Saudi Arabia launched its second national carrier Riyadh Air after more than a year of delays on Wednesday, defying the economic turmoil triggered by the Middle East war and strong competition from established Gulf airlines.

A London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Riyadh Air's white and lavender livery took off at 2:30am (2330 GMT Tuesday), putting in motion a flagship project in Saudi Arabia's push to reduce its economic reliance on oil.

By Enas Alashray, Elwely Elwelly and Phil Stewart

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out attacks against a U.S. base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.

The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April.

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - For the first time since the war on Iran began on February 28, the Republican-led U.S. Congress has backed resolutions that could block Republican President Donald Trump from continuing hostilities, reflecting growing concern among members of his party about the three-month-long conflict.

The head of the White House Task Force for the World Cup on Tuesday defended the decision not to grant visas to a Somali referee and some support staff for the Iranian team.

"To this point we've had 35 teams that have come into the United States," Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the task force, said at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington.

"No players, no coaches have been denied," Giuliani said. "There have been some officials that have been denied, and for good reason."

By Sarah Young and Alexander Cornwell

LONDON/JERUSALEM, June 9 (Reuters) - Britain, Canada, France and Norway announced new coordinated sanctions on Tuesday against Israeli networks involved in financing, enabling and carrying out violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The move follows escalating violence by Israeli settlers, which diplomats say is intended to undermine prospects for a Palestinian state.

June 9 (Reuters) - A Tunisian court sentenced prominent journalist Khaoula Boukrim to four years in prison in absentia, she said on Tuesday, in a ruling critics say highlights a growing crackdown on critical voices and free speech under President Kais Saied.

The ruling against Boukrim is the latest move against journalists following the jailing earlier this year of several media figures, including Zied Heni, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies.

By Phil Stewart and Jarrett Renshaw

June 9 (Reuters) - In a first, a Navy surface drone found and rescued two crew members from an Army Apache attack helicopter that went down in waters near Oman's coast, the U.S. military told Reuters, and President Donald Trump said the pilots were "fine."

The U.S. military's Central Command said the AH-64 Apache went down at around 3 a.m. local time on Tuesday (2300 GMT on Monday) near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters.

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter that was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz overnight and vowed to respond, but gave no other details.

"I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote in a social media post.

"Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack," he added.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey and David Ljunggren)

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday that a law to crack down on proxies acting for states deemed to be hostile such as Iran was expected to come into force next month, as it steps up powers to counter what it says is a growing threat posed by such groups.

The new powers, promised in the wake of a spate of antisemitic attacks in London, seek to close a gap in legislation to target state-linked organisations paying organised crime groups or low-level felons to carry out surveillance, sabotage, or other activities on their behalf.

The Christian quarter in south Lebanon's Tyre, the last pocket of the coastal city spared from Israeli threats, was emptied out on Tuesday after an unprecedented warning for the city's residents.

"We've packed our things, and we're leaving," resident Elias Barbour told AFP.

"What have we done wrong? What are we supposed to do?" he added, saying that he would go to his sister's home in Beirut "for a few days to see what happens".