By Renee Maltezou and Jonathan Saul

ATHENS, March 13 (Reuters) - A handful of Greek shipowners have sent crude oil and dry bulk tankers through the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, risking destruction from mines, missiles and drones for a chance at millions of dollars in quick profits.

The voyages reflect the financial allure of soaring crude oil prices and surging tanker rates since the start of the war, which has effectively sealed off a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply from global markets.

By Emily Rose

JERUSALEM, March 13 (Reuters) - Israel has launched a new phase of its assault on Iran, targeting checkpoints manned by the ​Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) based on tip-offs from informants on the ground, a source briefed on Israel's military strategy told Reuters.

The targeting of checkpoints secured by IRGC personnel suggests an intensification of Israel's efforts to weaken Iran's elite forces as it carries out joint aerial bombardment with the United States.

Iran's latest internet blackout has lasted more than 14 days, connectivity monitor Netblocks said Friday.

The nature of the blackout shows "this is a government-imposed measure" and not the result of damage from US and Israeli airstrikes, Netblocks research chief Isik Mater told AFP.

"It is a deliberate shutdown imposed by the authorities to suppress the flow of information and prevent further dissent," said Raha Bahreini, Iran researcher at Amnesty International.

Here are some of the ways information is still flowing in and out of Iran.

- Shortwave radio -

President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Friday that American forces would strike Iranian targets "very hard" in the coming days, signaling an intensification of the US-Israeli campaign as the war in the Middle East approaches its third week.

Washington and its ally launched the offensive on February 28 with strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering a widening regional war that has rattled global energy markets and drawn missile and drone attacks across the Gulf.

By Nazih Osseiran and Catherine Cartier

BEIRUT, March 13 (Reuters) - The United Nations launched a $325 million flash appeal on Friday to help Lebanon cope with the fallout of a war that has forced more than a seventh of its population from their homes.

"Solidarity in words must be matched by solidarity in action," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said as he announced the campaign from Beirut.

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin may be helping Iran a "little bit" in an interview with Fox News Radio that aired on Friday.

"I think he might be helping him (Iran) a little bit, yeah, I guess. And he probably thinks we're helping Ukraine, right?," Trump told "The Brian Kilmeade Show".

(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Daphne Psaledakis and Ryan Jones in Washington; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis)

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - All six crew members aboard a U.S. military refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq are confirmed to have been killed, the U.S. military said on Friday.

A U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident the military said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.

The deaths add to the seven U.S. service members who have already been killed as part of U.S. operations against Iran which began on February 28.

European countries ought to have discussions on whether private actors should help defend critical infrastructure, a researcher told AFP, noting that Iran's use of cheap long-range drones has illustrated shortcomings of air defence systems.

Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo, told AFP that especially in places like northern Europe with its wide expanses, protecting critical infrastructure like oil platforms and data centres in remote places could be challenging.

By Maya Gebeily

BEIRUT, March 13 (Reuters) - Israel has rebuffed a historic offer of direct talks from Lebanon, deeming it too little too late from a government that shares its goal of disarming Hezbollah but cannot act against the heavily armed Lebanese group without risking a civil war.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed the state's willingness to begin direct negotiations with Israel this week, seeking to secure an end to the conflict that erupted on March 2 when Hezbollah entered the regional war in support of its patron Iran.

For thousands of workers in Dubai's tourism sector, the Middle East war has brought business to a standstill -- leaving their income suddenly at risk.

At the famous Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), normally heaving with visitors, rows of sun loungers now face an almost empty sea.

Restaurant terraces sit deserted, while souvenir, watersports and perfume vendors watch for the rare passerby.

Across the water, Ain Dubai -- the world's tallest Ferris wheel -- has stopped turning, and the Madame Tussauds wax museum below is drawing few visitors despite hefty discounts.