The war in the Middle East continues for the fifth day and continues to create tension both in the region and in the world, causing serious economic consequences for the residents of other regions as well.

Armenian News-NEWS.am presents below the main developments in the Middle East as of early Thursday morning.

Israel and the US continued to strike Iran, and Tehran responded with attacks on the Jewish state and US allies in the region. The number of Iranian casualties continues to rise, varying from 980 to 1,097 according to various estimates.

The US has confirmed the death of six of its soldiers in the war against Iran, while Lebanon, where Israel is escalating its military operations, reported 72 casualties. The war zone continues to expand, affecting Turkey for the first time.

According to Ankara, Iran fired a ballistic missile at a target that was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense systems in the Eastern Mediterranean. After that, the foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey held talks, and the Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry.

The war in the Middle East continues to damage the economic interests of major global players. Qatar has announced a complete cessation of production of liquefied natural gas after the Iranian strikes.

The global energy crisis could deepen after Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that gas supplies to European markets could be cut off and Ukraine's announcement of a possible disruption to the TurkStream and Blue Stream natural gas pipelines.

Maersk, one of the largest container shipping companies, has suspended cargo shipments to the UAE, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia amid a near-total shutdown of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and this could further push up energy prices.