US-Israel-Iran War LIVE | Three killed In Two Israeli Strikes Near Beirut: Authorities

Three people were killed in a pair of Israeli strikes on vehicles near Beirut, Lebanon's health ministry said late Wednesday, after a third day of Israeli bombardments in response to renewed Hezbollah attacks, reports AFP.

"Two Israeli air strikes on the airport highway killed three people and wounded six," the ministry said. Israel's military said it had targeted two people in the Beirut area, without immediately offering further details.

Israel’s military said Wednesday that its air force had destroyed Iranian ballistic missile sites in the west and central parts of the country, hitting the infrastructure being used to launch projectiles toward Israeli territory, reports AP.

Iran’s barrages of ballistic missiles toward Israel have slowed and been mostly intercepted; some have gotten through Israel’s defences, causing damage and killing around a dozen people. Some experts say Iran may be holding its weapons in reserve to prolong the conflict.

The Israeli military said its Home Front Command had eased some war-related restrictions effective midday Thursday, allowing limited activity and permitting public gatherings of up to 50 people, reports AFP.

"As part of the changes, all areas of the country will transition from an essential activity level to a limited activity level," the military announced, soon after it had said the number of missiles fired by Iran towards Israel had declined. The military said schools and other educational institutions would remain closed.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that its strikes on Iran's missile launchers had led to a daily decline in the number of missiles the Islamic republic was firing at Israel, reports AFP.

"We've neutralised around 300 ballistic missile launchers. We believe our operations against those missile launchers and against those stockpiles are an integral part of the fact that we're seeing the amounts of missiles fired every day diminish," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists.

The Israeli military announced it had launched a new wave of strikes in Tehran on Wednesday, saying they were targeting military infrastructure belonging to the "Iranian regime", reports AFP.

"The IDF has begun an additional wave of strikes targeting military infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime across Tehran," the military said in a statement.

In his first public address since joining the war, Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said the Lebanese militant group rejects the government’s plan to disarm its fighters. “As long as the (Israeli) occupation is present, then the resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right,” Kassem said.

Lebanon’s leaders say Hezbollah’s rocket fire into Israel is illegal and urged the Lebanese army to crack down on groups possessing weapons outside state control.

Lebanon’s cash-strapped military, backed by the U.S. and other governments, has been deploying in recent months across southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong military presence. However, it’s unclear if the army is able or willing to disarm Hezbollah by directly confronting them.

The U.N. refugee agency, basing its estimates on Iranian officials, also said around 1,000 to 2,000 vehicles per day were reported leaving the capital, mostly toward the north, reports AP.

Geneva-based UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the latest reports on Wednesday indicated no increase in cross-border movements linked to the recent conflict “but the situation remains fluid.”

The White House on Wednesday said Spain has agreed to cooperate with U.S. operations in the Mideast after Trump had threatened to cut off trade with Madrid, reports AP.

“With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “And it’s my understanding over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the US military. And so I know that the US military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.”

Trump on Tuesday said he was going to “cut off all trade with Spain,” the day after Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said his country would not allow the U.S. to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the United Nations’ charter.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Wednesday denied that the government had changed its position on supporting the U.S. military operations against Iran, contradicting a White House spokesperson.

“I can refute (the White House spokesperson),” Albares told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”

Albares spoke in Madrid shortly after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said that Spain had changed its position and “they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military.”

Internet access in Iran is almost entirely shut down, meaning residents use the brief windows of connectivity to send messages to the outside world, reports AP.

A 23-year-old in Tehran told The Associated Press on Wednesday he hopes U.S. and Israeli strikes topple the Islamic Republic.

“It has to fall or they will take their revenge on us,” he wrote. He said that in January, he had joined anti-government protests in which security forces shot thousands of demonstrators and arrested tens of thousands more.

Another resident in the capital’s Velenjak neighborhood told the AP that “conditions in Tehran are falling apart fast” under the air campaign. As she spoke, ambulance sirens wailed and pro-government slogans blared from nearby mosque loudspeakers.

“The possibility of moving around isn’t as much as before,” she said, adding: “I hope whatever is good for Iran, happens.”

Iran's regime is being "absolutely crushed" by the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic, the White House said Wednesday, reports AFP.

"Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the rogue Iranian terrorist regime is being absolutely crushed," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a news conference.

India has denied reports suggesting that Indian ports are being used by the United States to support its military actions against Iran, calling the claims "baseless and fabricated." In an official statement, the MEA said: “Claims being made on OAN, a US-based channel that Indian ports are being used by the US Navy are fake and false. We caution you against such baseless and fabricated comments.”

The controversy erupted earlier in the day when One America News (OAN), a conservative US-based television network known for its provocative coverage, aired claims suggesting that Indian naval facilities, particularly in the western ports of Mumbai and Kochi, were being utilised by American warships for staging attacks on Iranian assets.

Ministry of External Affairs’s official fact-checking handle, MEA FactCheck, also posted a “Fake News Alert!” on X, reiterating that the reports were untrue.

Iraq's electricity ministry said on Wednesday that the entire country had been affected by a total power outage, without identifying the cause, reports AFP.

"The power grid has completely shut down across all Iraqi provinces," the ministry said, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

It added that it was looking to determine the cause of the blackout, and had begun restoring power stations and transmission lines. Parts of the country have come under repeated attack since the war between Israel, the US and Iran broke out.

The Israeli military on Wednesday said the Israeli Air Force has dropped more than 5,000 bombs on targets in Iran since the start of the conflict, as operations continue to expand.

In a statement posted on X, it said, “Israeli air force fighter jets continue to deepen their air superiority throughout Iran, with an emphasis on the Tehran area." The Israel Defence Forces also released video footage purportedly showing a strike on an Iranian air defence system in the Tehran area.

Hezbollah said Wednesday its fighters were engaged in "direct" clashes with Israeli forces in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, located about six kilometres from the border, reports AFP.

This is the first claim of a direct confrontation between the two sides since the war started on Monday.

The pro-Iran group said in a statement: "After monitoring the movements of an Israeli enemy army force that tried to advance' inside the town of Khiam, 'the fighters of the Islamic Resistance detonated an explosive device and engaged in direct clashes with the force".

In an X post, American Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, Dylan Johnson, stated that over 17,500 American citizens returned to the country from the Middle East.

"Through the State Department 24/7 Task Force, we have assisted nearly 6,500 Americans abroad, including offering security guidance and travel assistance. The U.S. State Department will continue to actively assist any American citizen abroad who wishes to depart the Middle East, to do so," stated Dylan.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it detected new missiles launched from Iran, on the fifth day of the US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic republic.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel", the military said in a statement, adding aerial defence was working to intercept them.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has spoken briefly at a news conference, addressing civilians who were displaced after Israel began its ground invasion of southern Lebanon on Monday.

“I would like to promise … that we will spare no effort to bring an end to this destructive war, and to bring the displaced people to their homes, and to protect Lebanon and its people,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.

Directly addressing those forced to flee their homes, the prime minister said: “You are not alone. All of Lebanon is your home.”

“Our people who had to leave their homes are not responsible for what has befallen them,” he continued. “They are victims – victims of policies not of their making.”

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 72 people and displaced more than 83,000 since the start of a new round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanese officials announced Wednesday.

In a statement, the health ministry said "the toll of the Israeli aggression since dawn on Monday... has risen to 72 martyrs and 437 wounded", while the minister of social affairs announced that the number of displaced in official shelters was 83,847.

Israel is carrying out air strikes on multiple areas of Lebanon after the pro-Iran group began launching rockets and drones towards it on Monday in retaliation for the US and Israeli attack that killed Iran's supreme leader.

Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun met the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, and discussed with him the current situation in Lebanon and the region, in light of the recent security developments. According to an X post, "He requested from him the intervention of the United States of America to stop the Israeli aggression on Lebanon."

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday said it was "illusory" to think that conflicts in the Middle East can be resolved "by military force and unilateral action alone".

"We must emphasise this repeatedly to our American and Israeli friends, and we will continue to do so," Pistorius told the German parliament.

"History teaches us that starting wars is much easier than ending them," Pistorius said.

"This means that a robust exit strategy is needed," he said, adding: "I do not see one at present."

After visiting US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that he wanted to see an end to the war triggered by joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran "as soon as possible".

"We are hoping that the Israeli and the American army are doing the right things to bring this to an end and to have, really, a new government in place that is coming back to peace and freedom," Merz said.

But Merz, who had criticised Iran's ruling clerics sharply over their deadly crackdown on protests in January, also said that he and Trump "are on the same page in terms of getting this terrible regime in Tehran away".

Air India is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East and has started operating a few flights to and from Dubai and Jeddah to bring back stranded passengers, it said in an X post.

The following flights will commence:

•AI2255/2256 - Delhi-Jeddah-Delhi

•AI2251/2252 - Mumbai-Jeddah-Mumbai

•AI2245/2246 - Mumbai-Jeddah-Mumbai

Air India has also planned to operate an additional service AI909D/996D early on 5 March on the Mumbai-Dubai-Delhi route with a B777 aircraft with larger capacity to fly back stranded passengers.

Iran's armed forces threatened on Wednesday to target Israeli missions worldwide if Israel were to attack Tehran's mission in Lebanon, a military spokesman said.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, the spokesman of the Iranian armed forces, said live on television that "if Israel commits such a crime, it will force us to make all Israeli embassies around the world our legitimate target".

On Tuesday, Avichay Adraee, an Arabic-language spokesman for the Israeli military, said it "warns representatives of the Iranian terror regime who are still in Lebanon to leave immediately before being targeted", giving them 24 hours to leave.

Israel said Wednesday it had struck a major Iranian military compound in Tehran housing command centres of the Revolutionary Guards, the elite Quds Force and the Basij paramilitary force.

"A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force, precisely guided by IDF (military) intelligence, completed a wide-scale strike targeting a large... military compound in eastern Tehran" that contained "headquarters of all of the Iranian security organisations", the Israeli military said in a statement.

Other Iranian security agencies at the compound included Iran's intelligence directorate, internal security forces and Iran's cyber warfare unit, the military said.

China will send a special envoy to mediate in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday, as the war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran continued its regional spread.

Beijing is a close partner of Iran and has said it backs Tehran in defending its sovereignty, while urging the United States and Israel to cease their attacks.

China "will send a special envoy on Middle East issues to regional countries for mediation", Wang said during a call with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan, according to a readout by Beijing.

The statement did not name the envoy or give details about which countries they would visit.

Beijing "has always been a force for peace and is willing to continue playing a constructive role", Wang said.

"China strongly urges all parties to... return to dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, and prevent the further escalation of tensions," he added.

President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed Iran’s neighbouring countries, saying that Tehran sought to avert war through diplomacy but that US-Israel attacks left it “with no choice” but to attack, as reported by Al Jazeera.

“We respect your sovereignty,” the president said in two separate posts in Arabic and Persian on X. Iran believes that security in the region must be achieved through a regional collective effort, he added.

His comments came after Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister spoke over the phone with Iran’s foreign minister, where he rejected claims that Tehran had targeted only US interests in the country.

Danish shipping giant Maersk said Wednesday that it was suspending bookings in the Gulf "until further notice" following a risk assessment of the evolving situation there, as the Middle East conflict spreads.

"We are temporarily suspending cargo booking acceptance in and out of the UAE, Oman (all ports apart from Salalah), Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia (Dammam and Jubail only) until further notice. This is with immediate notice. Exceptions will be made for critical foodstuffs, medicine and other essential goods," Maersk said in a statement.

The company added that the measure does not apply to Jordan and Lebanon. Two of its vessels are currently in the Gulf.

In an X post, the White House released an unclassified video of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena being attacked and blown up by an American submarine. The 22-second video shows the ship in the submarine's periscope's crosshairs, and seven seconds into the video, the ship explodes. Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth is heard narrating, saying, "An Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, we are fighting to win."

The clip is from a press conference where Hegseth announced the sinking of the frigate.

Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Sheikh Mohammed urged "an immediate halt to these attacks", according to a statement by Qatar's foreign ministry and accused Tehran of seeking to "harm its neighbours and drag them into a war that is not theirs".

A statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry said Mohammed firmly rejected Iran’s claims that Iranian forces have targeted US assets in the Gulf country and not civilian infrastructure.

The Qatari prime minister said Iran had "struck civilian and residential areas within the State of Qatar, including the vicinity of Hamad International Airport, vital infrastructure, and industrial zones housing liquefied natural gas production facilities" despite Araghchi's assertion that the Iranian missile attacks were directed at American interests and did not target the State of Qatar.

These acts “constitute a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and of the principles of international law”, it added, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Turkey on Wednesday summoned the Iranian ambassador after a ballistic missile launched from Iran headed toward its airspace, a diplomatic source said.

"The Iranian ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry, and we conveyed our reaction and concerns over the incident," the source said.

Turkish officials said the missile was destroyed by NATO air-defence systems.

Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa, in an X post, said that a military operation of this scale happening so close to Sri Lanka can't be treated by the government as “someone else’s problem.” He further added that "it signals that tensions far beyond our region are now touching these waters. Incidents like this remind us that Sri Lanka sits at the heart of the Indian Ocean and must remain vigilant in safeguarding maritime security, humanitarian response, and the stability of our region."

Israel’s military says its air force has dropped more than 5,000 munitions in Iran since the start of its operation on Saturday.

In a post on X, the Israeli military said fighter jets were continuing to “deepen air superiority throughout Iran” with a particular focus on the Tehran area.

The statement accompanied footage that the military said showed an attack aimed at destroying what it described as the Iranian government’s air defence systems in the capital.

The US-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,045 people, according to Iranian state media, while several schools and hospitals have also been hit.

The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations says the US has launched its war on Iran for Israel’s benefit.

“The U.S. Government has sacrificed the interests of its own nation to the hegemonic ambitions of the Israeli regime in the region and to the illusory aspiration of establishing a ‘Greater Israel’ through the expansion of occupation,” it said in a social media post.

“The consequences for the global economic crisis arising from this aggression rest entirely upon the initiators of the war.”

Oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has plunged by 90 per cent since the outbreak of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the energy market intelligence firm Kpler said Wednesday on X.

Iranian military officials have said they have completely choked off traffic through the waterway that a fifth of the world's crude oil supplies transit, but Kpler said some are risking the trip.

"Unlike several other vessel segments where movements have largely ceased, some tankers are still travelling east and west through the strait, with a number of voyages occurring under AIS blackouts," said Kpler Principal Freight Analyst Matt Wright, referring to the marine traffic tracking system.

Saudia Airlines has extended flight cancellations to and from Amman, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Moscow, and Peshawar, due to the ongoing situation, until 23:59GMT on March 6.

Alerts have gone off in northern and central Israel after Israel’s military announced a new wave of incoming Iranian missiles, as reported in Al Jazeera.

The Times of Israel reported sirens in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and throughout central Israel. Israel’s Arutz Sheva media also reported sirens in Israel’s northern Galilee region.

Oman’s navy has responded to a report that a cargo ship flying the Maltese flag was attacked by two missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, Oman News Agency has reported.

The ship’s crew of 24 was rescued and provided with necessary medical care, the report said, adding that they were all in “good health”.

Sri Lanka's navy has recovered 87 bodies of sailors from an Iranian warship that was sunk on Wednesday by a US submarine off the island's southern coast, police and defence officials said.

US Defence Secretary Hegseth earlier said that an American submarine torpedoed the Iranian Frigate, which was reportedly on its way back from the Milan 2026 International Fleet Review, held in Visakhapatnam last month.

"We have collected 87 bodies, and a search is still on for the others who are still missing," a navy official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Police and navy spokesmen said 61 sailors were still missing. Some 32 have been rescued and are being treated at a hospital in the city of Galle, according to officials.

The US defence chief on Wednesday dismissed China and Russia as non-factors in Washington's decision-making when it comes to the war against Iran. "I don't have a message for them, and they're not really a factor here, and our issue is not with them," Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a press conference, adding that the US focus was purely on ending what he called "the nuclear ambitions of Iran."

Russia and China have longstanding diplomatic and trade ties with Iran, while Russia has close military links to the country. Both Moscow and Beijing have criticised the US-Israeli war to topple the Iranian government and destroy its military.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the Legislative Council that the state government has started immediate steps to safely bring back citizens of Maharashtra stranded in various countries to India due to the tense situation in the Middle East. He clarified that soon everyone will be brought back home in a phased manner.

Regarding the Saturday attack on an Iranian girls’ school that killed over 160 people, Hegseth said Washington is “investigating”.

“All I can say is that we are investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets, but we are taking a look and investigating that,” said Hegseth, according to Al Jazeera.

“We are targeting Iran’s ballistic missile system to prevent them from threatening the US forces, interests and partners in the region,” said Caine, according to Al Jazeera.

“Second, we are destroying the navy, degrading its capacity, capability and ability to conduct operations … around the world.”

And “third, we’re ensuring Iran cannot rapidly rebuild or reconstitute its combat capability or power, and those phases will advance as the campaign continues,” said Caine.

The next step, said Caine, is to “expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory and create additional freedom of manoeuvre for US forces.”

“Central Command is now shifting, on day four already, from large deliberate strike packages using stand-off munitions at range outside an enemy’s ability to shoot at us, now into stand-in precision strikes overhead Iran,” he further said, adding, “This will allow the joint force to deliver significantly increased precision effects on the target. This will allow us to maintain consistent pressure on the adversary over the coming days, disrupt their timelines.”

A US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday.

"An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," Hegseth told reporters.

Nearly 150 were missing and several dead after the frigate IRIS Dena sank on Wednesday off Sri Lanka, officials said.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a press conference, said “more forces are arriving” in the Middle East for the conflict with Iran, which the US will take its time to ensure victory in.

“It’s very early, and as President Trump has said, we will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.”

He also said that the USA and Israel are just getting started with their attacks on Iran, more waves of which are soon to come.

He added that the US will use an unlimited stockpile of precision gravity bombs.

Continuing his remarks, Hegseth said US and Israeli forces expect to have “complete control of Iranian skies” in a few days, less than a week after the war began.

He has also accused Iran of having “negotiated in bad faith” while “scheming and preparing” an attack.

“We acted decisively,” said Hegseth.

He also praised Israel, accused of committing a genocide in Gaza, as being a “steadfast partner” with “unmatched skill”.

“Fighting next to such a capable power is a true force multiplier and a breath of fresh air,” he said.

A ⁠container ship has reportedly been hit ⁠by a projectile ⁠in the Strait of Hormuz north of ‌Oman, causing a fire in its engine room, UK Maritime Trade Operations says.

The organisation, which monitors commercial shipping, said no environmental impact had been reported as a result of the strike.

Israel’s army says it has started to carry out another wave of strikes on Lebanon’s south, which it has been attacking from the air throughout the day and pushing troops deeper into.

After the announcement, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported a new Israeli air raid on the southern town of Khiam.

Hezbollah said on Wednesday it had struck two Israeli military vehicles in the southern Lebanese village of Houla, as Israel's army reportedly advances over the border.

In a statement, the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said it struck an armoured personnel carrier in Houla with "appropriate weapons, achieving a direct hit".

In a separate statement, Hezbollah said it had also struck a Merkava tank in Houla "achieving a direct hit".

The UK ⁠needs to act “with a cool head” amid concerns about the widening Iran crisis, Prime ‌Minister Keir Starmer has said.

“We need to act, therefore, with clarity, with purpose ⁠and with a cool ⁠head,” he told parliament.

He also said ⁠the UK had been ⁠liaising closely ⁠with the US on pre-deploying military assets ‌to the region, including air defence and counter-drone systems, as well as F-35 ‌jets.

He also defended his handling of the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran after President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack over his initial refusal to allow the Americans to use UK air bases.

"American planes are operating out of British bases. That is the special relationship in action," he told parliament.

"British jets are shooting down drones and missiles to protect American lives in the Middle East on our joint bases. That is the special relationship in action, sharing intelligence every day to keep our people safe," he added.

NATO on Wednesday condemned Iran's "targeting" of member country Turkey after Ankara said a missile heading towards its airspace had been destroyed by alliance defence systems.

"We condemn Iran's targeting of Turkiye. NATO stands firmly with all allies, including Turkiye, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region," NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said, using the country's official name.

"Our deterrence and defence posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defence," she added.

France's President Emmanuel Macron told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that he stood by him after President Donald Trump threatened to sever trade with Spain over it refusing US use of its bases to attack Iran, his office said.

"The president has just spoken with Prime Minister Sanchez to express France's European solidarity in response to the recent threats of economic coercion targeting Spain," it said.

European Council President Antonio Costa has spoken to Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in the face of threats from the US.

“I have just held a call ⁠with [Sanchez] ⁠to express the EU’s full solidarity with Spain,” Costa posted on X.

“The ⁠EU will always ensure that ⁠the interests ⁠of its Member States are fully protected”, he said, adding the bloc reaffirmed its “firm commitment to the principles of international law and the rules-based order everywhere in the world”.

Trump has threatened to cut off all trade with Spain for refusing to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.

QatarEnergy says it “has declared Force Majeure to its affected buyers” after it earlier announced it was stopping production of LNG and associated products.

On Monday, the world’s largest LNG producer said in a statement that “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”.

Shortly after the announcement, benchmark Dutch and British wholesale gas prices soared by almost 50 percent, while benchmark Asian LNG prices jumped almost 39 percent.

Israel’s Finance Ministry says damage to the country’s economy from the war on Iran could reach 9 billion shekels ($2.9 billion) a week.

The Israeli military said Wednesday it detected missiles launched from Iran, on the fifth day of the US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel", the military said in a statement, adding that aerial defence was working to intercept them.

A cellphone message was sent to members of the public urging them to seek shelter.

The US embassy in Qatar has urged US nationals in the Gulf country to “leave now”.

“On March 3, the Department of State ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Qatar due to the threat of armed conflict. If safe to do so, Americans should leave Qatar now,” it said in a post on X today.

“Qatari airspace and maritime routes remain closed. The Salwa land border crossing to Saudi Arabia is currently open.”

Turkey's Defence Ministry said NATO defences had intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Turkish airspace.

In a statement, the ministry said the downed missile fell over Turkiye’s Dortyol district near the Mediterranean, causing no casualties.

It stressed that Turkiye is “capable of ensuring the security of its territory and citizens, regardless of who or where the threat comes from”.

“We remind you that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile act towards our country,” it added, urging all parties to refrain from “actions that would further spread the conflict in the region”.

The death toll in Iran from the US-Israeli attacks has risen to 1,045, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

A group of 377 people from Maharashtra, who went to Dubai for an international conference and study tour through an insurance company, are currently stuck in Dubai. This includes as many as 66 people from the Pune district. They are currently lodged at a hotel in Dubai and their basic necessities have been covered, however, arrangements are yet to be made regarding their return.

After the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena sank in a reported submarine attack near Sri Lanka, the Congress Media and Publicity Chairman, Pawan Khera, questioned whether India has influence left in its neighbourhood. In an X post, Khera said, "Today, an Iranian naval vessel - returning from the Milan 2026 International Fleet Review, where it had been invited by India - was sunk by a U.S. submarine at the edge of Indian waters near Sri Lanka. Does India have no influence left in its own neighbourhood? Or has that space also been quietly ceded to Washington and Tel Aviv?"

The IRIS Dena had taken part in the Milan 2026 International Fleet Review in Visakhapatnam last month.

A Sri Lankan navy spokesperson has said bodies, suspected to be those of crew members, have been recovered in an ongoing search and rescue operation for the crew of an Iranian military ship that made a distress call just outside the island’s territorial waters earlier.

According to Al Jazeera, the spokesperson said they could not give details on the number of dead.

They said officials were working to identify the bodies.

Thirty-two people were rescued from the vessel and are receiving treatment in the hospital, the spokesperson said, after the navy had responded to a distress call from the ship earlier today.

The spokesperson said they did not observe any other ships in the area.

They said the focus was currently on saving lives, and that investigations into other details could come later.

Iran announced that a state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which had been planned for Wednesday evening in Tehran, was postponed "in anticipation of unprecedented turnout," state television reported.

"The farewell ceremony for the martyred Imam has been postponed. The new date will be announced later," Iranian television reported on Wednesday after Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes over the weekend.

A UN panel of experts has said it is “deeply disturbed” by the deaths of children in what Iran has described as a US-Israeli attack on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab on Saturday that killed at least 165.

“The Committee is alarmed by reports of strikes on civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, which have injured and traumatised children, and claimed many young lives,” the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said in a statement.

Children must be protected ⁠from war, added the committee, a body of 18 independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ⁠which protects children’s rights to education and safeguards them from violence.

Iran’s Ambassador ‌to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, had raised the issue with UN human rights chief Volker Turk in ‌a ‌March 1 letter, calling the attack “unjustifiable” and “criminal”.

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar separately said Wednesday they had intercepted drone and missile barrages as Iran pressed its campaign targeting its neighbours into a fifth day.

The UAE's Ministry of Defence said its air defences "successfully engaged today (March 4, 2025) with 3 ballistic missiles and detected 129 drones, of which 121 drones were intercepted while 8 fell on state territory".

Qatar's military said it was targeted "at dawn today, by 10 drones and 2 cruise missiles coming from the Islamic Republic of Iran," with all of the projectiles intercepted by its forces.

Haneen Sayed, the Lebanese social affairs minister, has told Al Jazeera that 65,000 people have registered in shelters after being displaced by the recent Israeli strikes.

Sayed, whose ministry is responsible for providing shelter and supplies to the displaced, said perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 others had also been displaced but were “on the road” or sheltering with friends and family, and were still in the process of registering for support.

“It is not a good situation. People are worried,” she said, adding that memories were still fresh from the war with Israel in 2024 of “waking up daily to sounds of either drones or explosions”.

She said the government had declared the military activities of Hezbollah illegal, and that its long-term plan was “establishing the authority of the state on all of its territories”.

Madrid has ⁠shared ⁠with Berlin its “surprise” at remarks made by German Chancellor Friedrich ⁠Merz that appeared to support US pressure on Spain over Iran, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has said.

“I cannot imagine Chancellors [Angela] Merkel or [Olaf] Scholz making such remarks,” Albares said in an ⁠interview with state broadcaster TVE.

During a visit to the White House on Tuesday, the German leader had said that Madrid needed “convincing” to agree to ⁠NATO’s higher defence spending target ⁠of 3.5 per cent of ⁠GDP, following threats by Trump to cut trade with Spain.

The ⁠Syrian ⁠land and sea ports authority says it has ⁠closed its border crossing with Lebanon for departures after ‌receiving a warning from Israel that Israeli forces may target ⁠the crossing.

Arrivals remain ⁠open as long as Syrians ⁠are fleeing from Lebanon, ⁠according to ⁠the media official at the Jdeidet ‌Yabous border crossing, Al Jazeera reported.

Lebanese state media reported on Wednesday that the Israeli army entered the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, about six kilometres from the Lebanon-Israel border.

"The town of Khiam is witnessing continuous artillery shelling, while the Israeli enemy army penetrated into the town," state media said.

A Lebanese military source told AFP on Tuesday that Israel had launched a ground incursion into a border area in southern Lebanon, in parallel with its campaign of airstrikes.

The Israeli military told residents living south of Lebanon's Litani River to immediately head north on Wednesday, warning that the army was "compelled to take military action" against Hezbollah in the area.

"For your own protection, you must vacate your homes immediately. Anyone located near Hezbollah operatives, facilities, or weapons is putting their life at risk," one of the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee, posted on X, adding that "any building or home utilised by Hezbollah for military purposes is a legitimate target and may be engaged."

"Residents of southern Lebanon, you must move immediately to areas north of the Litani River," the post said.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that Iran still has significant capacity to launch missiles at Israel, even as it continues to strike missile launchers in the Islamic republic.

"We have destroyed dozens of missile launchers that posed significant threats to the Israeli front," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised briefing. "We will continue to strike the missile launchers and reduce the firing, but the regime still has significant capacity, and I would like to remind you that our defence is not impenetrable."

In a separate statement, the military said it had struck overnight a facility "for the storage, production, and launch of ballistic missiles -- including Ghadr missiles -- in Isfahan in western Iran."

Saudi Arabia intercepted a drone attack targeting its massive Ras Tanura refinery, the defence ministry said Wednesday, following an earlier hit on the complex along its Gulf coast this week.

"Initial estimates indicate that the attack was carried out by a drone and did not result in any damage," the ministry said in a statement posted on X.

On Monday, some operations at the Ras Tanura refinery were halted following an attack that caused a fire at the complex.

The Ras Tanura facility along the kingdom's eastern Gulf coast is home to one of the largest refineries in the entire Middle East and a cornerstone of the kingdom's energy sector.

The complex has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.

Gulf states have accused Tehran of targeting energy installations across the region amid waves of Iranian barrages fired at its neighbours since the US and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran.

Chinese shipping giant Cosco, which operates one of the world's biggest oil tanker fleets, said it is suspending from Wednesday services to and from Gulf countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait.

"In view of the escalating conflicts in the Middle East region and the resultant restrictions on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz," Cosco has decided to "suspend all new bookings ... for relevant routes with immediate effect until further notice", it said in a statement.

The UK government said it has chartered a commercial flight out of Oman on Wednesday to help British nationals wanting to leave following the attacks across West Asia in the wake of the US-Israel strikes on Iran.

The Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) said the flight will leave the Omani capital of Muscat at 2300 local time (1900 GMT) on Wednesday for British nationals who are keen to return home. "British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18 are eligible," the FCDO said in a statement.

"All passengers must hold a valid travel document. Dependents who are not British nationals will require a valid visa/permission to enter or remain that was granted for more than six months.

“The FCDO will contact British nationals in Oman to secure them a seat on this charter flight – prioritising those most vulnerable first," it stated.

The officials stressed that British nationals should not make their way to the Muscat International Airport unless they are informed to do so, with those who have registered their presence in the region in the past few days called to fill out the official repatriation form.

“A specialised Rapid Deployment Team is in Muscat to provide on-the-ground support to British nationals. We will continue to work with airlines to find more routes for people to return home," the FCDO said.

An official "crisis centre" continues to operate "around the clock" to provide up-to-date information for the around 130,000 British nationals who have registered as stranded across Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the strikes began on Saturday.

"The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority... the airspace is still closed in many of these countries, but I am in close contact with my counterparts across the region," Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament on Tuesday.

Hezbollah said on Wednesday it had targeted the headquarters of Israel Aerospace Industries, in central Israel, overnight with a drone attack, while also saying it launched a missile at a drone control base.

In a statement, the pro-Iran group said it had "struck the headquarters of the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) company in central occupied Palestine with a swarm of attack drones" at 2:00 am (0000GMT) on Wednesday, "in response to the criminal Israeli aggression that targeted dozens of Lebanese cities and towns".

In a separate statement, Hezbollah said it had struck a "drone control base" in northern Israel with a "precision-guided missile" shortly before dawn.

The European Commission is "ready" to defend EU interests after President Donald Trump threatened to sever trade with Spain for refusing to allow US use of its bases to attack Iran, AFP reported on Wednesday.

Commission spokesman Olof Gill, in a statement issued in response to Trump's threats, said: "We stand in full solidarity with all member states and all its citizens and, through our common trade policy, stand ready to act if necessary to safeguard EU interests."

Singapore on Wednesday officially endorsed the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the Situation in the Middle East. The endorsement followed a joint statement issued by ASEAN members expressing grave concern over a significant military escalation in the region. In the statement, the ASEAN ministers expressed "serious concern" regarding the escalation of conflict following strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran on 28 February 2026. The statement urges all involved parties to exercise "utmost self-restraint" and avoid further acts that could aggravate the situation.

Sri Lanka rescued 32 critically wounded sailors aboard the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank on Wednesday just outside the island's territorial waters, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. Herath told parliament that the injured sailors were taken to a hospital in the island's south.

The 180-crew frigate had issued a distress call at dawn, after it was reportedly attacked by a submarine.

Sri Lanka's defence ministry said it was searching for the other crew of the IRIS Dena, which went down about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the island.

"We are keeping up a search, but we don't know yet what happened to the rest of the crew," an official told AFP, dimming prospects for finding any more survivors.

Herath said two Sri Lankan navy vessels and an aircraft were deployed for the rescue operation, but did not say what caused the Iranian warship to sink.

An opposition legislator asked in parliament whether the vessel had been bombed as part of the ongoing US-Israeli attacks against Iran, but there was no immediate response from the government.

Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said their operation was in line with Sri Lanka's maritime obligations and that 32 Iranian sailors were evacuated to the main hospital in Galle, 115 kilometres (70 miles) south of the capital Colombo.

"We responded to the distress call under our international obligations, as this is within our search and rescue area in the Indian Ocean," Sampath told AFP.

Both Sri Lanka's navy and the air force said they were not releasing footage of the rescue because it involved the military of another state.

Police stepped up security outside the Galle hospital as the wounded Iranians were brought there by the local navy.

At least 150 people are missing, and 78 are injured following a reported submarine attack on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s coast, according to Reuters, citing naval and defence sources.

IRIS Dena had earlier participated in the international fleet review in Visakhapatnam.

Iran’s top diplomat is again criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump as America and Israel continue their airstrike campaign targeting his country in the war. Abbas Araghchi said that “Trump betrayed diplomacy and Americans who elected him.”

“When complex nuclear negotiations are treated like a real estate transaction, and when big lies cloud realities, unrealistic expectations can never be met,” Araghchi wrote on X. “The outcome? Bombing the negotiation table out of spite.”

The war began Saturday after Israel launched an airstrike killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The U.S. and Iran had held three rounds of nuclear negotiations prior to the start of the war, but no deal had been reached.

Iran has no intention of negotiating with the United States and can continue the Middle East war for as long as needed, Mohammad Mokhber, a senior aide to the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told state TV.

He told the broadcaster that Iran had "no trust in the Americans and we have no basis for any negotiations with them", adding that: "We can continue the war as long as we want." (AFP).

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hit back on Wednesday at US President Donald Trump's criticisms of Madrid's refusal to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran. "The position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war," he said in a televised address, a day after Trump threatened to sever all trade with Spain. "We will not be complicit in something that is harmful to the world and contrary to our values and interests, simply out of fear of retaliation." (AFP).

The Israeli Defence Forces on Wednesday claimed an Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jet shot down a Russian-made Iranian Yak-130 jet over Tehran. The IDF in a post on X said it marked the first-ever downing of a manned fighter jet by an F-35.

The Israeli military on Wednesday said it has begun broad-scale strikes in Tehran, with witnesses reporting multiple explosions in the northeast of the Iranian capital. "The Israeli Air Force has begun a broad scale strikes targeting Iranian terror regime targets in Tehran, details to follow," AFP reported, quoting from the army statement.

Separately, the Israeli Defence Forces, in a post on X, said it had carried out a series of strikes on the Basij and internal security command centres in Tehran. "The targeted command centers were used by the Iranian regime to maintain control throughout Iran. The IDF also struck the regime’s missile launchers and other systems," the IDF said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday he discussed the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East and its global security implications with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Sybiha expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and condemned what he described as Iran’s aggression, saying it threatens regional stability.

He said the two sides discussed the risks of further escalation and the need for diplomatic solutions, stressing that protecting civilians must remain a priority. Sybiha noted that Ukraine has firsthand experience with missile and drone warfare, including daily attacks involving Shahed drones. He said Kyiv is ready to share its expertise with partners facing similar threats.

Earlier, he spoke with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Sabah. “For Ukraine, this threat is not abstract. We face daily missile and drone attacks, including Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia against our cities and civilians,” Sybiha wrote on X.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he believed that Israeli-US strikes on Iran were not consistent with international law. "It would appear, prima facie, not to be consistent or to be inconsistent with international law," Carney told a gathering at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. (AFP).

Iran will hold a three-day state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes, the official news agency Irna said. "Starting at 10:00 pm (1830 GMT/00:00 IST), the faithful will be able to pay a final homage to the body of the martyred guide of the nation, by visiting the Imam Khomenei grand mosque" in Tehran, Irna said, citing a statement from the Islamic Development Coordination Council.

Khamenei was 86 years old when he was killed, and will be buried in his home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. (AFP).

Israel’s defence minister on Wednesday threatened whoever Iran picks to be the country’s next supreme leader, saying he will be “a target for elimination.” Israel Katz made the statement on X.

“Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be a target for elimination,” he wrote. Israel targeted a building on Tuesday associated with Iran’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the new supreme leader.

Israel killed the 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a strike Saturday that started the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they had launched around 40 missiles at US and Israeli targets, on the fifth day of war in the Middle East.

"Several hours ago, the 17th wave of operation Honest Promise 4 was conducted with the launch of 40 missiles by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' aerospace forces, towards American and Zionist targets," a statement read on state TV said, without giving further details. (AFP).

Strikes hit Lebanon overnight, including in several towns and on a hotel in a suburb right next to the capital. Beirut woke up to the sounds of drones whizzing overhead.

The Israeli military warned residents in a southern suburb to flee ahead of a morning airstrike, as more displaced people fleeing the conflict pour into the capital seeking shelter. (AP).

Amid the ongoing US-Israel strikes on Iran and the latter country's retaliatory strikes on US assets and infrastructure in the Gulf region, 186 Indian expatriates landed in Kochi in a special chartered flight early Wednesday.

It is understood that the flight arranged by 'Akbar Travels', took off from Fujairah and touched down at the Cochin International Airport at 4:30 am, bringing home the 186 passengers, including children, who were caught in the crossfire of widespread flight cancellations and skyrocketing airfares amid the escalating conflict. The passengers, relieved to touch down on home soil, shared contrasting accounts of the ground reality in the UAE. Prominent Malayalam actress Swasika, who was among the returnees, sought to downplay the panic, telling reporters that the current situation in the region is not as frightening as perceived from the outside. Read more...

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. (AFP).

The U.S. Senate is headed towards a vote Wednesday on President Donald Trump's decision to embark on a war against Iran, an extraordinary test in Congress for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear U.S. exit strategy.

The legislation, known as a war powers resolution, gives lawmakers an opportunity to demand congressional approval before any further attacks are carried out. The Senate resolution and a similar bill being voted on in the House later this week face unlikely paths through the Republican-controlled Congress and would almost certainly be vetoed by Trump even if they were to pass.

Nonetheless, the votes marked a weighty moment for lawmakers. Their decisions on the five-day-old war — which Trump entered without congressional approval — could determine the fates of U.S. military members, countless other lives and the future of the region. Read more...

The Israeli military said it struck "dozens" of Iranian security command centres on Wednesday, hitting sites across the capital Tehran.

"The Israeli Air Force... completed an additional wave of strikes targeting the Iranian terror regime's command centres throughout Tehran," including internal security and paramilitary Basij sites, a military statement said. (AFP).

A drone was shot down on Wednesday near Baghdad's international airport, a day after a similar attack on the facility, two security sources told AFP. "A drone was downed near Baghdad airport, with no casualties or material damage reported," an Iraqi security source said. Another security source in Baghdad confirmed the incident. The airport includes a military base that hosts a US diplomatic facility and previously housed US-led coalition troops. (AFP).

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they control the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas, and any vessels seeking to pass through the waterway risk damage from missiles or stray drones.

"Currently, the Strait of Hormuz is under the complete control of the Islamic Republic's Navy," said Guards Navy official Mohammad Akbarzadeh in a statement issued on Fars news agency. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the crucial Gulf shipping route. (AFP).

The Iran war has effectively halted oil tanker movement in the key Strait of Hormuz. But it's also disrupting the wider global supply chain beyond oil, affecting everything from pharmaceuticals from India, semiconductors from Asia and oil-derived products like fertilisers that come from the Middle East.

Cargo ships are stuck in the Gulf or making a much longer detour around the southern tip of Africa. Planes carrying air cargo out of the Middle East are grounded. And the longer the war drags on, the more likely that there will be shortages and price increases on a wide range of goods.

"This is really causing some major impacts within the global supply chain," said Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University. "As this conflict keeps progressing, you'll start to see some shortages, you'll see some major price increases." Read more...

Asian shares tumbled Wednesday, with South Korea’s benchmark plunging as much as 11%, while oil prices climbed even higher. Worries over the widening conflict with Iran have hammered most world markets.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 shed 3.4% to 54,346.73. Japan, like South Korea, depends heavily on imports of oil and natural gas from the Middle East that are now stranded in the Persian Gulf. The price of U.S. benchmark crude oil climbed 1.2% to $75.46 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 1.5% to $82.61 per barrel.

Higher oil prices and how much they might worsen inflation are spooking investors worried that more spikes for oil prices may grind down the global economy and sap corporate profits.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday said its Aerospace Force has successfully targeted and neutralised a second US-operated Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in West Asia, Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported.

According to a statement released by the IRGC’s Public Relations department published by Press TV, the advanced anti-missile system was struck by “precision-guided missiles,” rendering it completely non-operational. The statement did not point to the location of the attack. The IRGC stated that the elimination of these defensive batteries removes a major obstacle for Iranian missile operations.

“With the destruction of these two systems, the missile hand of the Islamic Republic of Iran is now open to successfully strike targets,” the statement read. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not yet issued a formal statement on the attacks.

Amid the US-Iran war and escalating oil prices, US President Donald Trump has said that if necessary, the US Navy would escort oil tankers through the vital Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officially declared on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, warning that any vessel attempting to pass will be "set on fire" or attacked, Al Jazeera reported. Since about a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait, the disruption to that traffic caused by the war has pushed oil prices higher.

Trump has also ordered the United States’ development finance arm to provide political risk insurance for tankers carrying oil and other goods through the Persian Gulf "at a very reasonable price." Political risk insurance is a type of coverage intended to protect firms against financial losses caused by unstable political conditions, government actions, or violence. Read more..

An Israeli airstrike hit a hotel outside of Beirut, Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported Wednesday. The strike came in Hazmieh, about 5 kilometres (3 miles) southeast of downtown Beirut. The report from Lebanon’s National News Agency said ambulances had been dispatched to the scene. It did not elaborate in its short report. (AP).

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 defences were working to intercept them.

No injuries were reported in the first wave. (AP).

India on Wednesday announced establishing a special control room in New Delhi on Wednesday to assist citizens amid escalating US-Israel strikes on Iran, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and prompted retaliation from Tehran targeting Gulf states. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the control room operates from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Indian time) via toll-free number 1800118797 or landlines +91-11-23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905. Emergency embassy contacts are also listed for countries including Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and the UAE. Iran's retaliatory strikes have spanned several countries, with missiles and drones intercepted over Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, prompting temporary airspace closures and resulting in both military and civilian casualties

The United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) announced "political risk insurance and guarantees" for maritime trade through the Gulf. In a post on Truth Social, he said, " Effective IMMEDIATELY, I have ordered the United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide, at a very reasonable price, political risk insurance and guarantees for the Financial Security of ALL Maritime Trade, especially Energy, traveling through the Gulf. This will be available to all Shipping Lines. If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD. The United States’ ECONOMIC and MILITARY MIGHT is the GREATEST ON EARTH."

Tensions flared as questions mounted at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday over the Trump administration’s shifting rationale for war with Iran as lawmakers demand answers over the strategy, exit plan and costs to Americans in lives and dollars for what is quickly becoming a widening Middle East conflict.

Trump officials made their case at the Capitol during a second day of closed-door briefings, this time with all members of the House and Senate ahead of a looming war powers resolution vote intended to restrict Trump’s ability to continue the joint U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran. "The president determined we were not going to get hit first. It’s that simple,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a testy exchange with reporters at the Capitol. Read more...

Hong Kong stocks tumbled three percent Wednesday as markets across the world are battered by fears about the impact of the US-Israel war in Iran that has sent oil prices surging. The Hang Seng Index fell to 24,984.87 in morning trade, with investors concerned that the spike in crude costs will fan inflation. (AFP).

The UK government has chartered a commercial flight out of Oman to help British nationals who want to leave the Middle East, the BBC reported. The flight is scheduled to leave Muscat on 4 March at 23:00 local time (19:00 GMT), and will take the most vulnerable people first.

According to the BBC, the Foreign Office said British nationals who have registered their presence in the UAE and are currently in Oman should urgently fill out the form, externally if they would like a seat on the flight. It urged people not to make their way to the airport unless they have been called by the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office added that it will continue to work with airlines to find more routes for people to return to the UK.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to end trade with Spain, citing a lack of support over the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and the European nation's resistance to increasing its NATO spending. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”

The U.S. president's comments came a day after Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said his country would not allow the U.S. to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the United Nations’ charter. Albares noted that the military bases in Spain were not used in the weekend attack on Iran. Read more...

Lebanese state media said that four people were killed and six more were wounded in an Israeli strike on a building in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday. "The initial toll is four killed and six wounded, and work is underway to rescue families from under the rubble," Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said. (AFP)

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 that 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. (AP)

The government on Tuesday said airlines have undertaken calibrated adjustments to their schedules and plan to operate 58 flights on March 4 (Wednesday) amid the Middle East conflict.

"Indian carriers are further planning 58 flights on 4th March, including 30 by IndiGo and 23 by Air India and Air India Express. Foreign carriers operating between India and the Gulf region are also undertaking limited operations, subject to operational and airspace considerations," the civil aviation ministry said in a statement.

"Special arrangements are being made to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers, with airlines deploying additional capacity where required and coordinating closely with foreign aviation authorities and Indian missions abroad to ensure safe and orderly passenger movement," the statement read. Read more...

An Israeli airstrike hit a four-storey building in the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, state media reported. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said that "enemy aircraft targeted a four-storey building at dawn" inside a residential complex in Baalbek, an area where Hezbollah holds sway. The NNA reported "a number of martyrs and work is underway to rescue families from under the rubble". (AFP).

Referring to the US-Israel attack on a school in southern Iran that killed more than 100 girls, the Iranian Parliament speaker vowed to 'seek justice for the innocent children killed in the assault.'In a post shared on X on Tuesday, Mohammad-Baqer Ghalibaf said," As long as these proud and lion-hearted mothers of the land of Iran are alive, the path of the martyred Imam of the Revolution triumphs over every aggressor, traitor, and homeland-seller. We are avengers of the blood of Iran's innocent and oppressed children until our last breath".

An Iranian drone strike hit a Central Intelligence Agency station Monday at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting people familiar with the matter. "No CIA personnel were wounded, and there are no indications that the attack deliberately targeted the CIA station rather than the broader embassy complex," the report quoted people as saying.

Saudi Arabia's government previously said the embassy had suffered minimal damage during a Monday drone attack, but didn't mention the CIA station being struck.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ordered France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the war in the Middle East.

Macron said the Charles de Gaulle carrier will be escorted by frigates and its air wing. In a prerecorded speech on French TV, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air-defense 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.

France, the U.K. and Germany have previously said that they weren’t involved in the strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel that began late last week, but were prepared to take defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones. Read more...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Wednesday for the "rapid de-escalation" of the Middle East war unleashed by US-Israeli strikes on Iran. "Resolution of this crisis will require commitment to a broader political solution, and diplomatic engagement is essential to avoid a wider and deeper conflict," Carney told reporters in Sydney.

"Innocent civilians must be protected, and all parties must commit to finding enduring agreements to end both nuclear proliferation and terrorist extremism," he said. (AFP).

The US military commander in the Middle East said Tuesday that American forces had struck nearly 2,000 targets so far in Iran as part of the largest firepower buildup in the region in a generation.

"We've already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones," Admiral Brad Cooper of US Central Command said in a video message.

"The first 24 hours of this operation were nearly double the scale" of the first day of shock-and-awe strikes on Iraq in 2003, "and we continue with 24/7 strikes into Iran," he added.