10 OFWs return home from Lebanon

MANILA — Ten overseas Filipino workers returned safely to the Philippines from Lebanon on Maundy Thursday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said as the US-Israeli war campaign against Iran raged. 

The 10 OFWs included a domestic worker who had only been working in Lebanon for 11 months, the DMW said. 

“Iniwan ako ng amo ko na pumunta sa France. Dahil nag-iisa ako, takot na takot ako, kaya tumawag ako sa embassy at agad naman akong pinapunta sa Migrant Workers Office. Nagpaalam ako sa amo ko at pumayag naman sila kaagad,” the said OFW, as quoted by the agency.

US President Donald Trump said the war's "core strategic objectives are nearing completion," he said, cautioning however that "we are going to hit them (Iran), extremely hard, over the next two to three weeks."

Trump tells US that Iran war victory near, but vows big strikes

Speaking in his first national address since the war began on February 28, Trump also assured regional allies -- Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain -- battered by Iranian drone and missile attacks, that the United States "will not let them get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form."

Trump indicated that talks may be possible with Iran's new leadership, which he described as "less radical and much more reasonable" than its predecessor, signalling he is pursuing some form of deal to end the conflict.

But he warned that if none was reached, Washington had "our eyes on key targets including the country's electric generating plants."

The speech did little to calm energy markets, with oil prices surging Thursday as Trump called on other nations to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

One-fifth of global oil normally passes through the narrow waterway, and its effective closure has sent energy prices soaring and destabilized the world economy.

Top World Bank official 'extremely concerned' by fallout of Iran war

Iran's Revolutionary Guards vowed Wednesday to keep it shut to the country's "enemies."

In Lebanon, seven people were killed in strikes around south Beirut, with the Israeli military saying it had struck a senior Hezbollah commander.

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli attacks had killed more than 1,300 people in the country since war erupted between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah on March 2.