Tehran says 10,000 civilian sites hit as warnings broaden

More than a week into the strikes in the Middle East, Iran alleged that the United States and Israel had bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites, seemingly contradicting their framing of the attacks as an effort to "free" the Iranian people.

Twelve days into the conflict, Iran widened its warning of legitimate targets to include top US firms with Israeli links whose technology is used for military applications, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.

Some of the companies reportedly include Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle, as well as cloud-based services in various Israeli cities, and in some Gulf countries.

Tehran also said it might target US and Israeli economic and banking entities in the region after what it called an attack on an Iranian bank. It was reported that a staff member at a bank in Tehran had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes.

According to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said "the enemy left our hands open to targeting economic centers and banks belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime in the region", adding that "people of the region should not be within a 1-kilometer radius of banks".

Earlier this week, Tehran residents were warned of potential exposure to toxic "black rain" after the oil storage attacks over the weekend and were advised to stay indoors.

Iran's Red Crescent Society said rainfall in Tehran, home to about 10 million people, could be "highly dangerous and acidic" and issued guidelines for residents in case they were exposed.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had earlier warned that the escalating conflict in the Middle East, and the effects on public health, "are of great concern".

He said damage to petroleum facilities in Iran risks contaminating food, water and air — hazards that can have severe health impacts, especially on children, older people and people with preexisting medical conditions. The WHO chief noted that rain laden with oil had been reported in parts of the country.

"I urge all parties to de-escalate and prevent further risks to people's health, impacts on health facilities and workers, and a further expansion of the conflict across the region. Peace is always the best medicine," he added.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on the global community to condemn US and Israeli aggression in international forums during his phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin late on Tuesday.

In the United Arab Emirates, air defenses continued to respond to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defense said.

Mobile alerts

Before dawn, residents of Dubai received mobile alerts warning of a potential missile strike and urging them to seek shelter. The alerts were later lifted.

The Dubai Media Office reported on Wednesday that at least four people were injured after two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai airport.

On Tuesday, Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on the Middle East issue, visited the UAE and met with the country's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as part of efforts to help de-escalate tensions.

Abdullah briefed Zhai on the current regional situation, saying the UAE is not a party to the conflict and should not be targeted by attacks. He said the UAE appreciates China's fair stance and attaches great importance to China's role in shuttle diplomacy efforts, and stands ready to work with China to de-escalate tensions.

China maintains that the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of all countries in the Gulf must be respected, Zhai said. Any attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets should be condemned, he added.

War and chaos serve no one's interests, and a ceasefire is the fundamental way out of the current crisis, he said.

Elsewhere, Israel pressed its attacks across Lebanon on Wednesday, hitting an apartment building in central Beirut.

The health ministry said on Wednesday that 14 healthcare workers are among the 570 people killed in Israeli strikes since the war came to Lebanon on March 2.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said at least two vessels — a bulk carrier and a cargo ship — were hit by unknown projectiles near Dubai and another in the Strait of Hormuz.