Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that any country attacking Iran could face an offensive response, marking a stated shift from a mainly retaliatory military doctrine. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said the new approach would combine counterattacks with asymmetric warfare and aim to create a lasting deterrent against military threats.
The warning came as Iranian officials described the country as prepared for a broad conflict involving multiple layers of military action. Dozens of Israeli fighter jets reportedly carried out a training exercise over Syria and Iraq near Iran’s western approaches.
The conflict’s regional effects were most visible in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. An attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed one Saudi resident and wounded eight people, while the airport sustained material damage. Saudi authorities did not identify the attacker, although the incident came amid repeated Houthi attacks and the group’s wider confrontation with the kingdom. Debris from an intercepted drone also killed two people and wounded two others at an Aramco-operated oil field in southeastern Saudi Arabia.
The United States ordered nonessential diplomats and the families of government employees to leave Saudi Arabia, citing attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure and the possibility of rapid escalation. In Yemen, air strikes targeted Houthi fighters and vehicles south of Taiz, while Yemen’s Interior Ministry said Houthi shelling and sniper fire killed two civilians and wounded five.
Qatar, Türkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia meanwhile signed the Badr memorandum in Doha to cooperate on defence manufacturing, training, research, development and technology sharing. The agreement links the conflict’s immediate security pressures to a broader effort by regional and partner governments to expand domestic military capabilities.