Middle East tense amid fresh strikes By JAN YUMUL in Hong Kongand CUI HAIPEI in Dubai, UAE | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2026-07-09 23:03

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202607/09/WS6a4fb85fa310986e2b464763.html The situation in the Middle East remained tense on Thursday as the United States and Iran traded intensifying strikes for the second consecutive day, resulting in a trail of casualties even as Qatar issued security alerts and warning sirens went off in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. The Iranian Ministry of Health said the US forces attacked five provinces in the country over the past two days, killing 14 people and wounding 78. Hossein Kermanpour, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health, said 47 of the 78 wounded remain hospitalized.