US, Israel targeting Iran forces

Conflict in West Asia has intensified as the US and Israel, in their ongoing airstrikes throughout Iran, are targeting members of the regime’s forces that took part in the crackdown on anti-government protesters earlier this year, hoping to make it easier for demonstrators to return to the streets once the bombing subsides,as per Israeli media report. US President Donald Trump has put the number of Iranians killed by the regime for protesting against the government earlier this year at 32,000.
While the US and Israeli officials declined to elaborate on the additional steps being taken to assist the Iranian people, American media reported that the US has been arming Kurdish fighters in Iraq. The White House denied that was the case on Wednesday, asserting that while Trump has been in touch with Kurdish leaders in Iraq, the subject was the American military base in the country. On the other hand, the commander of United States Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, has said that the US will not stop and Iran’s ability to hit back is declining rapidly. Briefing on Operation Epic Fury, the US commander said that in less than 100 hours of this operation, the US has already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. He said that Iran’s air defences were severely degraded and hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones were also destroyed. 
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and France are deploying warships and air defence assets in Cyprus after it was attacked during the ongoing conflict between Iran and joint US-Israeli forces in West Asia. In a social media post, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there. French President Emmanuel Macron also ordered France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to move to the Mediterranean. 
In view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region, the Indian  External Affairs Ministry has set up a Control Room. The Control Room can be contacted from 9 am to 9 pm at 1800118797 (Toll Free), or via 011-2301 2113, 011-2301 4104 and 011-2301 7905. In addition, Indian embassies in the conflict region have set up 24×7 emergency helplines to assist in coordinating safety measures and potential evacuations.