The United States and Israel have hit thousands of targets inside Iran, continuing their joint war and killing at least 550 people, including over 150 children.
Tehran retaliated by escalating attacks on Israel and US-linked targets across the Middle East. Four US soldiers have been killed, while three US fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti forces.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel, prompting fresh Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 52 Lebanese, wounded over 150, and displaced thousands. The chaos became apparent when Kuwait had “mistakenly shot down” three American F-15E Strike Eagles.
While Trump refused timeline for the war, his defence secretary said it would not be “endless."
Oil prices have surged sharply as the war disrupts supplies, while countries scramble to evacuate citizens from Gulf states amid widespread flight cancellations and airport closures.
03:00 An attack by two drones early Tuesday on the US embassy in Riyadh sparked a small fire, a Saudi defence ministry spokesman said in a statement.
"The US embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two drones, according to initial assessments. The attack resulted in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building," the statement said.
00:45 The State Department urged Americans to leave much of the Middle East, including Egypt and Gulf states, due to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The State Department "urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks," Mora Namdar, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, wrote on X, listing 14 countries.
00:20 Israel's military said it "struck and dismantled" the headquarters of Iran's state radio and television broadcaster, as it pressed on with its campaign against the Islamic Republic.
23:07 US Central Command has confirmed the deaths of two additional American military personnel in the region, bringing the total to six.
“As of 4pm ET on 2 March, six US service members have been killed in action. US forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted-for service members from a facility struck during Iran’s initial attacks in the region. Major combat operations continue. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification," it said in a post on X.
23:01 A missile, from Israel-US attacks, detonated near a hospital earlier today, an official at Iran’s Ministry of Health says.
In a post on X, Hossein Kermanpour said smoke was seen rising nearby from a missile that landed beside the hospital where he works as a member of the medical staff.
“Patients poured out in fear,” he wrote, calling on “all free people of the world to bear witness.”
Iranian authorities say several hospitals have been damaged in recent air attacks by Israel and the US, and some facilities have been evacuated.
Iranian officials also reported damage to the Aboozar Children’s Hospital in Ahvaz, in western Iran, as well as to three emergency medical centres in East Azerbaijan, Sistan-Baluchistan, and Hamedan provinces.
23:00 The Egyptian embassy in Riyadh said that Egyptians arriving by land from neighbouring countries can obtain an emergency entry visa at Saudi border crossings, allowing them to fly home from the kingdom’s airports amid widespread regional flight disruptions.
The embassy stated on its Facebook page that the exceptional measure enables Egyptian nationals entering through land ports to receive a visa on arrival and travel onward from airports in Saudi cities back to Egypt.
EgyptAir has suspended flights from Cairo to nearly a dozen destinations in the region until further notice, including Kuwait, Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dammam, Erbil, Baghdad, Amman, and Beirut.
22:56 Iran's UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran has been damaged in US and Israeli strikes, local media reported.
"Following the joint US-Israeli attack on Arag Square in southern Tehran on Sunday evening, parts of the Golestan Palace... were damaged," the ISNA news agency reported, adding that windows, doors, and mirrors were hit by reverberations from blasts.
The former royal palace was "reportedly damaged by debris and the shock wave following an air strike to the Arag Square, located in the buffer zone of the site in the Iranian capital," UNESCO said in a statement.
The UN's cultural agency said it had "communicated to all parties concerned the geographical coordinates of sites on the World Heritage List as well as those of national significance, to avoid any potential damage."
22:50 The US embassy in Jordan was temporarily evacuated due to a threat, according to a statement. The embassy did not elaborate on the nature of the threat.
In a security alert posted on X, embassy staff said, "Out of an abundance of caution, all personnel at the U.S. Embassy have temporarily departed the Embassy compound due to a threat."
22:44 Dozens of Iraqis clashed with security forces near the US embassy in Baghdad for a second day in a row, an AFP journalist said.
Iraqis protesting the US-Israeli attack on Iran hurled stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas.
22:37 EgyptAir said passengers are allowed to change or cancel bookings without fees after a wave of flight cancellations to Arab and Gulf destinations caused by escalating regional tensions.
The national carrier said customers affected by suspended flights can reschedule travel to their original destinations free of charge until 15 March. Passengers who choose to cancel can do so without paying cancellation penalties, provided they use the same booking channel through which the ticket was purchased.
EgyptAir customers were requested to review their bookings by contacting the EgyptAir Contact Centre at 1717 from any mobile phone within Egypt.
22:08 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is targeting American military bases in the Middle East rather than neighbouring states, framing the escalating conflict as a confrontation with Washington.
"We are not attacking the countries of the region, but rather the American bases, and we will defend ourselves as required," Araghchi said, according to Al Jazeera.
He added that Iran does not consider the conflict a regional war, despite its spillover effects, and described US bases as "legitimate targets."
"US soldiers' fleeing to hotels will not prevent them from being targeted."
He accused the US of “betraying diplomacy” when it carried out air strikes alongside Israel despite ongoing negotiations to avoid a military confrontation.
His remarks came as a senior adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed and that any vessel attempting to cross would be targeted.
The adviser also threatened to strike “the enemies’ oil lines” and said Iran would not allow oil exports from the region.
22:00 Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the assassination of its supreme leader and other senior officials “have not shaken [Iran], but rather made it stronger,” according to the state-run broadcasting IRIB.
The IRGC affirmed that Iran would continue fighting “until the enemy is defeated.” Meanwhile, Iran’s Central Military Headquarters reported that “in the past 48 hours, more than 700 drones and hundreds of ballistic missiles have been fired at 500 US and Israeli military targets.”
The IRGC warned, “The enemy should know that their happy days are over and they will no longer be safe anywhere in the world, not even in their own homes.”
This handout satellite image taken by Planet Labs PBC in 2026 shows a view of smoke rising from damage at the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Bahrain's capital Manama after Iranian strikes hit it. AFP
21:59 Kuwait's military said two navy sergeants were killed Monday while on duty, without elaborating further on the circumstances of their deaths.
21:57 Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said more than 70 missiles and drones struck the northern city of Erbil, with additional attacks reported in the country’s south and west.
In a call with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Hussein said Iraq had “become a victim of this war” and was being attacked by “various parties involved in the conflict,” according to a government statement.
Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani instructed the nation’s security agencies to confront “any act that harms security and stability.”
Members and officers from the Iraqi Interior Ministry's Explosives Directorate inspect the fuel tank of a rocket that landed in a rural village in the Siyahi area near the city of Hilla in the central Babil province. AFP
21:39 The US army claims it destroyed all Iranian ships in the Gulf of Oman.
The US Central Command, which is responsible for American forces in the region, said in a statement on X, “Two days ago, the Iranian regime had 11 ships in the Gulf of Oman, today they have ZERO.”
The US army claimed it hit more than 1,250 targets in the first 48 hours of the war against Iran, up from more than 1,000 during the first day.
21:37 The sounds of fresh explosions could be heard over Doha, Al Jazeera reported.
Earlier on Monday, Qatar’s air force shot down two Iranian jets headed towards the country and intercepted several ballistic missiles and drones.
21:20 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US-Israeli bombing on Saturday of a primary school in southern Iran, saying the graves of innocent young girls killed in the strike were being dug.
“These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school. Their bodies were torn to shreds. This is how ‘rescue’ promised by Mr Trump looks in reality. From Gaza to Minab, innocents murdered in cold blood.”
Earlier, Iranian state media said the death toll from Saturday’s missile strike on the school rose to 165 and reported 96 people were wounded.
Photo courtesy @Araghchi on X shows graves being dug for the young girls killed in the Israeli strike.
It also comes as Israeli strikes have targeted hospitals in Iran's capital.
"We understand patients were moved due to nearby explosions that caused collateral damage to the hospital," said a World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson, referring to the Gandhi Hospital in Tehran, after explosions occurred nearby.
WHO added that it is working to verify reports that three other medical centres in the country had been hit since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on Saturday.
21:18 The Iranian army said it shot down seven more UAVs. According to a statement, the total number of drones intercepted since the beginning of the war has reached 29.
21:15 Iranian state media said Mansoureh Khojaste Bagherzadeh, the wife of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, had also been killed "at home."
Iranian outlets had previously reported that Bagherzadeh had slipped into a coma after suffering injuries in the US-Israeli attacks on Tehran on Saturday.
Khamenei’s daughter, grandchild, and son-in-law were also killed.
21:09 Egypt urged Israel to immediately stop its military operations in Lebanon, warning that continued strikes threaten regional stability and Lebanon’s security.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam by phone as part of ongoing consultations on the escalating conflict in the region, expressing concern about developments in Lebanon.
21:00 Israel's army spokesman said "all options are on the table" when asked by a journalist whether Israel was going to expand its strikes on Lebanon into a ground offensive.
"We are operating in Lebanon as well to remove a significant threat... Bottom line, all options are on the table."
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the offices of Al-Qard al-Hassan, a financial institution, in the city of Baalbeck in Lebanon's Bekaa valley. AFP
22:48 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for Israel to reopen Gaza border crossings, which it closed after launching the war against Iran, along with the United States.
Rafah crossing, the only gateway for Gazans to the outside world that does not pass through Israel, had reopened for the movement of people on 2 February, nearly two years after Israeli forces seized control of it during Tel Aviv's genocidal war on Gaza.
"Israeli authorities have closed all crossings, including Rafah, and have suspended humanitarian movements in and near areas where Israeli troops remain deployed in Gaza," said spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
"It is imperative that all crossings be reopened... as soon as possible. In recent days, our partners have been forced to ration fuel, prioritize life-saving operations, albeit in reduced capacity as our local stocks are going down."
Dujarric said there were already some stockpiles in Gaza, but "when the doors are shut, we obviously stretch whatever we have to make it last longer."
20:41 Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss “the escalation in the Middle East as a result of American-Israeli armed aggression” against Iran, the Kremlin said.
Both “expressed serious concern over the real risks of the spreading of the conflict, which has already affected several Arab countries and is fraught with catastrophic consequences,” the Kremlin said in the readout of the call.
Putin “emphasized the urgent need to resolve the current extremely dangerous situation through political and diplomatic means,” and Prince Mohammed “expressed the opinion that Russia could play a positive, stabilizing role in these times, given its friendly relations with both Iran and the Persian Gulf countries,” the readout said.
20:35 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for restraint as clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon intensified amid the Israeli and US war on Iran, his spokesman said.
"We're seriously concerned about the exchange of fire across the Blue Line. The situation on the ground is evolving rapidly, and we're monitoring developments closely," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
"We urge utmost restraint and call on the parties to uphold the cessation of hostilities agreement."
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern coastal Lebanese city of Tyre. AFP
20:12 Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it attacked a US-linked oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz as part of a wave of retaliating strikes.
"The ATHE NOVA tanker, one of the American allies in the Strait of Hormuz, is still on fire after being hit by two drones," the IRGC said in a statement.
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas exports from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. About 20 percent of global daily oil consumption, roughly 20 million barrels, passes through the narrow corridor.
19:49 A fire ignited at a fuel storage station in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, after it was targeted by a drone, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.
The fire at the Musaffah fuel tank terminal was "promptly contained," the media office said.
19:47 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country "will not remain silent" after US-Israeli strikes on a school and a Tehran hospital.
"Attacks on hospitals strike at life itself. Attacks on schools target a nation's future... The world must condemn it," he wrote on X.
"Iran will not remain silent or yield to these crimes," he added. Israeli-American attacks have killed 168 girls at the school in the south on Saturday, while the attack on Tehran's Gandhi hospital took place on Sunday.
A baby in an incubator was among the patients evacuated from the hospital. Videos circulating on social media show significant damage to sections of the facility and nearby buildings in the Iranian capital.
19:37 Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed at least 52 people and wounded 154, the Lebanese government said in an updated toll.
The bombings of southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs also displaced more than 28,500 people, according to the government's disaster and management unit.
Smoke plumes billow following Israeli bombardment on Beirut's southern suburbs. AFP
19:30 US Central Command claimed in a post on X that last night, US B-1 bombers "struck deep inside Iran to degrade Iranian ballistic missile capabilities."
"As the President stated, 'we’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,'" Central Command claimed.
19:13 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) expressed concern after a deadly US-Israeli strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran.
The Saturday attack killed over 160 students, teachers, and parents, and injured 95 others, according to state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
UNESCO said it is “deeply alarmed” by the impact the ongoing military attacks in the Middle East have had on “educational institutions, students, and education personnel.”
The agencies noted that pupils in a place dedicated to learning are protected under international humanitarian law.
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was still looking into reports of the incident.
At least 550 people have been killed in US-Israeli air strikes on Iran since Saturday, the Iranian Red Crescent said.
19:11 Hezbollah condemned on Monday the Lebanese government's decision to ban its military activities, while Israel carried out strikes, killing and injuring dozens.
In a statement, Mohammed Raad, the head of the group's parliamentary bloc, condemned Beirut's "swaggering decisions," saying "the Lebanese were expecting a decision rejecting the (Israeli) aggression."
19:00 Donald Trump is speaking now; he began with a brief update on the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, saying that the US is continuing to carry out "large-scale" operations.
In remarks at the White House, he claimed that Iran ignored US warnings and "refused to cease their pursuit of nuclear weapons," even after the US’s "obliteration" of its nuclear programme last year.
He goes on to claim that Iran posed an immediate threat to American forces in the region and the US.
"The regime’s conventional ballistic missile program was growing rapidly and dramatically, and this posed a very clear, colossal threat to America and our forces stationed overseas," he went on to say.
Trump also shifted blame to former President Barack Obama for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, calling it "a horrible, horrible, dangerous document" and claiming that without his withdrawal in 2018, Iran "would have had nuclear weapons three years ago, and they would have used them."
Trump withdrew from the agreement during his first term as president in 2018.
He addressed a potential timeline for the war, saying, "whatever the time is, it's okay."
"We're already substantially ahead of our time projections," Trump said. "But whatever the time is, it's okay. Whatever it takes, we will always, and we have right from the beginning; we projected four to five weeks, but we can go far longer than that. We'll do it."
Trump said someone thought he would get bored with the operation, but he added, "I don't get bored."
"Nothing is boring about this," he said.
In the midst of a war that has already claimed lives, including Americans, Trump veered off into a surreal tangent about his White House ballroom.
"We're adding onto the building a little bit," Trump said. "We're improving the building. See that nice drape—when that comes down, right now, you see a very, very deep hole, but in about a year-and-a-half from now, you're going to see a very, very beautiful building."
"I believe it's going to be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world," he added.
18:08 Israel's army said it was extending the closure of educational establishments and workplaces until 8pm (1800 GMT) on Saturday, 7 March.
18:04 US stocks fell at the opening bell as the Middle East conflict continues to escalate.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite dropped nearly 1 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined more than 350 points. The Russell 2000, which tracks smaller companies, fell 0.8 percent.
Energy markets surged amid the chaos. Oil prices rose more than 6 percent, while US natural gas climbed over 4 percent after QatarEnergy announced it would halt liquefied natural gas (LNG) production in response to the attacks.
European natural gas prices surged dramatically, jumping 45 percent on the news, reflecting fears of widespread supply disruption across the region.
Gold climbed 1.2 percent as investors sought safer things to own.
Stocks of airlines were some of today’s sharpest losers. Not only do higher oil prices threaten their already big fuel bills, but the fighting in the Middle East also closed airports and left travellers stranded.
United Airlines fell 2.9 percent, and American Airlines lost 3.9 percent.
18:00 Unidentified projectiles hit an oil tanker at a Bahraini port, causing a fire that was extinguished, local authorities said, with the ship's owner reporting that one crew member was killed.
"US-flagged tanker Stena Imperative was struck by two unknown projectiles in the Port of Bahrain at 02:57 UTC (0257 GMT)," private maritime security company Vanguard Tech said in a statement.
The vessel's Swedish owner, Stena Bulk, also told AFP that "mariners have reported no injuries and a damage assessment is being conducted."
"One shipyard worker was reported deceased, and authorities report two shipyard workers were injured," Lena Alvling, General Manager of Marketing & Corporate Events, told AFP.
The Stena Imperative is a 183-metre-long tanker, owned by Stena but operated by US shipping company Crowley Maritime.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency had earlier reported the incident without naming the ship.
17:58 Spain denied the US permission to use jointly operated military bases on its territory in Rota and Morón to attack Iran.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has explicitly condemned the US and Israel’s “unilateral military action” against Iran, warning that it is contributing to “a more hostile and uncertain international order.”
José Manuel Albares, Spain’s foreign minister, said that while the government wanted “democracy, freedom and fundamental rights for the Iranian people,” it would on no account allow its bases to be used in the ongoing war.
“I want to be very clear and very plain,” he told Telecinco. “The bases are not being used, nor will they be used, for anything that is not in the agreement [with the US], nor for anything that isn’t covered by the UN charter.”
Defence Minister Margarita Robles was similarly emphatic, saying neither of the bases had been used in the US attack. “There is a deal with the US over these bases, but our understanding of the deal is that operations have to comply with international legal frameworks and that there has to be international support for them,” she told reporters.
A US Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker at Morón airbase, southern Spain. AFP
17:52 QatarEnergy said it had halted liquefied natural gas (LNG) production following Iranian attacks on facilities at two of its main gas processing bases, causing a sharp rise in prices.
“Due to military attacks on QatarEnergy’s operating facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial City in the State of Qatar, QatarEnergy has ceased production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and associated products,” the company said in a statement.
Earlier, the Qatari Defence Ministry said one Iranian drone “targeted an energy facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City, belonging to QatarEnergy,” referring to the firm’s onshore gas processing base 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Doha.
Another drone “targeted a water tank belonging to a power plant in Mesaieed,” the statement said, referring to an area 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the Qatari capital, which is also a key site for the country’s natural gas production.
Qatar’s Defence Ministry added that its forces had shot down two Iranian SU-24 fighter jets and successfully intercepted seven ballistic missiles and five drones targeting the country.
QatarEnergy's operating facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City. AFP
17:42 Russia’s Ministry of Transport announced it is preparing “alternative flight routes” to resume limited flights to the Middle East.
The ministry also said it will resume two flights from the region this evening, including an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi and an Oman Air flight from Muscat.
Dubai also announced a “limited resumption of flights” from the city’s two airports, Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, starting this evening.
Israel’s main international gateway, Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, said it expects to reopen this evening in an “extremely limited format.”
17:38 Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the 11th wave of Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel’s Beersheba (Bir as-Sab) city, according to the Tasnim news agency.
It said the Israeli army’s communications industries complex was hit in the city. Later, the agency posted a photo of a building targeted in Bir as-Sab, “which houses major international companies, including Microsoft.”
It also said the new rocket wave targeted American intelligence centres and military support depots in the Gulf region.
The Israeli army said missiles had recently been launched from Iran towards Israel, and that its defence systems were working to intercept them.
17:00 Egypt called on Iran to immediately halt attacks on neighbouring Arab countries, warning that the strikes threaten regional stability as cross-border fire intensifies across the Gulf.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls with his counterparts in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, as well as Jordan and Iraq, focusing on the latest wave of strikes and retaliatory attacks linked to the widening confrontation involving Washington, Tel Aviv, and Tehran.
16:51 The US president is set to address the war in Iran at 11am Eastern Time (4pm GMT, 6pm Egypt time), the White House said on Monday.
It will be the first time since the US and Israel launched strikes on Saturday that Trump will speak directly to reporters, as his previous messages were pre-recorded videos shared on Truth Social, CNN reported.
Trump said the “big wave” against Iran “hasn’t even happened” in an interview with CNN. “We haven’t even started hitting them hard,” he said during a nine-minute phone interview, adding, “We’re knocking the crap out of them.”
When asked about the length of the war, the US president said he did not “want to see it go on too long.” Earlier, his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, struck a belligerent tone with reporters and insisted he would not put a timeframe on the conflict. “I always thought it would be four weeks,” Trump told CNN. “And we’re a little ahead of schedule.”
In another interview with the New York Post, Trump did not rule out the possibility of US boots on the ground in Iran.
“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground – like every president says, ‘there will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it,” he said. “I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.’”
16:47 Bahrain says its air defence systems have intercepted a new wave of Iranian ballistic missiles and drone attacks.
“The total number of hostile projectiles amounted to 70 missiles and 59 drones,” the National Communication Centre said, according to state media.
16:35 Five civilians, including a child, have been killed in an Israeli bombing on the village of Sarabeleh in western Iran’s Kermanshah province.
16:10 "We are not responsible for the bombing of Saudi Arabia's oil fields, and we have informed our brothers in the Kingdom of that," Iran's deputy foreign minister told CNN.
15:30 In the first news briefing since Saturday's strikes, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a combative defence of the war, bearing an unapologetic disregard for international law and civilian safety, declaring that Washington was “unleashing the most lethal and precise air power campaign in history,” regardless of what “so-called international institutions” might say.
He derided past US interventions as hamstrung by “stupid rules of engagement” and vowed there would be “no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically correct wars.”
Yet his insistence that “this is not Iraq” and “this is not endless” sat uneasily alongside sweeping objectives: destroying Iran’s missile threat, dismantling its navy, and ensuring “no nukes,” goals that would imply a sustained and expansive campaign rather than a narrowly defined strike.
Hegseth rejected suggestions of regime change, adding that “This is not a so-called regime change war.” In the next breath, however, he said, “The regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it.”
He also confirmed that no US troops are currently on the ground in Iran, but warned that “We’ll go as far as we need.”
15:20 Germany will send planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman to evacuate tourists stranded by the Middle East war, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, adding that he was in talks with national carrier Lufthansa to arrange the flights.
15:00 Russian President Vladimir Putin urged an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and warned of "the risks of the conflict's expansion" during phone calls with Emirati and Qatari leaders.
Russia’s foreign ministry earlier condemned "any attacks on civilian targets, whether in Iran or Arab countries."
For its part, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart in a call that Beijing supports Tehran defending itself against US-Israeli strikes.
China also offered to play a "constructive role" in ending the fighting, Wang told his Omani counterpart in a separate call, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
14:50 The US military announced that a fourth American service member had been killed in the war with Iran.
"As of 7:30am ET (1130 GMT) on 2 March, four US service members have been killed in action. The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran's initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries," US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X.
US President Donald Trump, in a video posted to Truth Social on Sunday, said, “Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more, but we’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case.”
14:30 Iran's security chief said the Islamic Republic was prepared for a prolonged war with the United States and Israel.
"Iran, unlike the United States, has prepared itself for a long war," said Ali Larijani, head of Tehran's Supreme National Security Council, in a post on X.
14:00 The Israeli army claimed it killed the head of Hezbollah's intelligence services, Hussein Moukalled, in a strike in Beirut on Sunday as Israel traded fire with the Lebanese group.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel would send Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem to "the bottom of hell, like Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei," after Hezbollah launched an attack on Israel that was followed by wide-scale Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
The Israeli army warned the Lebanese people in 18 locations across south and east Lebanon to evacuate as bombardment forced thousands to flee.
13:44 A British sovereign base in Cyprus was evacuated after sirens sounded again, and British fighter jets took off.
A Cypriot government spokesperson said two drones heading towards RAF Akrotiri were intercepted.
Authorities in Cyprus, the European Union (EU) state closest to the conflict, opened emergency shelters following Iran’s drone strikes, according to The Guardian.
A local official in the village of Akrotiri told the newspaper residents were “panicked by the blast of sirens and fearful of what might happen.”
US President Donald Trump told the UK's Daily Telegraph he was "very disappointed" with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s initial refusal to allow Washington to use British military bases in its war against Iran.
Trump said the delay over the use of the Chagos Islands base was unlike anything that had "happened between our countries before," adding that "It took far too much time. Far too much time."
Starmer later relented, saying he had agreed to the use of British bases for a "specific and limited defensive purpose."
13:40 Iran's president appointed Revolutionary Guards General Majid Ebnelreza as acting defence minister after his predecessor was killed in Israeli-US attacks.
"By order of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Revolutionary Guards General Majid Ebnelreza has been appointed as acting defence minister," said Deputy for Presidential Communications Mehdi Tabatabaei in a post on X.
13:35 Three US warplanes were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences late Sunday night, US Central Command said, in an apparent "friendly fire incident" during active fighting.
"Three US F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident," CENTCOM said Monday, adding that all six aircrew ejected safely.
"Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defence forces and their support in this ongoing operation," it added.
13:30 Iran's actions in the region represent a "dangerous escalation" that threatens Middle East stability, according to a joint statement from the US and six allied Gulf states, which did not mention the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
"Targeting civilians and non-combatant states is reckless behaviour that undermines stability," the statement, shared by Kuwait's foreign ministry, said.
The statement was issued jointly by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, and the US.
They said they "reaffirm our right to self-defence" as apparent Iranian strikes across the region continue.
It said attacks have taken place in Bahrain, Iraq (including the Kurdistan Region), Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
13:29 The Lebanese government imposed an "immediate ban" on Hezbollah's military and security activities and called on the group to hand over its weapons to the state, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced.
This follows Hezbollah rocket fire at Israel that triggered a new wave of Israeli air strikes.
Israel has been striking Lebanon almost daily since a ceasefire was brokered, in accordance with United Nations (UN) Resolution 1701, in November 2024, with dozens of Lebanese killed by Israeli fire since.
13:13 In an escalation of Iran's retaliatory strikes in the Gulf, two Iranian drones targeted energy facilities in Qatar, the Qatari defence ministry said.
One drone struck a water tank at a power plant in Mesaieed, south of Doha, while another targeted a facility in Ras Laffan, Qatar's main liquefied natural gas production site.
Iranian missiles targeting Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh were intercepted on Monday, a Gulf source told AFP.
Two witnesses also reported hearing explosions over the city of Kharj, southeast of Riyadh.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) said it was working to restore full service in parts of the Middle East after reporting that one of its UAE data centres was struck by "objects."
In Oman, one person was killed in an attack on an oil tanker off Muscat that caused an explosion and fire, authorities said.
In Bahrain, a ship was hit at port, causing a fire that was later extinguished, with no casualties reported, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
12: 58 The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said his agency has "no indication" that nuclear installations have been damaged in Iran following US and Israeli strikes.
However, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi, said the key nuclear site at Natanz had been attacked.
13:08 "Three members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed" in an attack on a detachment in the western Lorestan province, an official IRGC statement said, per the ISNA news agency.
In a separate attack on the western city of Khorramabad, "five members of the Iranian army were killed," Tasnim news agency said, quoting an army statement.
The Israeli military also said it began a new "broad strike" on Tehran, as AFP journalists reported loud explosions in central and eastern parts of the capital.
12:44 Israel's military claimed it struck a senior Hezbollah operative in Beirut, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying the group's chief, Naim Qassem, is "a marked target."
12:35 Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said some operations at its Ras Tanura refinery were halted after an attack caused a fire at the complex.
"Some operational units at the refinery were shut down as a precautionary measure, without any impact on the supply of petroleum products to local markets," an official source at the ministry said, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
12:30 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for urgent de-escalation to prevent the conflict from "spreading" across the Middle East.
The European Commission chief slammed "reckless and indiscriminate attacks by Iran and its proxies against sovereign territories across the region," after strikes hit a British air base in Cyprus and a Saudi oil facility.
12:00 Iran's Revolutionary Guards said their missile attacks targeted the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the headquarters of the Israeli air force commander, as reported by Fars news agency.
11:30 Israel's military said there was no imminent need to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon, but overnight attacks by Hezbollah prompted Israeli retaliation.
"There is nothing on the ground that constitutes going into ground invasion... imminently," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists on whether Israel would send troops into Lebanon.
"In the short term, immediate time, the answer would be no," Shoshani added.
11:00 A total of 555 people have been killed across Iran in US and Israeli strikes that began two days ago, the Iranian Red Crescent said.
"Following the Zionist-American terrorist attacks carried out in various regions of our country, 131 cities have been affected to date and, regrettably, 555 of our compatriots have been killed," the humanitarian group said in a post on Telegram.
10:58 A Saudi oil refinery along the Gulf coast was targeted in an attack on Monday, a source familiar with the incident told AFP, as Iran launched a fresh barrage at countries across the region.
The source said the attack caused a fire at the Ras Tanura refinery, but the blaze had already been extinguished.
A Saudi defence ministry spokesman said two drones had targeted the refinery and been intercepted, according to a statement posted by the Saudi Press Agency on X.
10:33 Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched missile strikes on an Israeli government complex in Tel Aviv as well as security and military centres in Haifa and an attack on East Jerusalem.
It said Kheibar ballistic missiles were used in the attack.
On Sunday, an Iranian missile strike killed nine people in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh.
10:21 Oil and gas prices soared while stocks fell in Asia after US-Israeli strikes on Iran sent investors fleeing the prospect of an extended conflict in the crude-rich Middle East.
Brent briefly spiked almost 14 percent and West Texas Intermediate nearly 12 percent at the start of business after the attack on the Islamic Republic, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.
The bombings have also seen the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of global seaborne oil passes, effectively shut and several ships attacked, fanning supply fears.
Key figures at around 0815 GMT:
West Texas Intermediate: UP 9.0 percent at $73.04 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 9.7 percent at $79.95 per barrel
10:09 New strikes have hit a military base in Iraq housing the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group, while in the Kurdish city of Erbil, air defences intercepted drone attacks.
"Three strikes hit Jurf al-Nasr," a Kataeb Hezbollah source told AFP, referring to a military base that serves as one of the main bastions of the powerful armed group, which has been targeted several times since the start of the Israel-US campaign against Iran.
10:00 An Iranian drone hit the runway of a UK military base in Cyprus, prompting the EU to vow solid backing for member states as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran spread.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said that just after midnight (2200 GMT), "a Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the military facilities of the British Bases in Akrotiri, causing minor material damage."
Britain's foreign minister said the drone had hit a runway.
"This is an unmanned drone strike specifically on the airport runway... we're not able to provide further information and detail at this point, but obviously all of the precautionary measures are being taken around the base," Yvette Cooper told Sky News.
09:55 Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait, but their crew survived, Kuwait's defence ministry said, as Iran pressed on with a third day of strikes in the Gulf.
Motorists drive along a street as smoke rises from a reported Iranian strike in the area where the US Embassy is located in Kuwait. AFP
"Several US warplanes crashed this morning. Confirming that all crew members survived," a defence ministry spokesman said in a statement, adding that the cause was under investigation.
"Authorities immediately initiated search and rescue operations, evacuating the crews and transporting them to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. He noted that their condition is stable," the statement added.
Hours later, Iran's army said it targeted the US Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait as well as vessels in the Indian Ocean.
09:33 The Lebanese health ministry says Israeli attacks in Beirut and southern Lebanon have killed at least 31 people, with 149 injured.
A family rides in the back of a lorry as motorists flee villages in southern Lebanon along the coastal road through the city of Sidon. AFP
09:15 Iranian strikes around the region continue, with explosions reported in Bahrain and the UAE, and smoke seen near the US embassy in Kuwait.
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