Military operations in the Middle East continue, escalating tensions in the region and causing international concern. Military strikes and retaliation by both sides—the US and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other—continue to affect not only the countries of the region, but also the global economic situation.

Armenian News-NEWS.am presents below a brief overview of the main events that took place in the Middle East on Thursday evening

The US military said that a US KC-135 refueling plane crashed in western Iraq after an incident involving another aircraft.

The Iranian-backed coalition of militias, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, claimed responsibility for the downing of a US KC-135 refueling plane in western Iraq on Thursday.

The US military said that the crash was not related to gunfire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first press conference since the start of the war, said that the joint US-Israeli operation had defeated Iran and Hezbollah.

Also, he threatened Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. US President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House, called Iran a "state of terror and hatred." He said the situation with Iran was moving very quickly.