US-Israel-Iran war: Spain rejects US claim of military cooperation; death count tops 1,000

The Israel Defense Forces has said that Iran has been launching fewer missiles at Israel in recent days following targeted strikes on missile launchers and weapon stockpiles. Military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said Israeli forces have destroyed or “neutralised around 300 ballistic missile launchers” during the ongoing operations. He added that these strikes are likely the reason behind the drop in the number of missiles being fired at Israel each day, saying attacks on launch sites and storage facilities are weakening Iran’s ability to launch further strikes.

Spain has rejected a claim by the White House that it agreed to cooperate with US military operations in the Middle East. According to a report by Agence France-Presse, Madrid denied the statement shortly after it was made in Washington. The response came minutes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Spain had agreed to work with the US military. She said Madrid had “heard President Donald Trump’s message loud and clear” and that American forces were coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Spain has now agreed to cooperate with the United States military, a shift that comes after tensions between the two allies over the Iran conflict. Earlier, US President Donald Trump had threatened to impose a trade embargo on Spain after Madrid refused to allow US forces to use joint military bases on its territory for operations linked to strikes on Iran. 

The White House press secretary has said that President Donald Trump is committed to holding Iran accountable by permanently preventing it from developing nuclear weapons. According to the press office, a key aim of the current US military campaign is to make sure Iran’s nuclear ambitions are completely extinguished and that it can never build a nuclear bomb. 

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that US forces have struck or sunk more than 20 vessels linked to the Iranian government since the beginning of military operations. In a statement, CENTCOM added that a Soleimani-class warship was destroyed in an overnight attack, expanding the list of naval targets hit in recent days. Earlier, the US had also announced that it sank an Iranian warship in international waters. Meanwhile, the navy of Sri Lanka confirmed that at least 87 bodies have been recovered following one of the incidents at sea.

On the Israel-Iran conflict, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says, "In under a week, the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace...It means we will fly all day, all night, day and night, finding, fixing and finishing the missiles and defence industrial base of the Iranian military, finding and fixing their leaders and their military leaders. Flying over Tehran, flying over Iran, flying over their capital, flying over the IRGC, Iranian leaders looking up and seeing only U.S. and Israeli air power every minute of every day until we decide it's over"

The Bahrain Interior Ministry has activated sirens across the country, urging citizens and residents to stay calm and move to the nearest safe location.

The United States Department of Defense has announced that the individual believed to be behind a plot to assassinate Donald Trump has been killed. 

The United States Department of Defense has confirmed that American forces were behind the sinking of an Iranian submarine in the Indian Ocean, according to the US defence secretary. The statement signals a sharp escalation in naval operations linked to the widening conflict. Earlier, reports said an Iranian frigate was also sunk outside the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. More than 100 personnel are believed to be missing after the incident. The back-to-back naval losses have added to tensions in the region, with fears that military action at sea could further intensify the crisis.

Keir Starmer has said the United Kingdom must respond “with clarity, with purpose and with a cool head” as tensions rise in the Iran crisis. Speaking in Parliament, he stressed the need for careful and measured decisions amid fears that the conflict could spread further across the region. Starmer also confirmed that the UK has been working closely with the United States to prepare military assets in the region. These include air defence systems, counter-drone technology and F-35 fighter jets. 

The US Embassy in Qatar has advised all American citizens in Qatar to “leave now” due to the growing threat of armed conflict. In a post on X, the embassy said that on March 3, the US Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and their families to depart the country. It added that Americans should leave Qatar if it is safe to do so. 

Iran’s planned ceremony to honor the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, which was set to begin at 10 pm local time (18:30 GMT) today, has been delayed, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. 

Iran's judiciary chief on Wednesday threatened "those who say or do anything" in support of the US-Israeli airstrike campaign now targeting the Islamic Republic.

Gholam Hosseini Mohseni Ejehei made the comments in an interview with Iranian state television.

The United States announced on Wednesday the withdrawal of non-emergency staff from its consulates in the Pakistani cities of Karachi and Lahore due to security concerns.

The decision came just days after protestors tried to storm US consulates and the embassy after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli joint air strikes.

More than 100 people have been reported missing following a submarine attack on an Iranian ship near the coast of Sri Lanka, as per media reports. The incident has also left dozens injured.

Iran does not intend to negotiate with the US and has no contacts with Washington in any form, Mohammad Mokhber, a senior aide to the late supreme leader, said on Iranian state television. Mokhber, who previously served as Iran’s acting president and first vice president, said Iran had “no trust in the Americans, and we have no basis for any negotiations with them”, adding that Tehran could continue the war “as long as we want”.

Chinese shipping ⁠⁠company COSCO Shipping Lines has announced the suspension of all new bookings that require stops at Middle East ports, including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait. It said the decision was because of the ongoing conflict and disruptions in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has pledged to close to traffic.

Israeli attacks this morning have killed five people across Iran’s central Isfahan province, reports the Tasnim news agency. The attacks, which took place in Najafabad, Fereydan, Mobarakeh, Aran va Bidgol, Kashan and Shahreza, also damaged 15 residential units, the agency added.

Iran’s FM Araghchi says President Trump has “betrayed diplomacy and Americans who elected him” by launching attacks in the middle of nuclear negotiations with Iran. “When complex nuclear negotiations are treated like a real estate transaction, and when big lies cloud realities, unrealistic expectations can never be met,” he said in a post on X. “The outcome? Bombing the negotiation table out of spite.”

The British government says a chartered flight will take off from Oman late Wednesday to bring back some of the thousands of UK nationals in the Gulf. It says the most vulnerable will be prioritized for the first of what is expected to be a series of flights. The Foreign Office says more than 130,000 British nationals in the Middle East have registered their presence with the government since the US-Israel-Iran conflict broke out, though not all are trying to leave.

The Israeli army on Wednesday claimed that its fighter jets shot down an Iranian jet over Tehran. There has been no comment from Iran yet.

⁠More than 470 ⁠Chinese citizens have ⁠been evacuated from Iran since the US and Israeli strikes began, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. The spokesperson also reiterated China’s call for “security and stability” in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters, emphasising its importance to global trade.

France's FM Jean-Noel Barrot says that French Rafale fighter jets have neutralised Iranian drones targeting the UAE, where hundreds of French navy, air force and army personnel are based. Barrot had earlier said on Tuesday that France had deployed the jets, which are stationed at the Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi, over the UAE to protect the bases against Iranian attacks. President Macron announced on Tuesday that France was sending its flagship aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the widening conflict.

The Israeli police have announced the arrest of four people from Hebron in the occupied West Bank accused of supporting Iran during the ongoing war. The individuals – three men and one woman – face charges including “words of praise, sympathy, encouragement of violent acts, and support or identification with a hostile organisation,” said Israeli police. It said one of the detainees is a legal advisor with the Palestinian Authority who shared a social media post praising the late Iranian leader Khamenei.

Airstrikes also were reported in the Iranian cities of Urmiah and Kermanshah.

The Israeli military said it had begun "broad scale strikes" in Tehran.

Closure of the strait affects major ports belonging to Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Iran itself. For several of these countries, the strait is the primary route through which oil reaches global markets.

On March 2, Brent Crude - the global benchmark - reached about USD 79 per barrel before declining slightly, about eight per cent higher than last week's prices. West Texas Intermediate, the North American benchmark, reached USD 71 per barrel - a six per cent increase.

Those price movements are already being felt at the pump. Gasoline prices in both Canada and the US have begun to rise, although not as dramatically as commodity prices.

Increases could persist as long as the conflict continues to disrupt tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Throughout the last 50 years, oil price increases have often presaged an upcoming economic downturn. Some events, such as the first and second oil crises in the 1970s and early '80s, led to structural changes in global economies.

The Strait of Hormuz is a 55-kilometre-wide narrows between Iran and Oman, separating the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea. It is a particularly important piece of global real estate in terms of the energy sector and one of the busiest and most strategically significant shipping routes in the world. The closure has disrupted oil and gas shipments from the region and rattled markets around the world.

Overall maritime traffic through the strait has dropped by 70 per cent since the closure, with 18 loaded and 37 unloaded tankers remaining in the Persian Gulf.
About 13 million barrels of oil per day normally move through these waters - about 31 per cent of global oil shipments. Blocking passage through the strait will certainly affect world oil prices.

Even a short-lived closure of parts of the strait in February 2025 led to a six per cent jump in the price of oil.

Iran's Tasnim news agency is reporting a new loud blast in eastern Tehran.

The IRGC's regional unit in Kerman province claims to have destroyed a Hermes drone fired by the US or Israel on the outskirts of Kerman city, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency. In total, the IRGC says it has shot down three Hermes drones over the past day.

A building in Sulaimaniyah, in the Iraqi Kurdish region, was hit in a drone attack last night. Footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera shows flames rising from a building amid reports of an explosion. Local media reports suggest the building was a former UN headquarters in the city, adding that a security guard was injured in the attack.

Israel will open its airspace on the night between March 4 and March 5, resuming limited flights from Ben Gurion Airport to safely evacuate Israeli's stuck in the Gulf region. Israel Transport Minister Miri Regev announced this decision in a press conference, as the conflict in West Asia escalates after the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"The airspace will be opened on the night between Wednesday and Thursday gradually and ofcourse subject to security arrangements. We are doing everything to bring Israeli citizens home safely, in accordance to the security directives," she said.

The Israeli military says it is carrying out more attacks on what it called Hezbollah “infrastructure in Beirut”. This came as the AFP news agency reported an air attack on a Hezbollah location in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

The IRGC says it has fired 230 drones at several facilities hosting US troops in the Middle East, including a base in Iraq’s Erbil, and the Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. It said the attacks are among its first powerful steps in the war.

The Israeli military says it is carrying out more attacks on what it called Hezbollah “infrastructure in Beirut”. This came as the AFP news agency reported an air attack on a Hezbollah location in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

Iranian state television said the latest salvo in the war saw Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launch 40 ballistic missiles at targets associated with the U.S. military in the Mideast. It said it targeted Irbil in Iraq, two military bases in Kuwait, and two U.S. warships.

Starting Wednesday, there will be three nights of public mourning with the casket containing the body of the late 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran’s capital, Tehran, Iranian state television reported. The ceremony will take place at the Grand Mosalla of Tehran.

Israel's Defense Minister says that any new Supreme Leader appointed in Iran will be a 'target for elimination'. 

The IRGC in a statement said that it has launched more than 40 missiles in the 17th wave of attacks against US and Israeli targets.

The Israeli military said Wednesday it conducted a series of strikes across Iran’s capital targeting its security forces. It said it hit buildings associated with the Basij, the all-volunteer force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that conducted the bloody crackdown on protesters in January that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained in the country. The Israeli military also said it hit buildings associated with Iran’s internal security command, which also has suppressed demonstrations in the past. Israel and the U.S. have said they want to see the Iranian public overthrow its theocracy. Strikes against counterprotest forces likely are part of that effort.

The US State Department said on Wednesday it had ordered non-emergency personnel from US consulates in the cities of Karachi and Lahore and their families to leave Pakistan due to security concerns. "The Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and the family members of US government personnel from US Consulates Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to safety risks," the US embassy in Pakistan said in a statement. It said there was no change to the status of its embassy in the capital, Islamabad.

US and Israeli airstrikes pounded Iran into Wednesday, with attacks reported across the country. Iranian state television showed the ruins of buildings in central Tehran, with interviewees complaining the attacks damaged their homes during the night. Witnesses also said airstrikes intensely targeted western Tehran, as well as further out to the city of Karaj. Strikes also had been reported in the holy Shiite seminary city of Qom, as well as Behbahan, Kermanshah, Khorramabad, Shiraz and Tabriz. State TV also has begun referring to the conflict as the “Ramadan war.” That likely both reflects it is happening during the holy Muslim fasting month while also trying to prepare the public for the war to continue for some time.

The official spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence said Saudi forces have intercepted and destroyed a drone in the eastern part of the country. It comes after Saudi forces earlier on Wednesday destroyed two ballistic missiles in the Al-Kharj region, southeast of the capital, Riyadh, according to the ministry.

The foreign ministers of Russia and China have criticised the US-Israeli attack on Iran, with Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, calling on Israel to cease attacks immediately. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow saw no evidence that Iran was seeking to acquire a nuclear bomb.

Israel's military said missiles have been launched from Iran and defence systems are working to "intercept the threat." Members of the public have been requested to enter protective shelters and remain in place until a new announcement is made, the military said. "Exit from the protected space will be permitted only after receiving an explicit directive; continue to act in accordance with Home Front Command directives," it added.

A drone has targeted the logistical support camp of the US embassy that is located near the Baghdad International Airport.

Lebanon's National News Agency is reporting that an Israeli attack on a hotel in Hazmieh near Beirut. It said ambulances have been dispatched to the site. Footage verified by Al Jazeera shows a building with blown out windows and walls and debris strewn everywhere.

Air sirens sounded Wednesday morning across the island kingdom of Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.

Israel’s military said early Wednesday that Iran had launched missiles toward the country for the second time in less than two hours. Israeli air defenses were working to intercept them. No injuries were reported in the first wave.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense says it has intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles over Al-Kharj governorate.

A Special Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region. Details are as below:  

An operations center targeted by an Iranian drone strike that killed six American soldiers was located in a civilian port in Kuwait, more than 10 miles away from the main Army base, according to satellite images and a US official.

Joey Amor, husband of Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, one of the soldiers killed, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the hub was a shipping container-style building and had no defenses.

A satellite image taken Monday and reviewed by the AP shows the main building in the complex destroyed, with a trail of black smoke rising from it. It’s located in Port Shuaiba, a working seaport south of Kuwait City.

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter under investigation, confirmed the image depicted the location of Sunday’s attack. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the "secure facility was fortified with 6-foot walls."

The Israeli military has said in the past hour that they identified several projectiles from Lebanese territory and that most of the projectiles were intercepted, except for one that fell in an open area. This came minutes after the military said Iran has also launched missiles towards Israeli territory.

SpiceJet to operate eight special flights from the UAE on March 4 to bring stranded Indians home. Four services to Delhi, three to Mumbai, and one to Kochi from Fujairah. The airline operated four special flights on March 3.

(Input: Manish Prasad)

Lebanon’s NNA state news agency on Wednesday reported that several people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a residential building in the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. The NNA reported that rescue workers are trying to help families trapped beneath the rubble.

The US Senate will vote on Wednesday on a War Powers Resolution that would rein in Trump's warmaking powers on Iran, as criticism builds that he launched US attacks without approval from Congress. Debate on the bill is scheduled to begin at 11 AM EST, with the vote set to take place at 4 PM.

Iranian state television reported loud explosions around the capital, Tehran, as dawn began to broke Wednesday.

As many as 170 students and teachers were killed after US-Israeli strikes hit around 20 schools across Iran amid the escalating conflict, Iran's PressTV reported, citing the country's Education Minister.

The US State Department said early Wednesday it had authorized non-emergency American government personnel and family members to evacuate Oman should they choose due to the war. Oman, long an intermediary between the West and Iran, has repeatedly come under attack by Iran.

The Israeli military has issued new forced displacement orders for residents of 16 villages and towns in southern Lebanon. These include Majdal Selm, Houla and Shaqra.

Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television is reporting that an Israeli air attack on Aramoun and Saadiyat in the Mount Lebanon area has killed at least six people. The news outlet cited the Lebanese Ministry of Heath.

It said eight others were wounded in the attack. Earlier, Lebanese authorities said the death toll from Israel’s “aggression” has risen to 50, while 335 people have been wounded.

The Lebanese armed group says it has fired rockets at Israeli forces in the town of Metula in northern Israel. The claim came after it announced carrying out a missile attack on the naval base in Haifa.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence says the country’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed nine drones that entered the country's airspace.

Around 200 stranded Indians arrived in Ahmedabad from Jeddah on a special flight after being stuck due to the ongoing Middle East conflict and flight disruptions.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence says its forces have intercepted and destroyed several hostile aerial targets that entered the country’s airspace early this morning. It said shrapnel from the interceptions fell on to residential homes causing injuries and material damage. The ministry did not provide additional details. The announcement comes after Kuwait’s Ministry of Health reported that a girl has died from injuries caused by shrapnel this morning.

UAE authorities said they had detected 812 Iranian drones, 186 ballistic missiles and eight cruise missiles launched toward the country, adding that the majority of them were successfully intercepted.

An 11-year-old girl was killed after shrapnel fell in a residential area in Kuwait City, health authorities said Wednesday. The Kuwait army said in a statement the shrapnel fell over a house and left casualties while forces were intercepting “several hostile aerial targets” over the country. The Health Ministry said in a separate statement that the child died of her wounds at the hospital. The child’s mother and three other relatives were injured and being treated at the hospital, it said.

Fox News, citing a source, has reported that a CIA station inside the US Embassy compound in Riyadh was hit in a drone attack. Two drones caused structural damage and smoke inside the compound, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, said the news report.

The Tasnim news agency has reported new sounds of explosions in the Iranian capital in the past hour. This comes after the Israeli military said it has “begun a wave of extensive strikes against launch sites, defence systems, and additional infrastructure” in Iran.

A vessel was hit by a projectile early Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates, an agency of the UK military said. There were no reported casualties. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the vessel was struck 8 miles east of Fujairah, one of the UAE’s seven emirates. The attack damaged the vessel’s steel plating. No fire or water intake was reported, it said.

Another American F-15 aircraft was shot down by the air defense system of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Tehran Times reported quoting sources.

An airstrike has hit a site allegedly used by a faction of the pro-Iran armed group Kataib Hezbollah in western Iraq’s al-Qaim. While the structure of the facility was damaged, there were no reported casualties. Across the country in Iraq’s northeast, another airstrike hit a farm in Diyala province allegedly used by the Iran-aligned Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq armed group to store weapons.

The US Central Command has said that it struck nearly 2,000 targets since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury. As many as 17 Iranian naval ships, including one submarine, have also been sunk, according to the military. "Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman," US Central Command's Brad Cooper said in a video posted to X.

The maritime security tracker says there has been an explosion near a vessel east of Muscat in Oman and that the crew and vessel are safe. "UKMTO has received a report of an incident 137NM east of Muscat, Oman," it said. "The Master reported a loud explosion in close proximity of the vessel followed by smoke in the water. The vessel and crew are safe. Authorities are investigating."

Saudi Arabia has affirmed that it will take all necessary measures to defend the country's security, territory, citizens, and residents, according to a state news agency citing a cabinet statement. The statement comes amid a barrage of Iranian strikes against targets within the kingdom, including an Iranian attack on the US embassy in Riyadh.

The Israeli military says that it has begun another wave of extensive strikes against Iran. "The Air Force has now begun a wave of extensive strikes against launch sites, defense systems, and additional infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime," the Israeli media said in a social media post.

The Pentagon has released the names of four of the six service members who have been killed in the Iran war, saying they died in a drone strike in Kuwait. All four Army Reserve soldiers were killed Sunday when a drone hit a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. That was just a day after the US and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, which has launched retailatory strikes. All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, lowa. Killed were Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Spc. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa.

France has condemned Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel as irresponsible during a call between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Barrot "expressed France's solidarity in the face of the ordeal Lebanon is going through due to the irresponsible decision of Hezbollah to join the Iranian attacks against Israel", the Foreign Ministry said in a post. Barrot also spoken with Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and expressed "solidarity with the civilians affected by the Iranian attacks".

A drone has been shot down near the Baghdad airport with no damage or injuries reported, according to the Iraqi News Agency. Meanwhile, Associated Press journalists reported explosions and smoke rising but no casualties after a new wave of drone and missile attacks was intercepted over Irbil, capital of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Multiple drones targeted areas around the US consulate building on Tuesday but did not hit it directly. Debris from the intercepted drones caused fires and property damage.

In a statement, UAE's ministry of foreign affairs said, “The United Arab Emirates reaffirms that it has not taken any decision to alter its defensive posture in response to the repeated Iranian attacks. The UAE has been subjected to more than one thousand attacks- a number exceeding the total faced by all other targeted countries combined- all of which were intercepted and neutralized by the UAE Armed Forces with the utmost professionalism, efficiency, and distinction.”

"The UAE reiterates that it is not a party to this war and has not permitted the use of its territory, territorial waters, or airspace for any attack against Iran, consistent with its long-standing policy of good neighborliness, de-escalation, and its firm commitment to the Charter of the United Nations.

Furthermore, the UAE underscores that it retains its legitimate right to self-defense, as recognized under international law and the Charter of the United Nations. The UAE further stresses the importance of journalistic responsibility and the need to rely on official, credible sources before publishing or circulating inaccurate or misleading reports."

Israel said it launched airstrikes against Iranian missile launchers and a nuclear research site Tuesday, and Iran struck back against Israel and across the Gulf region, targeting US embassies and disrupting energy supplies and travel. Explosions rang out Tuesday in Tehran and in Lebanon - where Israel said it retaliated against Hezbollah militants - and the American embassy in Saudi Arabia came under drone attack. Iran has fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel, though most of the incoming fire has been intercepted. Eleven people in Israel have been killed since the conflict began. 

French President Emmanuel Macron ordered France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the ongoing war in the Middle East.  Macron said the Charles de Gaulle will be escorted by its air wing, and its escorting frigates. In a pre-recorded speech on French TV, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air-defence systems, and airborne radar systems have been deployed over the past few hours in the Middle East. "And we will continue this effort as much as necessary," Macron said. 

He cited Monday's strike on a British air force base on Cyprus, adding that Cyprus was a member of the European Union with which France has recently signed a strategic partnership. "This requires our support. That is why I have decided to send additional air-defense assets there as well, along with a French frigate, the Languedoc, which will arrive off the coast of Cyprus later this evening," Macron said. 

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has slammed Iranian attacks targeting the Saudi capital Riyadh after the US embassy was hit earlier. "Iranian strikes on Riyadh, including on the US embassy, are completely unacceptable. We condemn these reckless and destabilising attacks that target innocent civilians," Cooper said on social media. "We stand with Saudi Arabia and our others partners across the region in the face of these attacks."

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE: US-Israeli strikes caused damage at an airport in Bushehr, a port city in southern Iran that also hosts a nuclear power plant, the Mehr news agency reported. "Following an enemy attack, a projectile struck an Airbus aircraft... this plane is completely damaged," the agency said. "The shockwave (from the strike) caused damage to the airport terminal."

An Iranian ballistic missile hit the United States' military base at Al-Udeid on Tuesday, Qatar's defence ministry said, as Tehran struck targets across the Gulf in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks. The ministry said Qatar was targeted by two missiles, adding: "Air defence systems successfully intercepted one of the missiles, while the second missile struck Al-Udeid Qatari Base without causing any casualties."

Israel's military says it destroyed what it calls Iran’s secret nuclear headquarters, and claims Iran moved work into hidden bunkers, known as Minzadehei. On Tuesday, an Israeli military spokesman said the site supported research tied to a key component for nuclear weapons. Israel does not say Iran enriched uranium there.

There was no immediate public comment from the US or Iran about the site Israel named. Israel says Iran tried to rebuild and hide parts of its program after last year’s strikes. The United States said as recently as last week that those strikes destroyed Iran’s nuclear program. US officials also accuse Iran of trying to restart parts of the program but do not say Iran was restarting enrichment.

US President Donald Trump said "someone from within" the Iranian regime might be the best choice to take power once the US-Israel campaign is finished. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's toppled Shah, is not someone that his administration has considered in depth to take over.
As far as possible leaders inside Iran, "the people we had in mind are dead," Trump said. "I guess the worst case would be do this, and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen," Trump said. "We don't want that to happen."

Iran's leaders are scrambling to replace Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years. It's only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen. Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement. 

An Iranian drone slammed into a parking lot outside the U.S. consulate in Dubai, sparking a small fire, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Although the pace of Iranian missile and drone strikes has slowed, Tuesday’s near-miss shows that Iran is still able to get munitions past American interceptors. Rubio told reporters at the US Capitol that all of the consulate personnel in Dubai had been accounted for. "We began drawing down personnel from our diplomatic facilities in advance of this," Rubio said.

The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday on X that it retains the right to self-defense, insisting that the Gulf monarchy is not part of the US-Israel war against Iran and that it hasn’t authorized the use of its territories for attacks against Iran. The UAE Defense Ministry also released a breakdown of its missile and drone interceptions. It said Iranian drones struck within its territory 57 times out of more than 800 detected, while only one of 186 ballistic missiles managed to hit. All eight Iranian cruise missiles were intercepted, the ministry said. It was not possible to independently very those figures.

The death toll over the past two days in Lebanon has risen to 50, with 335 wounded, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Tuesday evening. On Monday, Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel for the first time in more than a year, and Israel responded by bombarding southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut with strikes. No casualties have been reported from the Hezbollah attacks in Israel. It is not clear how many of those killed in Lebanon were civilians, but the health ministry said earlier Tuesday that they included seven children. Officials with Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group were also killed.

Qatar's Ministry of Defense said early Wednesday that Iran launched two ballistic missiles against it and one hit Al-Udeid Qatari Base, though it didn’t cause casualties. The other missile was intercepted by air defense, the ministry said. Israel also said Iran had launched multiple missiles targeting the north of the country overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, with no reports of casualties there either.