Kuwait airport has been closed due to new strikes by the United States and Iran. What the media is writing

The United States and Iran have resumed hostilities against each other. Kuwait Airport was hit, and it stopped operating two days after it opened. The new attacks occurred shortly after attempts to impose a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel's operation against Hezbollah continues. What the media write about the conflict in the Middle East is in the Izvestia digest.

Bloomberg: The United States and Iran exchanged military strikes

US forces intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and drones targeting Middle Eastern countries and retaliated by attacking a command center in the Islamic Republic. The US Central Command said Iran had launched several ballistic missiles in the direction of Kuwait and Bahrain. Some of them were shot down by US and Bahraini air defenses, and none hit their target, the US military said in a statement.

The exchange of blows came after several days of military escalation by Israel against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. For several months, US President Donald Trump has demonstrated confidence that an agreement that will end the Iranian conflict is achievable. However, Israel's determination to move towards its own goals underscores its precarious influence on the outcome of the crisis.

Associated Press: Iran attacked Kuwait airport

Kuwait announced the suspension of commercial flights after an Iranian drone caused serious damage to the country's airport. This happened a few hours after Iran and the United States exchanged missile strikes in the region. The strikes came after Iranian news agencies said the country had stopped communicating with mediators on extending the cease-fire in the war with the United States and Israel.

Bahrain's defense ministry said its military intercepted and destroyed three missiles and a number of drones fired by Iran at the Gulf island nation. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a strike on the headquarters of the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy in Bahrain. According to him, the attack was launched in response to a US missile strike on the engine room of an oil tanker that was trying to reach Iran despite the US blockade.

The Guardian: Why Netanyahu is obstructing the peace agreement between the United States and Iran

If the United States and Iran are to conclude a peace agreement, they will have to overcome a familiar obstacle: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel's military operations in Lebanon have become a stumbling block in negotiations over the possible opening of the Strait of Hormuz, once again putting the unstable alliance between Trump and Netanyahu to the test. This time, the Israeli Prime Minister is under exceptional pressure to demonstrate the results of his campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, as he faces elections in which his political survival is at risk.

Trump has put pressure on Netanyahu over his actions in Lebanon. What the media is writing

The leaked details of the conversation with Netanyahu may indicate that the Trump administration wants to demonstrate a tough stance towards Israel in order to avoid accusations that it is the prime minister who makes decisions. After the conversation, Netanyahu confirmed that Israel would not launch strikes on Beirut unless it was attacked by Hezbollah. It remains unclear whether Israel's ongoing military operation in Lebanon, Netanyahu's main leverage in the negotiations, will remain a "red line" for Iran. Other incentives, including the unfreezing of Tehran's assets, could make the deal more attractive to Iran.

Reuters: Rubio said that the United States would not exchange the easing of sanctions for the opening of Hormuz

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke publicly to Congress for the first time and said that the Trump negotiating team had not offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and insisted that any sanctions relief was linked to Tehran's abandonment of its nuclear program.

Rubio testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the first of four hearings this week on the Trump administration's request to cut the foreign policy budget by 30% and increase military spending by 50% to $1.5 trillion. New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, sharply criticized Rubio for providing too little information about the administration's plans.