US–Israel war on Iran, day 36: Two US planes shot down as the conflict intensifies

Iran on Saturday executed two men convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and carrying out disruptive actions aimed at overthrowing the Islamic republic, the judiciary said.

The executions were the latest in a series targeting members of the banned People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), after four other convicted members of the group were executed earlier in the week.

"Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian ... were hanged after trial and their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court," the judiciary's Mizan Online website said on Saturday.

The men were found guilty of attempting "rebellion through involvement in multiple terrorist acts", as well as membership in the MEK group and carrying out acts of sabotage aimed at overthrowing the Islamic republic.

An India-bound LPG tanker has begun its journey through the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz, offering some relief to concerns over energy supplies amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.

The vessel, Green Salvi, is carrying more than 46,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and is expected to exit the narrow waterway by early morning, according to the sources.

The shipment is likely to play an important role in supporting India's domestic cooking gas supply at a time when global energy routes remain under stress.

Sources said the tanker is not sailing alone. It is leading a convoy of three Indian LPG carriers moving through the Strait, making it the seventh India-bound vessel to cross the maritime chokepoint since the conflict in the region began.

The safe passage of these vessels comes after clearance from Iran, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy facilitating their transit.

The Iranian State Media, Press TV, on Saturday released unverified pictures of a US CH-47 helicopter in Kuwait, which, according to the media, was targeted by Iran. There has been no immediate confirmation from the US administration in this regard.

Another Iranian media, Mehr News Agency, reported that an Iranian projectile struck a US helicopter, which, according to Mehr News Agency, was under an operation to search for the downed pilot of the US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet.

Bahraini authorities reported that four people were injured after debris fell from an Iranian drone that had been intercepted and destroyed.

The Ministry of Interior said on X that the four citizens sustained minor injuries and several homes in Sitra were damaged. Civil defence and ambulance teams have been deployed to manage the situation.

The three United Nations peacekeepers wounded in a blast in southern Lebanon on Friday were from Indonesia, UN officials said, just days after three other Indonesians were killed in separate explosions.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the blast occurred inside a UN facility near El Adeisse on Friday afternoon, injuring three peacekeepers who were rushed to a hospital.

Two were seriously wounded.

UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Jakarta said the "origin of the explosion" was unknown but identified the wounded peacekeepers as Indonesian.

The Islamic Resistance, an umbrella body of Iran-backed militia, has carried out 19 drone and missile attacks targeting the United States' bases in Iraq and in the region on Friday (local time), Al Jazeera reported.

The Iran-backed militia has been attacking US bases in West Asia amid the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

Meanwhile, an Iraqi police source told Al Jazeera that there's been an attack against the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF)'s headquarters in Al Qaim in western Iraq. An air raid was also reported on the headquarters of the 34th Brigade of the PMF in Mosul.

The Israeli military said Saturday it had begun striking "Hezbollah infrastructure" in Beirut after it destroyed a bridge in eastern Lebanon to prevent the Iran-backed group's reinforcements from crossing.

An AFP journalist heard two loud explosions in the capital within half an hour early Saturday and saw smoke billowing from one of them.

Local media reported two strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, a locality that has been a target of Israeli strikes in recent days as the military presses on with its ground invasion in the country's south.

As of Friday, 247 of the wounded were Army soldiers, 63 were Navy sailors, 19 were Marines and 36 were Air Force airmen, according to Pentagon data available online.

It is unclear if the data includes any of the service members involved in the downing of two combat aircraft reported Friday.

Most of the wounded — 200 — were also mid to senior enlisted troops, 85 were officers and 80 were junior enlisted service members.

The current death toll remains at 13 service members killed in combat.

Bahrain, which holds the presidency of the UN Security Council this month, postponed the vote on a resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz that had been watered down significantly because of opposition from Russia and China, two UN diplomats said.

The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because council consultations have been private, said the vote will now be held sometime next week.

The Bahrain-sponsored draft resolution that had been expected to be put to a vote on Saturday would authorise defensive measures — not offensive action that Gulf nations and the United States initially supported — to ensure vessels can safely transit the waterway where one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes.

Bahrain has sought support from all 15 council nations, and the postponement of the vote indicates that the watered-down draft is still not acceptable to Russia and China.

Authorities responded to a minor incident in Dubai Internet City after debris from an aerial interception fell on the facade of the Oracle building, the Dubai Media Office said.

Officials confirmed that there were no injuries and the situation was quickly brought under control.

Authorities responded to an incident in Dubai Marina after debris from an aerial interception struck the facade of a building, the Dubai Media Office said. Officials confirmed that the situation was brought under control, with no reports of injuries or fire.

A French-linked vessel has crossed the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the US-Israeli war effectively choked the vital artery of global trade more than a month ago.

The Malta-flagged container ship, owned by French shipping giant CMA CGM, made the transit, according to BFM TV — also owned by the company — though CMA CGM itself declined to comment.

Data firm Kpler says it is the first ship tied to a major Western European operator to pass through the strait since the conflict began.

Tehran has maintained that “non-hostile vessels” may still use the waterway, but repeated attacks on commercial shipping have all but frozen normal traffic.

Tracking data shows the vessel stayed unusually close to Oman’s coastline— keeping distance from Iranian waters — as it navigated the narrow passage. Its cargo remains undisclosed.

A separate Japanese liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier also successfully exited the strait, with shipping firm MOL confirming all crew and cargo were safe and reiterating that safety remains its top priority, CNN reported.

Maritime intelligence outlet Lloyd’s List noted that several ships making the passage adopted similar tactics, hugging Oman’s coast “unusually close” as they moved through one of the world’s most strategically sensitive chokepoints.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence announced that Kuwait's air defence systems have detected and engaged nine missiles, seven ballistic and two cruise, in the last 24 hours on Friday amidst the current regional military escalation.

The spokesman added that the army bomb disposal squad responded to 22 reports.

The House Armed Services Committee has been notified by the Pentagon that the status of a second service member is not known after the downing of the fighter jet.

The panel was told that an F-15 was shot down and one service member has been recovered, according to a congressional aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose the private communication.

The other service member’s duty status is unknown, the aide said.

That generally means the Defence Department does not know the person’s whereabouts and they have gone missing.

President Donald Trump told NBC News that the recent downing of a US fighter jet would not impact any negotiations with Iran, while declining to comment on the ongoing search and rescue mission.

“No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war,” Trump said in a brief phone interview.

On Truth Social, he posted cryptic messages about oil, including: “KEEP THE OIL, ANYONE?” Earlier Friday, he suggested the US could “easily” reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a shift from his previous stance that other countries were responsible for clearing the waterway.

“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE,” Trump wrote.

A second US Air Force combat aircraft went down in the Middle East on Friday, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation.

It was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down or whether Iran was involved. Neither the crew’s status nor where the aircraft went down was immediately known.

The New York Times earlier reported that the second aircraft went down.

Also Friday, a US fighter jet was shot down in Iran and one crew member was rescued.

Day 35: Trump seeks $1.5t defence budget as war intensifies

Day 34: UN chief warns world on 'edge of a wider war'

Day 33: Trump says US to hit Iran 'extremely hard'

Day 32: Debris hits several homes in Dubai, 4 injured

Day 31: Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's Kharg island