hainan amid downpours brought by Typhoon Trami