March 7: Israeli airstrikes on Iran and Hezbollah continue into the night

US bypasses congressional review to approve munitions sale to Israel

US President Donald Trump’s administration has bypassed US Congress using an emergency authority to expedite the sale of more than 20,000 bombs to Israel worth around $650 million, two US officials familiar with the sale say.

In a late Friday statement, the US State Department said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an emergency existed that required an immediate sale to Israel and waived the congressional review requirements for the sale.

The weapons package, which included 12,000 BLU-110A/B general purpose 1,000-pound bomb bodies that Israel had requested, comes a week after the United States and Israel began their joint air war against Iran, Washington’s biggest military operation since the 2003 Iraq invasion.

“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States,” the Department said in its statement, adding that the principal contractor will be Repkon USA, located in Texas.

A State Department official provides additional details about the sale, saying it also included BLU-111 500-pound general purpose bombs which was an amendment to a previous sale. The official adds that Israel will purchase an extra $298 million worth of critical munitions via direct commercial sales.

Lebanon says four killed in Israeli strike on hotel apartment in Beirut

At least four people were killed when an Israeli strike hit an apartment in the Ramada hotel building in central Beirut, Lebanon’s health ministry says.

Ten people were also injured in the strike in Beirut’s Raouche area, the ministry says in a statement.

The hotel was housing displaced people fleeing the war in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, and some were seen leaving the building for fear of further airstrikes.

No reports of injuries in Iranian missile barrage

There are no reports of injuries in the latest ballistic missile barrage from Iran.

The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

Kuwait says international airport targeted in drone attack

Kuwait’s defense ministry says that fuel tanks at the Gulf nation’s international airport were targeted in a drone attack, as Iran continues its strikes across the region.

“The fuel tanks of Kuwait International Airport were attacked by drones in a direct targeting of vital infrastructure,” an official defense ministry spokesman says, according to a post by the Kuwaiti military on X.

The spokesman adds the country’s forces are “responding to a wave of hostile drones” that penetrated the country’s airspace.

Sirens in central and northern Israel as Iran launches missiles

Sirens are sounding in central and northern Israel after new missile launches were detected from Iran.

Iranian cargo ships linked to missile program depart Chinese port for Iran — report

Two cargo ships owned by an Iranian company linked to Tehran’s ballistic missile program have left a chemical storage port in China en route to Iran, The Washington Post reports.

The newspaper notes that the two vessels belong to state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), a company sanctioned by the US, UK and European Union. It is accused of supplying Iranian military needs. Experts tell The Post that the Chinese port where the two ships were docked, at Gaolan, is known to handle chemicals used as key ingredients for rocket fuel.

Isaac Kardon, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, tells the paper: “China could have held these vessels at port, imposed an administrative delay, invented a customs hold — any number of bureaucratic tools, but didn’t. That’s a deliberate policy choice made during an active war in which Beijing publicly calls for restraint.”

Strike hits hotel apartment in central Beirut, at least two reported killed

At least two people have been killed after a strike hit an apartment in the Ramada hotel building in central Beirut, the first such attack to hit the heart of the Lebanese capital since hostilities resumed between Israel and Hezbollah last week, a Lebanese security source says.

No further details are immediately available. There is no immediate comment from Israel.

Video from the scene appears to show a pinpoint strike.

⚡️#BREAKING Drone strike targeted an apartment in the Ramada Hotel in Raouche, central Beirut pic.twitter.com/8bx8PdaDNM

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) March 7, 2026

Rocket sirens sound in northern Israel

Rocket sirens sounded in northern Israel a short time ago, particularly in the Nahariya area.

There were no reports of injuries in the latest attack.

US Central Command denies Iranian claim of captured American soldiers

The US Central Command denies that any US service members have been taken hostage or captured by Iran.

In a post on X, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani said: “It has been reported to me that several American soldiers have been taken prisoner.”

US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, says: “The Iranian regime is doing everything it can to peddle lies and deceive. This is yet another clear example.”

Trump: Iran’s regime among most evil people on earth, they cut babies’ heads off

Asked about Iran’s criticism of the US allegedly targeting a desalination plant, US President Donald Trump responds by highlighting Iran’s support for Hamas, which carried out atrocities on October 7.

“They are among the most evil people ever on earth. They cut babies’ heads off. They chop women in half — take a look at October 7. Take a look at one they’ve done over the last 47 years,” Trump tells reporters aboard Air Force One, appearing to conflate Iran and Hamas.

“I know nothing about a desalination plant. They’re complaining about a desalination plant. We complain about the fact that they shouldn’t be chopping babies’ heads off,” Trump adds.

While there was initial testimony of babies beheaded on October 7, it was never verified by Israeli authorities.

IDF confirms bombing several oil depots in Tehran, says they served Iran’s military

The Israeli military confirms bombing several Iranian fuel depots in Tehran this evening, saying they served Iran’s military.

“The military forces of the Iranian terror regime make direct and frequent use of these fuel tanks to operate military infrastructure. Through them, the Iranian terror regime distributes fuel to various consumers, including military entities in Iran,” the IDF says in a statement.

The IDF says the strike “constitutes an additional step in deepening the damage to the military infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime.”

'آتش‌سوزی انبار نفت اقدسیه از فاصله نزدیک'
ویدیوی دریافتی از سوهانک، انتهای بزرگراه ارتش #تهران'
شنبه ۱۶ اسفند #Iran #Tehran pic.twitter.com/ikqloDGwbm

— Vahid Online (@Vahid) March 7, 2026

IDF confirms strikes on Hezbollah sites in Beirut

The IDF confirms in a statement that it has begun a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The military says further details on the strikes will be provided later.

لحظة حدوث الغارة على الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت#ملحق pic.twitter.com/ioHn79DzPx

— Mulhak – ملحق (@Mulhak) March 7, 2026

Trump: I don’t want the Kurds to go into Iran, the war is complicated enough as is

US President Donald Trump says he doesn’t want Kurdish fighters from Iraq to join the war against Iran, after previously expressing support for the idea.

“I don’t want the Kurds to go into Iran… They’re willing to go in, but I’ve told them I don’t want them to go in… The war is complicated enough as it is… We don’t want to see the Kurds get hurt or killed,” Trump tells reporters aboard Air Force One after attending the return of the bodies of the first six American soldiers killed in the conflict with Iran.

On Thursday, Trump had said he’s welcome Kurdish involvement, saying: “I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it.” He was also reported to have discussed the possibility with Kurdish leaders.

When asked if the US would provide or had offered air cover, he responds, “I can’t tell you that,” but adds that the objective for the Kurds would be “to win.”

“If they’re going to do that, that’s good,” Trump adds.

He says he thinks Iran was behind the strike on a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran that reportedly killed 150 people. Internal US analyses are said to have found that the strike was likely an American one.

Trump also dismisses reports that Russia has been providing Iran intelligence in the war, asserting that there are no indications that Moscow is supporting Tehran.

He reiterates that the US is not interested in reaching a settlement with Iran and that he wants to pick who the next leader will be to ensure that they are not going to lead the country into war.

Trump says the war “will continue for a while longer,” declining to provide a timeline, after his press secretary said yesterday that it would likely last four to six weeks.

He separately expresses on Truth Social his disgust with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, claiming the latter is “finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East.”

“That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” Trump writes.

Asked about the potential deployment of US ground troops in Iran, Trump declines to offer a definitive answer.

“Could there be? Possibly… [It would] have to be for a very good reason,” Trump says.

As for the remaining stockpiles of enriched uranium still in Iran, Trump says the US is not currently focused on recovering it but could at some point.

“It’s something we could do later on,” he adds.

Fresh IDF strikes reported in Beirut’s southern suburbs

Lebanese media reports fresh Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, after the military warned it would hit Hezbollah sites in the area.

The IDF issued an evacuation warning, covering four major neighborhoods in the southern suburbs, known as the Dahiyeh, on Thursday. It reiterated the warning earlier today.

غارة عنيفة الضاحية الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/ijOra7rECj

— مصدر مسؤول (@fouadkhreiss) March 7, 2026

IDF says it destroyed Hezbollah rocket launcher used in barrages tonight

A Hezbollah rocket launcher used to fire a barrage at the Galilee this evening was destroyed in a strike, the military says.

According to the IDF, the rocket launcher was targeted a short while after the attack.

Hezbollah has ramped up its rocket fire on northern Israel today, with dozens of projectiles fired in several barrages on Israeli towns.

לפני זמן קצר, שוגרו רקטות לעבר יישובי הגליל, בסגירת מעגל מהירה, צה"ל תקף והשמיד את המשגר ממנו נורו הרקטות.

צה"ל ימשיך לפעול בעוצמה נגד ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שהחליט להצטרף למערכה ולפעול בחסות משטר הטרור האיראני, ולא יאפשר פגיעה באזרחי מדינת ישראל. pic.twitter.com/pM1CVx7tY2

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 7, 2026

Saudi has told Iran not to attack it, warns of possible retaliation, sources say

Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that while it favors a diplomatic settlement to Iran’s conflict with the United States and Israel, continued attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind, four sources familiar with the matter tell Reuters.

The message was conveyed before a speech earlier today in which Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring Gulf states for Tehran’s actions — an apparent attempt to defuse regional anger over Iranian strikes that hit civilian targets.

Two days earlier, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and set out Riyadh’s position with clarity, the sources say.

Saudi Arabia is open to any form of mediation aimed at de‑escalation and a negotiated settlement, the sources quote the minister as saying, underlining that neither Riyadh nor other Gulf states had let the US use their airspace or territory to launch airstrikes on Iran.

But Prince Faisal is also quoted by the sources as saying that if Iranian attacks persisted against Saudi territory or energy infrastructure, Saudi Arabia would be forced to permit US forces to use their bases there for military operations. Riyadh would retaliate if attacks on the kingdom’s critical energy facilities continued, he said, according to the sources.

The sources say the kingdom had remained in regular contact with Tehran through its ambassador since the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran began last week.

The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministries do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Latest Iranian missile likely intercepted; no reports of impacts or injuries

The ballistic missile launched from Iran in the latest attack on southern Israel was likely intercepted, according to initial military assessments.

There are no reports of direct impacts or injuries in the attack, the 12th from Iran in under 24 hours, medics say.

Iran’s army warns Azerbaijan to expel Israelis from country ‘to prevent spread of insecurity’

Iran’s military calls on its neighbor Azerbaijan to “expel the Zionists” from its territory in order to preserve its security, a day after Baku accused Tehran of plotting attacks on its territory.

Israel is a close ally of Azerbaijan’s and a key arms supplier, while Tehran has long accused Israel of using Azerbaijani territory for intelligence operations.

“We declare to Iran’s neighboring country, the Republic of Azerbaijan, as a Muslim country, to expel the Zionists from that country in order to prevent the spread of insecurity in the region and not to endanger the security of its people and Islamic Iran,” a military spokesman says in a statement.

Azerbaijan yesterday said it had foiled a series of planned Iranian terrorist attacks on its territory including on a key oil pipeline, a synagogue and Jewish community leaders.

Iran did not comment on the accusations.

On Thursday at least four drones crashed into Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan, including one that hit an airport, with Baku blaming Tehran.

Tehran denied the allegation and accused Israel of trying to stage a provocation.

Iranian ballistic missile launch detected; sirens to sound in southern Israel

The IDF says it has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel in the coming minutes.

Iranian missile fragments hit home in Lod, causing damage; no injuries reported

Fragments from an intercepted Iranian ballistic missile reportedly hit a home in the central city of Lod this evening, causing damage.

First responders say that there are no injuries in the incident.

הרסיס שחדר לבית בלוד. אין נפגעים. pic.twitter.com/Jnfnf7PV8K

— Boaz Golan בועז גולן (@BoazGolan) March 7, 2026

Sirens sound in Nahariya amid a Hezbollah rocket attack

Sirens sound in Nahariya amid a Hezbollah rocket attack from Lebanon.

Hezbollah has ramped up its rocket fire on northern Israel today, with dozens of projectiles fired in several barrages on Israeli towns, according to the military.

There have been no reports of injuries in the attacks.

Israeli jets hit 3 oil depots in Tehran, Iranian source says

Three oil depots in western Tehran were struck by Israeli fighter jets this evening, a source in Iran’s oil ministry is cited by the Fars news agency as saying.

The report says the depots were struck in the Kuhak and Shahran areas of the capital and in the nearby city of Karaj.

پالایشگاه تهران شهر ری ۱۶ اسفند. pic.twitter.com/nyiEaYBmPT

— Timesofiran (@timesofiran) March 7, 2026

Air defenses intercepted rockets fired at US embassy in Baghdad, sources say

Air defense systems intercepted rockets fired at the US embassy in Baghdad tonight, security sources tell AFP.

It was the first such attack on the embassy in Baghdad since the start of the war in the Middle East, triggered by a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, into which Iraq has been dragged.

Loud bangs were heard on Saturday night in Baghdad, AFP journalists report, with a witness near the fortified Green Zone, which houses the US embassy, reporting seeing air defenses activated over the area.

“Four rockets were launched… toward the embassy,” a security official says, adding that air defenses intercepted three, while one fell in an open area in the embassy’s airbase.

Two other security sources confirm the attack, with one saying that all rockets were downed, including the one that fell in the airbase.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani says he ordered security forces to find the perpetrators of “the terrorist act” against the US embassy.

He says that “targeting diplomatic missions and embassies operating in Iraq is an act that cannot be justified or accepted under any circumstances.”

No injuries reported in latest Iranian ballistic missile attack; missile likely intercepted

The ballistic missile launched from Iran in the latest attack on central Israel was likely intercepted, according to initial military assessments.

There are no reports of direct impacts or injuries in the attack, the 11th from Iran since midnight, medics say.

The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

IDF says fresh Iranian ballistic attack detected; sirens expected in central Israel

After an hour lull, the IDF says it has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

Sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona after barrage of Hezbollah rockets detected; no injuries reported

Another barrage of rockets was launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon at the Kiryat Shmona area a short while ago, setting off sirens in the northern city.

Multiple interceptions are seen over the area, and there are no immediate reports of injuries.

Netanyahu to Iranian people: ‘The moment of truth is close. We are trying to free Iran. Ultimately, it depends on you’

The war against Iran will continue unabated and without compromises, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video statement.

Israel has “an organized plan with many surprises” for the next phase of the war with Iran, says Netanyahu, “to destabilize the regime, to enable change.”

He says to IRGC members, “You are also in our sights. Whoever puts his weapon down, no harm will come to him. Whoever doesn’t do that, his blood is on his head.”

Turning to the Iranian people, Netanyahu says, “The moment of truth is drawing near.”

Israel is “not trying to divide Iran,” he says, “we are trying to free Iran.”

But ultimately, “it depends on you” to free Iran, he says to Iranians, predicting it will bring peace between Israel and Iran, and a widened circle of peace.

US President Donald Trump told Netanyahu during their December meeting, “Bibi, we have to stop Iran at any cost from attaining a nuclear weapon,” says the premier, thanking Trump for his “historic leadership” in the “US-Israel pact that is stronger than ever.”

Israel “stands with” the other countries that have been attacked by Iran, says Netanyahu, declaring that “everyone now understands that the ayatollahs’ regime endangers the world.” He claims that “many nations” are turning to Israel, requesting cooperation, “because we are strong, because we are right, because we are fighting.”

Netanyahu says many states in the region recognize the hypocrisy of the UN, which “unfoundedly castigated” Israel when fighting its just war against Hamas, but which was silent while Iranians were being slaughtered by their own leadership, and turns his fire on Western leaders for their “weakness and flaccidity” in their abandonment of Iran’s people.

When late supreme leader Ali Khamenei was slaughtering tens of thousands of Iranians, asks Netanyahu rhetorically, “where was the UN? Where were many states in the West? And where was the international media that denounces us relentlessly with fake news? They were nowhere; they simply disappeared.”

“Many countries see today exactly who they can count on,” says Netanyahu. “Israel is a lighthouse of power and hope.”

Thanks to that power, he continues, “we can widen the circle of security, peace and economic flourishing in the future to levels we have never seen.”

“But right now,” he says, addressing Israeli citizens, “we are still in the midst of a hard campaign. We won’t cease to hit the dictators in Iran… without compromise.”

Netanyahu also warns the Lebanese government: “It is your responsibility to enforce the [2024] ceasefire agreement. It is your responsibility to disarm Hezbollah.”

If Lebanon’s government doesn’t do that, Hezbollah’s attacks will bring disaster to Lebanon, says Netanyahu. “The time has come for you, too, to take your fate into your hands.”

Israel, says Netanyahu, “will do everything necessary to protect our towns and our citizens.”

Israeli Air Force striking Iranian oil infrastructure in Tehran, in apparent first

The Israeli Air Force is striking Iranian oil infrastructure in Tehran, Israeli officials say and footage posted to social media shows.

It apparently marks the first time since the start of the current war that Israel is striking national infrastructure in Iran.

The IDF said a short while ago that it had launched a new wave of strikes on Iranian regime infrastructure in the capital, with further details to be provided later.

«بامداد شانزدهم اسفند شنبه ده دقیقه قبل از سه صبح غرب تهران چیتگر» https://t.co/wziR5nu815 pic.twitter.com/Pzo0YsJfSm

— مملکته (@mamlekate) March 7, 2026

'شعله‌های آتش‌سوزی پالایشگاه نفت #تهران'
ویدیوی دریافتی: 'شنبه ۱۶ اسفند ساعت ۲۲'#Iran #Tehran pic.twitter.com/0UhrqkItP9

— Vahid Online (@Vahid) March 7, 2026

More than 150 Iranians, including diplomats, have left Lebanon after Israeli threats, Lebanese source says

More than 150 Iranian nationals, including diplomats and their families, have left Lebanon, a senior Lebanese security source tells Reuters, after the Israeli military threatened Iran’s representatives in Lebanon and conducted strikes near the embassy.

The security source says they were being flown to Russia on a Russian plane, and that another 20 Iranians had left on Friday following the start of a new conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

A source from the Iranian embassy in Beirut says a number of non-essential diplomats were leaving, but does not give a number.

On Tuesday, an Israeli military spokesperson said in a post on X that representatives of the Iranian government still in Lebanon should “leave immediately before they are targeted.”

The following day, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked authorities to arrest and deport any Iranian Revolutionary Guards carrying out military activities in Lebanon, the first time authorities have hinted at the possible presence of Iranian forces on its territory.

The Lebanese government has not said whether it has determined that Iranian forces were operating in Lebanon. Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati earlier this week denied that any Iranian military forces were in the country.

Yesterday, Israeli airstrikes hit an area near Iran’s embassy in Lebanon, two security sources told Reuters. The Iranian embassy source told Reuters that the strikes had driven the decision for Iranian diplomats to leave.

But Lebanese authorities had also been planning to make moves against Iranian diplomats this week, two people familiar with the government’s discussions tell Reuters, adding that the Lebanese government had intended to expel diplomats from the country.

Reuters could not determine whether the diplomats who had left so far were ousted or left for security reasons.

Netanyahu to give TV statement on war with Iran shortly

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will give a televised statement at 9:10 local time this evening, according to his office.

The address comes amid a widening US-Israeli campaign in Iran and expanding fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

One killed in Dubai from falling missile debris, UAE says

One person was killed by falling debris from a ballistic missile interception in Dubai this evening, authorities in the United Arab Emirates say.

According to the Dubai media office, the person was of Asian nationality and was killed while driving in the Al Barsha area of the major Gulf city.

Hamas operative planning sniper attack on troops in Gaza targeted by drone strike, IDF says

A Hamas operative who was planning a sniper attack against troops stationed in the Gaza Strip was targeted in a drone strike earlier today, the military says.

According to the IDF, the operative was “involved in advancing a sniper attack against IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, in the immediate time frame.”

“The terrorist posed an immediate threat to IDF troops, and was therefore struck in a precise manner to remove the threat,” the military says.

Latest Iran missile likely used cluster munitions, footage shows; no injuries reported

The missile launched from Iran at central Israel a short while ago was likely carrying a cluster-bomb warhead, footage shows.

No injuries are reported in the attack, the tenth from Iran since midnight, medics say. The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

The IDF has previously confirmed that Iran has launched ballistic missiles carrying cluster bomb warheads at Israel.

The warhead of such missiles opens up while descending and spreads dozens of smaller munitions, in a radius of around 8km.

תיעוד | אחד מהטילים – ראש קרב מתפצל https://t.co/RWsaN3T3c6 pic.twitter.com/gbk2Xj4gFv

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) March 7, 2026

The missile launched from Iran at central Israel a short while ago was likely carrying a cluster-bomb warhead, footage shows.

No injuries are reported in the attack, the tenth from Iran since midnight, medics say. https://t.co/Q1amGXr9qS pic.twitter.com/nACgbLQSi2

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 7, 2026

Air Force has launched 2nd wave of airstrikes in Tehran today, IDF says

For the second time today, the Israeli Air Force has launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iranian regime targets in Tehran, the IDF announces.

Further details are expected to be provided later.

Air Force recently struck Iran’s 2 ‘most central’ ballistic missile production sites, IDF reveals

The Israeli Air Force recently struck Iran’s two “most central” ballistic missile production sites, the military reveals.

In a press statement, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says that in recent days, the military has “moved to the next stage of the operation; we have expanded strikes on the regime’s main production sites.”

The IDF says that strikes on Thursday hit infrastructure at the Parchin military complex, south of Tehran.

According to the military, the targets at Parchin included “factories for the production of explosives for ballistic missile warheads; complexes for the production of unique raw materials for missile engines; a facility for mixing and casting missile engines; and a complex used for research, development, assembly, and production of advanced cruise missiles.”

In another strike overnight in the Shahrud area, some 2,000 kilometers from Israel, the IDF says it hit an IRGC ballistic missile production site.

“This is the facility where most of the missiles fired at Israel were manufactured,” Defrin says.

According to the military, hundreds of Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck the two sites.

In the months before the war, the military says Iran had been investing significant efforts to restore its missile production capabilities, manufacturing dozens of projectiles per month. The IDF says the production rate was on an “upward trend” and was expected to reach hundreds of ballistic missiles per month.

The IDF assesses that the recent strikes on the missile sites in Parchin and Shahrud caused significant damage to Iran’s missile production capabilities, setting Iran back years.

IDF intelligence officials also say that, alongside the blow caused to the production capabilities, Iran’s ability to re-arm its proxies has also been harmed, as those terror groups heavily relied on the Iranian supply of drones, anti-tank missiles, and naval weapons.

Turkey warns Iran against firing more missiles at country

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warns Iran against firing any more missiles towards Turkey, after NATO air defenses destroyed a missile heading into Turkish airspace several days ago.

Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Fidan also says Turkey opposes all scenarios aiming to create ethnicity-based civil war in Iran, adding that such scenarios could lead to migrant waves.

Explosions reported in Iraq’s Baghdad, Erbil

Explosions were heard tonight in Iraq’s capital Baghdad and in the city of Erbil in the autonomous Kurdistan region, AFP journalists report.

The cause of the loud bangs in Baghdad is still unknown, but a witness near the fortified Green Zone, which houses the US embassy, reports seeing air defenses activated over the area.

Several drones have been intercepted near Baghdad airport since the start of the war in the Middle East.

In Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist reports hearing the sound of a drone followed by at least three loud bangs.

Since the start of the war, drones have repeatedly been intercepted over the city of Erbil, which is also home to a major US consulate complex.

IDF detects new ballistic missile launch from Iran, sirens to sound in central Israel

The IDF says it has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

Organization of Turkic States condemns Iran, does not mention Israel

The Organization of Turkic States meets in Istanbul and put out a statement denouncing Iranian attacks while avoiding any direct mention of Israel.

“The Ministers expressed their strong condemnation of the attacks targeting the Republic of Türkiye and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including civilian facilities, carried out from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” reads the statement.

“The Ministers called for non-repetition of such reckless actions that further deteriorates the regional situation and risks the expansion of geography of tension.”

The countries do express their support for a two-state solution and for “addressing the humanitarian sufferings facing the Palestinian people, in particular in Gaza,” but do not condemn Israel.

The OTS includes Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, with Hungary, Turkmenistan and Northern Cyprus as observers.

Air Force has dropped over 7,500 bombs in Iran so far, IDF spokesman says

The Israeli Air Force has dropped over 7,500 bombs during strikes in Iran in the past week, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says in a press conference.

“This is twice the number of [munitions] dropped during Operation Rising Lion,” he says, referring to Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June 2025.

He says that in all, over 3,400 strikes have been carried out.

No injuries reported from latest Lebanon rocket barrage, medics say

No injuries are reported after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets from Lebanon at the Haifa area, medics say.

The rockets were intercepted or struck open areas, according to preliminary military assessments. There are no reports of direct impacts, though fragments did land in several areas, police say.

Israel ‘optimistic’ about possibility of eventual Iran regime collapse — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz and security chiefs this evening, Channel 12 reports, as Israel is said to be “optimistic” about the possibility that the Iranian regime will collapse.

“There is no deadline for the campaign,” a senior Israeli official tells the outlet. “As long as the price the home front pays continues to go down and there aren’t US losses, Israel and the US are continuing with full force.”

If the campaign against the regime continues, Israeli officials believe that the fall of the regime in Iran is a possibility, reports Channel 12.

“We are optimistic about the ability to cause the regime to collapse,” says a security official. “It is being hunted every day. It is slowly being eaten from within. Within the regime, there is confusion and power struggles that weren’t there for decades.”

The official also says that “Russia and China are running away from it and not intervening. This regime is harming its neighbors and countries with gradually cut ties with them, that is in addition to the economic pressure and the continuing sanctions.”

Regime collapse, says the official, “ostensibly seems to be far off, but it could come in an instant.”

Israeli officials identify sharp disagreements among top Iranian officials, especially between President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, according to the outlet. There is also a disconnect between the military leadership and forces in the field, and a lack of coordination in decision-making among senior leadership.

Police arrest man on suspicion of murder after victim found lifeless in Acre

Police arrest a man on suspicion of murder after finding a man’s lifeless body in a house in Acre.

The slain victim is the third person to fall prey to homicide within a day, following two lethal shootings in the north over the weekend.

Officers from the Acre police station received a call about a violent incident in the afternoon. They arrived at the residence to find a man in his 50s unconscious, with clear injuries to his body.

Magen David Adom paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Police say they are still investigating the circumstances of the lethal incident.

Earlier, 57-year-old Suleiman Ziadat was shot to death in Nazareth. He was found unconscious by paramedics in the city and pronounced dead at the scene.

In Haifa’s Rambam Hospital, 28-year-old Muhammad Abed Abu al-Basal, shot Friday in the northern city of Tamra, succumbed to his wounds.

Police have launched investigations into the latter two incidents. No arrests have yet been reported in either case.

Military Police launches probe into killing of Palestinian by reservist in West Bank earlier today

The IDF Military Police has launched an investigation into the killing of a Palestinian by a reservist soldier in the southern West Bank earlier today, the military says.

Palestinian media reported that a young man was killed and his brother was critically wounded by gunfire carried out by Israelis.

According to the IDF, troops and police officers were dispatched to a Palestinian village in the Masafer Yatta area “following a report of a violent confrontation between Israeli civilians and several Palestinians, in which several individuals were injured.”

The military says that a preliminary investigation into the incident found that a reservist soldier who arrived at the scene, following the report, opened fire.

“It is known that two Palestinians were hit by gunfire, and later one of them died of his wounds,” the army says.

The IDF says the Military Police launched an investigation into the incident, the findings of which will be submitted to the Military Advocate General for review. Separately, the Israel Police also launched an investigation and collected findings at the scene.

Two more Canadian synagogues targeted by gunfire; no injuries reported

Two synagogues in the area of Toronto, Canada, were targeted by gunfire overnight, B’nai B’rith Canada says.

B’nai B’rith identifies the synagogues as BAYT and Shaarei Shomayim.

No injuries were reported when bullets struck the two synagogues around midnight last night, police in Toronto and the neighboring York region report on social media, adding that both shootings were under investigation.

We have made the decision to communicate the following on Shabbat because we share the community’s frustration and concern following the targeted shooting last night of two additional synagogues in the Greater Toronto Area. We are grateful for the prompt response of police to…

— B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) March 7, 2026

“We recognize that incidents like this are deeply concerning for members of the Jewish community. Synagogues in both Toronto and York region have been struck by gunfire this week,” Toronto police says in a post on X, adding that they have increased presence around Jewish neighborhoods in the area.

Canadian Jews have been targeted by a surge in antisemitic incidents in recent years, including shootings and firebombings of community institutions.

The most recent shooting targeted a synagogue on Tuesday, shortly after the building hosted Purim celebrations, while some individuals were still inside the building.

Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilevre says that he was “appalled” by the Friday night shootings at the Shaarei Shomayim and Beth Avraham Yoseph Synagogues, declaring that the Jewish community “is under attack in Canada.”

Officers have boosted their presence and patrols in the greater Toronto area earlier this week as a response to rising tensions and the ongoing war in the Middle East, CBC cites police as saying.

Israel believes Mojtaba Khamenei still alive, wounded, after targeted in strikes earlier this week

Israeli security officials believe that Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a front-runner to succeed him, is still alive after being targeted in an airstrike this past week.

The Israeli assessment is that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the strike.

Mojtaba is the front-runner to succeed his father as the Islamic Republic’s next head, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. The Times report came after the opposition outlet Iran International claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei, his father’s second-eldest son, had already been chosen by the Assembly of Experts as his father’s successor, citing “informed sources.”

The NYT report said that the senior clerics tasked with choosing the next supreme leader could announce their choice as early as the next day. Quoting Iranian officials familiar with the deliberations, however, the report said the clerics have some reservations about declaring Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, fearing it could increase the likelihood he will be targeted by the US and Israel.

IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin, asked tonight about the process of appointing a new Iranian leader, noted that the IDF on Tuesday targeted the building in Qom of the 88-strong Assembly of Experts tasked with electing the new supreme leader, and would continue to target efforts to appoint what he described as Iran’s new terror chief.

Defrin said last week that the IDF was awaiting information on the results of the Qom strike. An Iranian opposition report said that the building was largely empty when the IDF announced hitting it.

Sirens sound in Haifa area due to rocket fire from Lebanon

Sirens sound in the Haifa Bay area due to rocket fire from Lebanon.

Hezbollah has launched dozens of rockets and drones at Israel today.

IDF says it has demolished 2 km of Gaza tunnels, killed 5 operatives in past week

Amid the war in Iran, the IDF says that in the past week, it demolished two kilometers worth of tunnels in the Gaza Strip and killed five terror operatives who crossed the ceasefire line.

According to the military, five separate tunnel routes in Gaza were demolished in the past week. One of the tunnels was located in eastern Rafah, from which Hamas operatives staged attacks on Israeli troops, the army says.

The five operatives who were struck after crossing the Yellow Line “violated the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF says.

It publishes footage showing the demolition of the tunnels and the strikes.

Amid the war in Iran, the IDF says that in the past week it demolished two kilometers worth of tunnels in the Gaza Strip and killed five terror operatives who crossed the ceasefire line.

According to the military, five separate tunnel routes in Gaza were demolished in the past… pic.twitter.com/VhtBnLqJEU

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 7, 2026

No reports of injuries following latest Iranian missile attack on northern Israel

There are no reports of injuries following the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, the ninth since midnight, medics say.

The missile struck an open area, according to preliminary military assessments.

Sirens had sounded across the Galilee. Concurrently, sirens sounded in the northern border community of Rosh Hanikra due to apparent rocket fire from Lebanon.

The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

IDF says it detected new Iranian ballistic missile attack, sirens to sound soon

The IDF says it has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran, after a lull of four hours.

Sirens are expected to sound in northern Israel in the coming minutes.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts to meet within day to choose new supreme leader, member says

A member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts says the body would meet within a day to choose the country’s next supreme leader, Iranian media reports.

“With divine assistance, this session will occur within the next twenty-four hours,” says Hossein Mozafari, one of the assembly’s 88 members, cited by the Fars news agency.

The statement came a week after the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli attack.

Mozafari also urges Iranians to “refrain from any speculation and the spreading of rumors regarding this matter” as the assembly has not yet convened for a session.

Lebanon says 454,000 people have registered as displaced since Hezbollah renewed conflict with Israel

Lebanon’s social affairs minister says that 454,000 people had been registered as displaced since the outbreak of the new war between Israel and Hezbollah in the past week.

In a press briefing, Haneen Sayed says that the total number of people who registered their names on a website affiliated with the ministry reached 454,000, including 112,525 people registered in government shelters.

Sayed urges remaining displaced people to register their names with the authorities, with Israel this week having warned residents of Beirut’s densely populated southern suburbs and hundreds of square kilometers of southern Lebanon to evacuate.

IRGC says it attacked US base in Bahrain, claims it was used to strike desalination plant in Iran

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps says it struck the United States’ Juffair base in Bahrain, adding that it had been used to attack an Iranian desalination plant earlier in the day.

“In response to the aggression of American terrorists from the Juffair base against the Qeshm desalination plant, this American base was immediately struck by precision-guided solid-fuel and liquid-fuel missiles of the IRGC,” the Guards says on their website.

Saudi Arabia says ballistic missile targeting base fell in ‘uninhabited area’

Saudi Arabia says a missile that had targeted one of its air bases fell “in an uninhabited area” today as Iran continued its strikes across the Gulf.

“A ballistic missile fell in an uninhabited area after being launched towards Prince Sultan Air Base,” the defense ministry says.

Kuwait declares force majeure, cuts crude oil output due to Iran war

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has declared a force majeure and began cutting oil output today, adding to earlier oil and gas reductions from Iraq and Qatar as the war against Iran has blocked shipments from the Middle East for the eighth consecutive day.

The war has blocked the world’s most important oil artery the Strait of Hormuz which is responsible for 20 percent of global oil and LNG supply. Analysts predict the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will have to also cut output soon as they run out of oil storage.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) declared force majeure, according to a trade notice seen by Reuters, after it implemented a reduction in crude oil production and refining throughput because of the conflict in the Middle East.

The national oil company does not say by how much it would reduce output. In February, Kuwait produced around 2.6 million barrels per day of crude oil.

It says the reduction was precautionary and would be reviewed as the situation develops and it remained ready to restore production levels when conditions allow.

KPC declared force majeure because of what it said were explicit threats by Iran against the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, continuing attacks by Iran on Kuwait and the “almost total absence” within the Arabian Gulf of vessels available to ship crude oil and products, the notice shows.

The company declines to comment on the notice.

KPC is a major exporter of naphtha to Asia and a major jet fuel exporter to north-west Europe. Naphtha is a feedstock for petro-chemicals production.

Bahrain says Iranian attack caused fire in Manama, damaging several buildings

An Iranian attack on Saturday caused a fire in Bahrain’s capital of Manama, damaging a house and other buildings, the small Gulf state’s interior ministry says, without specifying if there were casualties.

“The Iranian aggression caused a fire and material damage to a house and several surrounding buildings in Manama,” the ministry says. “Civil Defense is taking the necessary measures to extinguish the fire.”

Home Front Command says restrictions unchanged despite slowing rate of Iran missile fire

The IDF Home Front Command says nationwide restrictions amid the war with Iran remain unchanged, despite the slowing rate of missile fire from Iran.

Following a fresh assessment, the Home Front Command says that the current restrictions remain in place until Monday night. By then, another assessment will be conducted.

As part of the current guidelines, educational activities are prohibited, except for a number of outlined exceptions; gatherings of up to 50 people are permitted, provided a shelter can be reached in time; and workplaces can operate under the same conditions.

NY courts convicts Iranian agent of attempting to kill Trump

A federal court in New York City convicts an Iranian agent of attempting to assassinate US officials, including US President Donald Trump.

Asif Merchant, from Pakistan and Iran, arrived in the US in 2024 to hire hitmen and was arrested months later.

He admitted at trial that he attempted the plot on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Merchant started working for the IRGC around late 2022, and was trained in intelligence and counter-surveillance, the Department of Justice says.

His plot was exposed after he contacted an acquaintance in New York to help him.

The acquaintance reported Merchant to law enforcement and became a confidential source in the investigation.

Merchant faces up to life in prison.

Netanyahu after failed Ron Arad search: Our commitment to our missing remains absolute

After IDF commandoes carried out a mission deep inside Lebanon that failed to locate the remains of missing Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterates Israel’s commitment to finding him and all missing Israelis.

“The operation carried out last night did not produce what we were looking for,” he says in a statement, “but the commitment of Israel, and my personal commitment, to completing all missions concerning our prisoners and missing persons is absolute.”

Mamdani’s wife liked post calling Oct. 7 rapes a hoax — report

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, liked an Instagram post calling Hamas rapes during its 2023 invasion of Israel a hoax, The Free Press reports.

The new report comes after Jewish Insider reported yesterday that Duwaji had liked posts celebrating the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Duwaji’s liked post about Hamas rapes came after The New York Times published an expose in February 2024 about sexual violence against Israelis during the Hamas attack.

Duwaji liked a post that referred to The New York Times report as a “mass rape” hoax that had been “fabricated” by the newspaper, The Free Press reports.

Some of the other posts Duwaji liked accused Israel of a “vile land grab,” applauded protesters who forcibly occupied a building at Columbia University, and accused Israel of genocide immediately after the Hamas attack.

Another post called former US president Joe Biden “Butcher Biden” and accused him of genocide.

Asked about the social media activity yesterday, Mamdani said Duwaji was “a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall.”

The couple began dating in 2021 and married last year.

Inflammatory social media activity by members of Mamdani’s staff and inner circle, much of it directed at Israel, has caused repeated controversy since he launched his run for mayor in 2024.

2 soldiers moderately wounded in Hezbollah missile attack on troops in south Lebanon, IDF says

Two soldiers were moderately wounded in a Hezbollah missile attack on a military position in southern Lebanon on Friday afternoon, the military announces.

The soldiers served with the Givati Brigade. They were taken to a hospital and their families were notified, the army says.

Several anti-tank guided missiles were fired in the attack, according to the IDF. The military says that minutes later, the Hezbollah cell that carried out the attack was targeted in a strike.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack, which targeted the same army post the terror group had hit a day earlier, resulting in three more troops being wounded, including one seriously.

In all, 13 IDF soldiers have been wounded in Hezbollah attacks since hostilities resumed on Monday. Hezbollah began attacking Israel in what it said was a response to Israel’s killing of Iran’s supreme leader. In response, Israel launched a ground and air offensive aimed at pushing Hezbollah away from the border.

The Iran-backed Lebanese terror group has fired many dozens of rockets and drones at Israel since Monday, according to the IDF.

Man said killed, daughter seriously wounded by Israeli drone in Khan Younis; no comment from IDF

A Palestinian man was killed and his young daughter seriously wounded in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a home in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis this morning, according to Palestinian media.

The IDF has not commented on the reports, but regularly says its attacks in Gaza come in response to ceasefire violations.

The slain man is identified by Palestinian media as Ahmed al-Qudra, 34. His body and his wounded daughter were taken to Khan Younis’s Nasser Hospital, according to footage published by Palestinian media.

فلسطينيون يشيعون جثمان الشهيد أحمد القدرة في مستشفى ناصر بخانيونس جنوب قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/LhldudiXc3

— وكالة شهاب | عاجل (@ShehabBreaking) March 7, 2026

In a statement shortly after the reports of Qudra’s death, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said hospitals in the Strip had over the past 48 hours received three people wounded and three people killed by IDF gunfire.

The report did not identify the people killed or wounded or specify the severity of the wounds.

According to Palestinian reports, the body of Abd Qambour, 32, arrived at Gaza City’s al-Ahli Baptist Hospital after he was killed by IDF gunfire on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line in Gaza City’s Shejaia neighborhood.

Another Palestinian hospitalized at Nasser in Khan Younis reportedly succumbed overnight Thursday-Friday to wounds sustained two days earlier by Israeli gunfire in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

He was identified in Palestinian media as Abdulrahman Shurrab, 20. According to the reports, Shurrab suffered a mental disability.

UAE president says country is ‘no easy prey,’ will continue to protect those in Emirates amid Iran strikes

The president of the United Arab Emirates says his nation was in a time of war but was well and told his enemies it was no easy prey, in his first public comments since Iran launched missiles at its Gulf neighbors amid the US-Israeli bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic.

“The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh – we are no easy prey,” Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also ruler of Abu Dhabi, says in comments, made on yesterday when visiting those injured in strikes, aired on Abu Dhabi TV today.

“We will carry out our duty toward our country, our people, and our residents who are also part of our family,” he says.

The UAE, which consists of seven emirates including Dubai, would protect everyone in the country, he adds.

Palestinian said shot dead by settlers in West Bank; no comment from IDF

A young man was killed and his brother critically wounded by settler gunfire today in the Palestinian village of Wadi al-Rakhim, part of the collection of hamlets known as Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank, according to Palestinian reports.

The slain man is identified as Amir Shenaran, 28. His brother is reportedly 33 years old.

Palestinian media says the two were shot while trying to fend off settlers who brought livestock to graze near the brothers’ home in Wadi al-Rakhim.

Footage from the scene shows a man in IDF uniform wielding an assault rifle as he stands over the slain man. The IDF does not respond to a request for comment.

لحظة استشهاد الشاب أمير شناران، وإصابة آخر برصاص المستوطنين في منطقة "واد الرخيم" جنوب يطا قرب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/LsrOoo5sTK

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 7, 2026

Shenaran’s death raises to four the number of Palestinians killed by settlers this year, and to 40 the number slain since the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, which was followed by a sharp uptick in settler violence in the West Bank, according to WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency.

He is the third Palestinian killed by settlers since Israel and the US launched a bombing campaign in Iran last Saturday, after two brothers were shot dead in the northern West Bank’s Qaryut on Monday, according to WAFA.

The IDF has said it was investigating that shooting, but no arrests have been reported.

IDF reiterates ‘immediate’ evacuation warning for Beirut’s southern suburbs ahead of strikes

The IDF reiterates its evacuation warning for residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut, a known Hezbollah stronghold, ahead of strikes against the terror group.

“Urgent warning to residents of the southern suburb of Beirut, especially those who have not yet evacuated. We reiterate and emphasize: save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” says army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

“The terror activity carried out by Hezbollah in the suburb compels the IDF to act against it with force. We do not intend to harm you. For your safety and security, you must evacuate immediately,” he says.

The IDF first issued the evacuation warning, covering four major neighborhoods in the southern suburbs — known as the Dahiyeh — on Thursday.

The military has since conducted dozens of strikes against Hezbollah targets in the area, including destroying several multi-story buildings.

#عاجل ‼️انذار عاجل إلى سكان الضاحية الجنوبية في بيروت وتحديدًا لمن لم يخلي المنطقة بعد

????نعود ونؤكد: أنقذوا حياتكم وأخلوا منازلكم فورًا????

????إنّ النشاط الإرهابي الذي يقوم به حزب الله في الضاحية يُجبر جيش الدفاع على العمل ضده بقوة. نحن لا ننوي المساس بكم. فمن أجل سلامتكم وأمنكم… pic.twitter.com/sBu59oiUiR

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) March 7, 2026

Sirens sound in north amid rocket, suspected drone fire from Lebanon

Sirens sound in northern Israel amid rocket and suspected drone attacks from Lebanon.

Rocket sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona, while alerts warning of suspected drone infiltrations are activated in other areas of the Galilee Panhandle and the Golan Heights.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attacks, likely carried out by Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed Lebanese terror group has fired many dozens of rockets and drones at Israel since Monday, according to the IDF.

UAE reports new missile and drone attacks; explosions heard in Bahrain, Qatar

The United Arab Emirates reports new missile and drone attacks as Iran continued its retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.

“UAE air defenses are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran,” the Emirati defense ministry says. “Sounds heard are the result of the Air Defense Systems intercepting missiles and drones.”

Loud explosions were also heard Bahrain’s capital Manama and Qatar’s capital Doha, AFP journalists report. One of the journalists says they heard at least five blasts in the Bahraini capital city.

IDF says it hit key IRGC air force command center overnight

A key command center of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ air force was struck overnight, the IDF announces.

The command center was hit amid a wave of airstrikes carried out by the Israeli Air Force in Tehran.

According to the military, the command center served the IRGC air force’s air defense unit, “whose purpose is to create an aerial picture and defend Iran’s skies.”

“This is the most central air defense operations room of the IRGC air force,” the military says.

The IDF says it also struck Iranian air defense systems, headquarters, logistical warehouses, and other buildings near the command center.

In addition, as part of the wave of strikes, the IAF hit a ballistic missile production and launch site, which also included a weapons depot of the IRGC Quds Force, the military says.

Trump says US ‘knocked out’ 42 Iranian naval ships in 3 days, destroyed air force, communications

US President Donald Trump says the US military has “knocked out” 42 Iranian navy ships and much of the Iranian air force, while addressing Latin American leaders during his Shield of Americas Summit in Florida.

“We are doing very well in Iran, you see the result,” he says. “Its been amazing, we’ve knocked out 42 navy ships, some of them very large, in three days. That was the end of the navy.”

“We knocked out their air force, we knocked out their communications,” he says.

“They are bad people, they’re just bad people,” he says of Iran’s leaders.

“When you look at October 7 and beyond October 7, when you look at all the killing they’ve done for 47 years, this had to be done.”

“They were very close to a nuclear weapon,” he continues, saying Iran would have reached nuclear capabilities eight months ago if not for the US strikes on their nuclear sites during the 12-day war last June.

“They are crazy, and they would have used it,” he says. “So we did the world a favor.”

Repatriation flights from UAE halted, Israel said mulling ‘military options’ to bring some 4,000 stranded Israelis home

Repatriation efforts for Israelis stranded in the United Arab Emirates have halted today, following the closure of airports in the country due to Iranian missile and drone attacks, leaving some 4,000 Israelis stranded in the country, according to Channel 13.

Israel had arranged for a commercial air train to be operated to and from Ben Gurion Airport with flydubai and Etihad Airlines to return the thousands of Israelis still located in the country, but earlier today, the UAE came under another Iranian attack, forcing the airlines to cancel the repatriation flights and leave the remaining Israelis with no options to get home.

The UAE said earlier today that it was targeted with 16 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones. One unidentified object was intercepted near Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, forcing it to briefly suspend operations.

According to Channel 13, Israel is now considering a “military solution or a special operation” to return the thousands of Israelis still in the UAE. The report notes that no plan has yet been formulated.

The report says some 1,600 Israelis have returned to Israel from the UAE since the war began last week.

WATCH: Trump addresses summit with Latin American leaders

US President Donald Trump is speaking at the Shield of Americas Summit.

IAF chief Tomer Bar participated in Iran strikes yesterday

Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar took part in a strike sortie in Iran yesterday, a military source tells The Times of Israel.

Bar flew in an F-15 fighter jet.

The IAF said it carried out several waves of strikes in Iran yesterday, including the capital Tehran, striking Iranian regime and military sites.

Turkey mulls sending F-16s to north Cyprus amid drone attacks

Turkey is considering the possibility of sending F-16 fighter jets to Northern Cyprus as a security measure, a Turkish defense ministry source says, days after the island was targeted by a drone attack.

“In light of recent developments, phased planning is being carried out to ensure the security of the TRNC,” the source says, referring to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a territory consisting of the northern third of the island, which is only recognized by Ankara.

“The deployment of F-16 aircraft to the island is among the options being considered.”

Cyprus, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, has been directly affected by retaliatory attacks following US-Israeli strikes on Iran, with an Iranian-made drone hitting a British base on the island on Monday.

The Cypriot government has said that the drone was probably fired by the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and not fired from Iran itself.

Following the drone incident, several European countries have pledged assistance to Cyprus, sending air defenses and other military assets.

Defense ministers from the 27 EU nations had been due to hold talks in Nicosia next week but since the attack all such meetings have been moved online or rescheduled.

Turkey is not a member of the European Union.

IDF says it destroyed 16 aircraft used by Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force in Tehran airport strikes

The IDF says it destroyed 16 aircraft used by the IRGC Quds Force at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport in a wave of airstrikes in Iran’s capital last night.

The military says that Mehrabad Airport was used by the Quds Force “as a central hub for arming and funding the regime’s terrorist proxies in the Middle East,” including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

“Aircraft loaded with weapons and cash took off from the airport numerous times and landed across the region for the use of the Iranian terror regime’s proxies,” the military says.

As part of the strikes, the IDF says it destroyed 16 aircraft that had been used to transfer weapons to Hezbollah, other military infrastructure at the airport, as well as several Iranian fighter jets that “posed a threat to Israeli Air Force aircraft operating in Iranian airspace.”

IDF airstrike reported in Lebanon’s Tyre after evacuation warning

After the IDF issued an evacuation warning for several buildings in the coastal Lebanese city of Tyre, Lebanese media reports an Israeli airstrike in the area.

The military said it was set to strike Hezbollah sites. Footage published by Lebanese media shows the strikes.

بالفيديو: الغارة الإسرائيلية التي استهدفت مفرق معركة في صور pic.twitter.com/46xNTX3aUW

— Lebanon Debate (@lebanondebate) March 7, 2026

No injuries reported in latest Iranian salvo

There are no reports of injuries following the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on central Israel, the eighth since midnight, medics say.

The missile was intercepted, according to preliminary military assessments, and there are no reports of impacts. Sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv and the surrounding area in central Israel.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it targeted Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in Gulf

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says its forces targeted a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf as the conflict with Israel and the United States raged.

“An oil tanker with the trade name ‘Louise P’ with the flag of the Marshall Islands, one of the assets of the terrorist America, was hit by a drone in the middle of the Persian Gulf,” the IRGC says on its website Sepah News.

IDF detects fresh launch from Iran, sirens to sound in center

The IDF says it has detected another ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are again expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

No reports of injuries in latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on central Israel, the 7th since midnight

There are no reports of injuries following the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on central Israel, the seventh since midnight, medics say.

The missile was intercepted, according to preliminary military assessments, and there are no reports of direct impacts. Sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv and the surrounding area in central Israel.

The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

Report: US intelligence report week before war found large-scale assault on Iran unlikely to cause regime collapse

A classified report by the US National Intelligence Council concluded that the Iranian regime was unlikely to be toppled even by a large-scale assault, the Washington Post reports.

Three people familiar with the report tell the newspaper that the assessment, completed around a week before Israel and the US launched their assault on the Islamic Republic, outlined small- and large-scale assaults as scenarios for potential succession.

The report concluded that protocols would be followed if supreme leader Ali Khamenei were to be killed to ensure the regime’s survival, with it “unlikely” that Iran’s opposition would take control.

The Post says the White House would not comment on whether US President Donald Trump received the assessment before launching the assault.

The newspaper says the intelligence report did not appear to examine other scenarios, including a potential ground operation by US troops.

IDF detects new missile attack from Iran; sirens expected to sound in center

After a lull of around three hours, the IDF says it has detected a new launch of ballistic missiles from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

Hezbollah drone crashes in hospital parking lot; another shot down by civil defense squad

A Hezbollah drone crashed in the parking lot of Galilee Medical Center in the northern city of Nahariya this morning. A second drone was shot down by local security forces.

The drone that crashed at the hospital appeared largely intact after crashing. No injuries are reported in the incident.

In a separate incident at the same time, police say that members of a civil defense squad for a nearby community shot at a Hezbollah drone with their firearms, downing it.

The device was found to have cameras and “explosive material,” police add.

כטב״מ נמצא בבית החולים נהריה
ללא נפגעים pic.twitter.com/hKNmf71JEr

— ????or keren (@Wq0oQJmUSfZunt5) March 7, 2026

IDF repeats warning for civilians to evacuate all of southern Lebanon

The IDF reiterates its warning to Lebanese civilians in all of southern Lebanon to evacuate amid the fighting against Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah’s terror activities are forcing the IDF to act against it with force in the area,” says army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

“Airstrikes are ongoing as the IDF operates with great force in the area. Therefore, for your safety, we once again urge you to evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Litani River,” he says.

The warning was first issued by the IDF on Wednesday. The military estimates that over 420,000 Lebanese civilians have so far fled their homes.

#عاجل ‼️ تحذير عاجل إلى سكان جنوب لبنان المتواجدين جنوب نهر الليطاني

????إن نشاطات حزب الله الإرهابية تُجبر جيش الدفاع على العمل ضده بقوة في تلك المنطقة.

????الغارات مستمرة حيث يعمل جيش الدفاع بقوة كبيرة في المنطقة. ولذلك وحرصًا على سلامتكم نعود ونناشدكم اخلاء منازلكم فورًا… pic.twitter.com/68Rib52JdA

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) March 7, 2026

Sirens in northern towns amid rocket, suspected drone attacks from Lebanon

Sirens sound in northern Israel amid rocket and suspected drone attacks from Lebanon.

Rocket sirens sound in Tiberias, while alerts warning of suspected drone infiltrations are activated in the Western Galilee and the Golan Heights.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attacks, likely carried out by Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed Lebanese terror group has fired many dozens of rockets and drones at Israel since Monday, according to the IDF.

Footage shows Israeli jet shooting down Iranian drone before it reached Israel’s borders

The military publishes footage showing an Israeli Air Force fighter jet shooting down an Iranian drone before it reached Israel’s borders.

According to the IDF, since the start of the war, more than 110 drones launched from Iran have been intercepted by the IAF with fighter jets and helicopters. The Israeli Navy has also intercepted several drones.

מטוס קרב של חיל-האוויר יירט כלי טיס בלתי מאויש מאיראן לפני שחצה לשטח מדינת ישראל

מתחילת המבצע יורטו יותר מ-110 כלי טיס בלתי מאוישים ששוגרו מאיראן

חיל-האוויר ממשיך להסיר איומים על אזרחי מדינת ישראל במקביל להעמקת הפגיעה בכלל מערכיו של משטר הטרור האיראני.

צפו בתיעוד: pic.twitter.com/fxkhN8H53K

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 7, 2026

Saudi Arabia says it shot down Iranian drones, missile; sirens in Bahrain and UAE amid attacks

Despite Iran’s apology to its Gulf neighbors, the Islamic Republic continues to attack countries across the Middle East.

Sirens sounded earlier today in Bahrain as Iranian attacks targeted the island kingdom. And Saudi Arabia said it destroyed drones headed toward its vast Shaybah oil field and shot down a ballistic missile launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces.

In Dubai, several blasts were heard nd the government said it had activated air defenses. Passengers waiting for flights at Dubai International Airport found themselves ushered down into train tunnels at the sprawling airfield after the alert sounded.

Footage posted to social media appeared to show an impact at the airport.

Later that morning, long-haul carrier Emirates said that ”all flights to and from Dubai have been suspended until further notice.” Shortly after, the decision was reversed and Emirates said the airline would resume operations.

Additionally, six salvos of ballistic missiles have been fired at Israel since midnight. There were no injuries reported.

Trump warns ‘today Iran will be hit very hard’; says it is now ‘the loser of the Middle East’

US President Donald Trump warns that Iran will be hit “very hard” today unless the regime surrenders, and threatens unnamed individuals and areas that were previously not targeted.

“Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

“Iran is no longer the ‘Bully of the Middle East,’ they are, instead, ‘THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,’ and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse!” he writes.

Trump refers to the apology issued by Masoud Pezeshkian earlier today in which the Iranian president said that Iran’s Middle East neighbors would not be attacked so long as attacks were not launched from their territory.

“Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless US and Israeli attack,” Trump writes.

Less than an hour after Pezeshkian’s statement, a drone apparently impacted at Dubai International Airport and their were reports of attacks on Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.

IDF issues evacuation warning ahead of airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon’s Tyre

The IDF issues an evacuation warning in the coastal Lebanese city of Tyre, ahead of airstrikes against Hezbollah sites.

“The IDF will attack military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization in response to its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” says army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

Civilians are urged to distance themselves at least 300 meters from several sites marked on a map.

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان زقوق المفدي/صور

????سيهاجم جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب بنى تحتية عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي في ضوء محاولاته المحظورة لإعادة إعمار أنشطته في المنطقة

????نحث سكان المباني المحددة بالأحمر في الخريطة المرفقة والمباني المجاورة لها: أنتم… pic.twitter.com/alFJ1yNeWC

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) March 7, 2026

Meanwhile, Hezbollah taunts Israel with its own evacuation warnings for the northern towns of Nahariya and Kiryat Shmona.

Hezbollah issues new evacuation warning to Israeli settlers:

"All residents of Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya are requested to evacuate immediately. Head south." pic.twitter.com/yh3rTRSBBa

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) March 7, 2026

Israel has said it is not evacuating any northern towns and instead has launched a ground and air offensive aimed at pushing Hezbollah away from the border.

Katz warns Lebanon will pay ‘full price’ if Hezbollah attacks continue

Defense Minister Israel Katz warns Lebanon that it will pay a “full price” if Hezbollah continues to threaten Israel, saying Beirut has failed to meet its commitment to disarm the Iran-backed group, as outlined by the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.

Speaking after a situation assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior defense officials, Katz says Israel will not allow attacks on its troops or communities from Lebanese territory, saying that residents will not be evacuated.

“You committed… to uphold the agreement and disarm Hezbollah, and that is not happening,” Katz says in a message to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. “Act and take action before we do even more.”

Katz says Israel has no territorial demands from Lebanon but will not accept a return to years of cross-border attacks.

“If [Hassan] Nasrallah destroyed Lebanon, then Naim Qassem will destroy it as well along this path,” he warns.

The comments come as Israel continues its military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon after the Iran-backed terror group began launching rockets and drones at Israel in support of Tehran during the ongoing US-Israel war against the Iranian regime.

2 influential Iranian hardline clerics seek swift naming of new supreme leader

Two influential and hardline Iranian clerics have called for the swift selection of a new supreme leader to help guide the nation, Iranian media reports.

The calls by the clerics suggest that at least some in the clerical establishment are uncomfortable with leaving a three-man council in charge, even temporarily under constitutional rules, after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

US President Donald Trump has said the US should have a role in choosing the new leader, a demand Iran has rejected.

Naser Makarem Shirazi, a grand ayatollah, which means he commands a broad following for his religious rulings, said an appointment was needed swiftly to “help better organize the country’s affairs,” state media reports.

Last week, two senior Shi’ite religious authorities also issued fatwas, or religious decrees, calling on Muslims around the world to avenge the killing of Khamenei. Makarem Shirazi said it was a religious duty for Muslims “until the evil of these criminals is eradicated from the world.”

Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani also urged members of the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body charged with choosing the new leader, to accelerate the process of picking Khamenei’s successor, state media reports.

Following rules laid out in Iran’s constitution, a three-man council comprising the president, a senior cleric and the head of the judiciary, has taken on the supreme leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts decides.

The constitution states a supreme leader should be chosen within three months, although with war raging, it is not immediately clear how quickly the 88-member Assembly of Experts can convene. Sources have said some clerics have held some consultations online.

Rocket sirens sound in Safed, surrounding towns

Sirens sound in the northern city of Safed and nearby towns amid a rocket attack from Lebanon.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attack, likely carried out by Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed Lebanese terror group has fired many dozens of rockets and drones at Israel since Monday, according to the IDF.

Ron Arad’s widow calls for an end to operations risking IDF soldiers in search for his remains

The widow of Ron Arad says in a statement that the family does not want the body of the missing airman to be recovered if it means an operation that would put the lives of IDF soldiers at risk, saying that the request has been repeatedly ignored by decision-makers.

The statement comes after the military confirmed an overnight raid in Lebanon in which Arad’s body was not retrieved.

“We understand that our words until now have not been understood by the decision-makers and therefore it’s important for us to clarify: Our desire to know what happened to Ron stops as soon as there is risk to IDF soldiers,” Tami Arad writes on Facebook.

“In our eyes, the sanctity of life comes before the commitment to return the remains of a fighter for burial. This is our worldview also regarding our loved one who disappeared some 40 years ago,” she writes.

“We have stated as a family on more than one occasion that we oppose actions that would endanger soldiers. That’s why we say to the prime minister of Israel: We thank everyone involved in the intelligence activity concerning Ron. We value the commitment of the State of Israel, yet we request in every way possible, do not carry out operations that have even minimal risk to the troops,” Arad writes.

“For 40 years we have lived with the fact that Ron is missing, we want to know what happened to Ron, but not at any cost. The sanctity of life comes above the closing of a circle of certainty for us. We prefer to live with the painful possibility that Ron’s bones are in Lebanon rather than wake up in the morning to the news that an IDF soldier was injured, or God forbid, killed, in an operation to bring back his remains, if indeed they are his,” she writes.

“We thank the IDF soldiers and security forces and appreciate those who worked for Ron, and we ask that our request to sanctify life be honored,” writes Arad.

UN coordinator calls for talks between Lebanon, Israel: ‘Things are set to get even worse’

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon urges Lebanon and Israel to enter talks to negotiate an end to hostilities after the outbreak of renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

“As bad as things are today, they are set to get even worse,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert says.

“Talks between Lebanon and Israel can be the game changer needed to save future generations from going, time and again, through the same nightmare.”

Lebanon was engulfed by the expanding Middle East fighting after the Hezbollah terror group renewed the firing of missiles and drones at Israel on Monday. Israel has responded with airstrikes and military operations.

IDF says Ron Arad’s body not found during rare airborne raid in east Lebanon

The Israeli military confirms that special forces of the Israeli Air Force carried out a raid in eastern Lebanon overnight in an attempt to locate the remains of IAF navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared when he bailed from his plane over Lebanon in 1986.

However, no findings relating to Arad were discovered during the operation in Nabi Chit, according to the IDF. Still, the military says it can now rule out one of the possibilities of where Arad’s remains may be.

Arad’s family was updated on the developments.

The IDF says the operation was carried out following an “operational opportunity” that arose following an evacuation order issued in Nabi Chit yesterday, and other intelligence amid the ongoing fighting with Hezbollah.

The military says it would “continue to operate tirelessly, day and night, out of a deep commitment to bringing all our sons, the fallen and the missing, back home to Israel.” Three soldiers are considered missing by the IDF — Arad, Guy Hever and Yehuda Katz.

There were no casualties to Israeli forces during the raid, and the IDF says that no fire was directed at troops, contrary to claims made by Hezbollah.

Troops operated in Nabi Chit while heavy airstrikes were carried out to isolate the area, the IDF says, adding that anyone who approached the forces was hit.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that 16 people were killed and 35 others were wounded by the Israeli strikes.

Footage shows hole at Lebanon cemetery amid reported IDF op attempting to recover Ron Arad’s body

Footage published by Lebanese media claims to show a hole dug by Israeli forces at a cemetery in the town of Nabi Chit, during an overnight raid in the area.

The Saudi al-Hadath channel claimed that the overnight Israeli operation in eastern Lebanon was an attempt to recover the body of missing Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared when he ejected from his plane over Lebanon in 1986.

مشاهد للمقبرة التي فتحها الجيش الإسرائيلي خلال عملية الإنزال ليلاً في النبي شيت pic.twitter.com/5m1VgYhjKb

— Al Modon – المدن (@almodononline) March 7, 2026

No injuries in latest ballistic missile attack from Iran, the 6th since midnight

There are no reports of injuries following the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, the sixth since midnight, medics say.

A small number of missiles were launched, setting off sirens across the Jerusalem area and some parts of southern Israel. There are no reports of direct impacts.

The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

IDF detects new missile launch from Iran, after 5-hour lull

The IDF says it has detected the launch of ballistic missiles from Iran, after a lull of five hours.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

IDF: Operational factors rather than technical issues responsible for shorter-than-usual early warnings for some missile fire

The IDF Home Front Command clarifies that the shorter-than-usual early warnings issued for last night’s Iranian missile attacks are related to a variety of factors surrounding the detection of the projectiles, rather than a technical issue.

“The detection of barrages and launches is influenced by a variety of operational factors, and therefore it is not always possible to provide a long preparation time between the advance notification and the sirens,” the military says in a statement.

In the Friday evening attacks, the Home Front Command gave early warnings of 1-3 minutes, down from the typical 4-8.

The attacks in the early hours of Saturday saw 3-7 minutes between the early warning and the siren, which is fairly average.

“At times, the notification may be received relatively close to the sirens. It is important to clarify that there are situations in which sirens may be sounded without a prior advance notification, depending on operational conditions,” the IDF says.

The military says that the Home Front Command “sends an advance notification to mobile phones in the relevant areas as early as possible, as part of its public warning policy.”

The early alerts are issued based on the detection of launches from Iran and the stage of flight the missile has reached, meaning that in some cases, the warning may come only shortly before the siren itself.

Some unverified reports have attempted to tie the shorter warnings to damage caused to US radars in the region in Iranian strikes; however, this is highly unlikely.

The radar systems were damaged days ago, not last night and overnight attacks saw typical early warnings.

IDF says Lebanon airstrikes targeted rocket launchers, commanders from elite Radwan Force

A wave of Israeli airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon overnight targeted Hezbollah sites, the military says.

The IDF says that the strikes in several areas of southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley hit rocket launchers, caches of weapons and military sites belonging to the terror group.

The IDF does not comment on the reports of a helicopter landing operation in the Beqaa Valley area, apparently linked to attempts to recover the body of Ron Arad.

In a separate strike yesterday, the military says it struck several commanders in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, along with two buildings used by the unit, in the southern town of Majdal Selem.

The IDF says the Radwan commanders “had recently been working to advance and carry out various terror attack plans against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.”

צה"ל ממשיך להעמיק את הפגיעה בארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים שונים בלבנון

הותקפו מפקדים מיחידת 'כוח רדואן'

צה"ל השלים גל תקיפה נוסף במהלך הלילה, במרחבים שונים בדרום לבנון ובבקעא לעבר משגרי רקטות, מאגרים של אמצעי לחימה ואתרים צבאיים נוספים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה.

בנוסף, הותקפו… pic.twitter.com/m1Y3kSBIdo

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 7, 2026

India says it allowed Iranian warship to dock as humanitarian gesture after US sinking of vessel

India has allowed an Iranian warship to dock as a humanitarian gesture, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar says, after the US sank another Iranian navy vessel off neighboring Sri Lanka.

The Lavan docked at India’s southern port of Kochi on Wednesday, the same day the US submarine struck Iranian navy frigate Dena, after an urgent request from Tehran, an Indian government source told Reuters.

US President Donald Trump has said destroying the Iranian navy is one aim of the conflict he and Israel launched against the Islamic Republic a week ago.

The Lavan — an amphibious landing vessel, according to the US Naval Institute’s online news site — and two other ships “were coming in for a fleet review and then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of the events,” Jaishankar tells the annual Raisina Dialogue event.

“I think we really approached it from the point of view of humanity, of other than whatever the legal issues were,” he says. “I think we did the right thing.”

At least 87 people were killed in the US attack on the Dena in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone, 19 nautical miles off the coast, outside its maritime boundaries.

India received the docking request for the Lavan on February 28, the day the Iran war started, the source said yesterday, adding that the request “was urgent as the vessel had developed technical issues.”

Its 183 crew members have been accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, said the source, who asked not to be identified citing confidentiality.

The Dena was on its way back from a naval exercise organized by India, according to the drill’s website and Sri Lankan officials.

Sri Lankan authorities said yesterday that they were escorting the Iranian naval ship Booshehr to a harbor on the eastern coast and moving most of its crew to a navy camp near Colombo.

Israeli Air Force launches ‘extensive’ strikes against regime targets in Tehran, Isfahan

The Israeli Air Force has launched a new wave of “extensive” airstrikes against Iranian regime targets in Tehran and Isfahan, the IDF announces.

Further details are expected to be provided by the military later.

Pezeshkian says US should take surrender demand ‘to their grave’ as Iran targets Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE

Iran’s president says that a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender is a “dream that they should to take to their grave.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian makes the statement in a prerecorded address aired by state television.

The comments came as intense Iranian fire targeted the Gulf Arab states as Israel and the United States kept up their airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic.

There were repeated attacks on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iranian drone appears to hit Dubai airport shortly after Pezeshkian apologizes to neighboring countries for attacks

Footage appears to show an Iranian drone impacting at Dubai International Airport, less than an hour after Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries for attacks launched amid the conflict.

There are no immediate reports of damage at the Emirati airport.

Another Iranian attack drone hit Dubai International Airport, barely missing Concourse A. pic.twitter.com/axvNdrXUFn

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 7, 2026

A short time earlier Pezeshkian said, “I apologize… to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran,” in a speech broadcast by state TV.

“The interim leadership council agreed yesterday that no more attacks will be made on neighboring countries and no missiles will be fired unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries,” he said.

Rocket fire from Lebanon triggers sirens in northern towns

Sirens sound in the Upper Galilee following fresh rocket fire from Lebanon.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attack, likely carried out by Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed Lebanese terror group has fired many dozens of rockets and drones at Israel since Monday, according to the IDF.

Lebanon says 16 killed in overnight strikes amid reported IDF raid

Lebanon’s health ministry says 16 people were killed and 35 were wounded by Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon overnight, amid a reported helicopter landing operation.

“The series of raids launched by the Israeli enemy on the town of Nabi Chit in the Baalbek district resulted in a preliminary total of 16 citizens being martyred and 35 others being wounded,” says the health ministry in a statement carried by Lebanon’s state-run news agency.

Hezbollah claimed four Israeli helicopters arrived from the direction of Syria, and the troops who landed in Nabi Chit were engaged by its operatives before withdrawing under heavy airstrikes.

The IDF has not commented.

The Saudi al-Hadath channel, without citing any sources, claimed earlier that the operation was an attempt to recover the body of missing Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared when he bailed from his plane over Lebanon in 1986.

US said expected to deploy 3rd aircraft carrier to the Middle East

The United States is expected to deploy a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East, Fox News reports.

USS George H.W. Bush completed its pre-deployment training on Thursday, according to the US Navy.

The US Naval Institute reports that the carrier, its escorting warships, and air wing “wrapped up the composite unit training exercise that all carrier strike groups must do before becoming certified for national tasking.”

Fox News says that the carrier strike group “is expected to deploy soon” and head to the eastern Mediterranean, where USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was recently stationed.

USS Gerald R. Ford was seen moving through the Suez Canal on Thursday and is now in the Red Sea, according to photos released by the American military.

Meanwhile, USS Abraham Lincoln remains stationed in the Arabian Sea for strikes against Iran amid the war.

IDF operation in east Lebanon was attempt to recover Ron Arad’s body, Saudi outlet says

The Saudi al-Hadath channel, without citing any sources, claims that the overnight Israeli operation in eastern Lebanon was an attempt to recover the body of missing Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared when he bailed from his plane over Lebanon in 1986.

Israeli troops reportedly attempted a helicopter landing operation in the Hezbollah stronghold, leading to clashes, according to Lebanese media and the terror group. Hezbollah claimed four Israeli helicopters arrived from the direction of Syria, and the troops who landed in Nabi Chit were engaged by its operatives.

The Israeli forces withdrew under heavy airstrikes, Hezbollah claimed. The IDF has not commented.

Israel has reportedly conducted searches in Nabi Chit in the past for Arad’s remains, as he was allegedly held in the area following his disappearance.

In December, a retired Lebanese security officer from Nabi Chit, with ties to the capture of Arad, disappeared, according to Lebanese authorities.

IDF: Underground missile factory, IRGC university bombed in overnight Iran strikes by over 80 jets

A wave of Israeli airstrikes in Tehran and central Iran overnight targeted several key Iranian military sites, including an underground ballistic missile factory and a military academy, the IDF says.

According to the military, more than 80 Israeli Air Force fighter jets dropped 230 bombs on the targets during the strikes.

Among the targets was a subterranean site “for the storage and production of ballistic missiles, from which hundreds of soldiers from the armed forces of the Iranian terror regime operated,” the IDF says.

The military says the site “contained bunkers and military headquarters of regime elements.”

Additionally, the IDF says it struck another missile storage site, which included bunkers and launch infrastructure, as well as Imam Hossein University, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military academy, which the IDF says “served as an emergency asset and an assembly complex for the IRGC,” including during the war.

As the war enters a new phase, the military says it is ramping up strikes on Iran’s weapon production facilities across the country, including those used to manufacture missiles and launchers.

In threat, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they are ‘waiting’ for US forces at Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warns they are waiting for US forces to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway where traffic remains strangled as the regional war rages.

“We are waiting for their presence,” says Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini, after the US energy secretary announced the Navy was preparing to escort ships through the strait “as soon as it’s reasonable to do it.”

“We recommend that before making any decision, the Americans remember the fire of the American supertanker Bridgeton in 1987 and the oil tankers that were recently targeted,” Naini said, according to Fars news agency.

The Bridgeton tanker was mined by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as it was being escorted through the Persian Gulf by the US Navy.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Saudi Arabia warns Iran against ‘miscalculation’ after missile, drone attacks

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman urges Iran to “avoid miscalculation,” following missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.

In a series of statements, the Saudi defence ministry says it thwarted repeated missile launches at an air base which houses US military personnel and drone attacks at a major oil field.

Iran is pressing attacks across the Gulf, a week since the US and Israel launched strikes against the Islamic Regime.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, reported at least two drone attacks earlier this week that targeted the Ras Tanura refinery in the east.

Prince Khalid posts on X after meeting with Pakistan’s military chief that the pair “discussed Iranian attacks on the Kingdom and the measures needed to halt them.”

“We stressed that such actions undermine regional security and stability and expressed hope that the Iranian side will exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation,” he adds.

The defence ministry earlier posted on X that “a ballistic missile launched towards Prince Sultan Air Base” southeast of the capital Riyadh was “intercepted and destroyed.”

The official Saudi Press Agency later reported another missile attack at the same base, saying it was also intercepted, quoting a defence ministry spokesperson.

The news agency also reported a series of drone attacks targeting the Shaybah oil field near the Emirati border. The drones were “intercepted and destroyed”, it said.

In a separate incident, a drone was intercepted east of Riyadh, according to the defense ministry.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Medics report no injuries in latest Iranian missile attack; projectiles intercepted

There are no reports of injuries following the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, medics say.

A small number of missiles were launched, setting off sirens across central Israel.

The missles were intercepted by air defenses, according to preliminary military assessments, and there are no reports of direct impacts.

The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

Iran launches 5th ballistic missile attack since midnight; sirens activated in central Israel

For the fifth time since midnight, the IDF says it has detected the launch of ballistic missiles from Iran.

Sirens sound in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel.

Explosions reported in Dubai and Bahraini capital

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — AFP journalists hear explosions in Dubai and Bahrain’s capital Manama, one week into Iran’s retaliatory attacks on targets around the Gulf.

Two blasts are heard in Dubai and one in Manama, where a warning siren sounded.

“Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” Bahrain’s interior ministry posts on X.

Hezbollah reports clashes with Israeli forces along Lebanon-Syria border

Lebanese official media reports early Saturday that clashes have erupted as Israeli forces attempt to land along the Lebanon-Syria border, with terrorist group Hezbollah saying its fighters were involved.

There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces, which has launched numerous strikes and sent ground troops into Lebanon since Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

If confirmed, the latest reported raid would be the deepest Israeli forces have reached inside Lebanon since special unit troops apprehended Hezbollah operative Imad Amhaz from the northern city of Batroun in November 2024.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) says that “clashes are taking place on the eastern mountain range along the Lebanese-Syrian border… to repel Israeli landing attempts.”

It gives the location as Nabi Sheet, in the eastern Baalbek district where Hezbollah holds sway.

Hezbollah says in a statement that its fighters “observed the infiltration of four Israeli enemy army helicopters from the Syrian direction.”

After landing, advancing troops “were engaged by a group” of Hezbollah fighters as they reached the Nabi Sheet cemetery, Hezbollah says, noting the use of light and medium weapons.

“The clash escalated after the enemy force was exposed,” it adds, saying the Israeli troops launched intense strikes and began to evacuate.

A separate statement says Hezbollah fighters fired rockets as the Israeli forces withdrew.

Footage shared on social media shows waves of gunfire in the air.

Nabi Sheet was the target of at least 13 Israeli airstrikes on Friday, according to the NNA, with the Lebanese health ministry reporting at least nine people killed.

Israeli troops reportedly attempted a helicopter landing operation in a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon overnight, leading to clashes, according to Lebanese media and the terror group.

Hezbollah claimed four Israeli helicopters arrived from the direction of Syria, and… pic.twitter.com/4sQkeKHxpU

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 7, 2026

Sirens activated in Western Galilee due to suspected drone infiltration from Lebanon

Sirens sound in a number of Western Galilee communities due a suspected drone infiltration from neighboring Lebanon.

No injuries reported as IDF downs Iranian ballistic missiles

There are no reports of injuries following the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, medics say.

A small number of missiles were launched, setting off sirens in Beersheba and the surrounding area in the south, as well as in Jerusalem.

The missles were intercepted by air defenses, according to preliminary military assessments, and there are no reports of direct impacts.

The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

Further Iranian missile fire detected; sirens sound in Jerusalem, southern Israel

The IDF says it has detected yet another launch of ballistic missiles from Iran.

Sirens sound in Jerusalem, the surrounding and parts of southern Israel.

Residents of central Israel, West Bank given all clear after Iran missile intercepted

The military informs residents of central Israel and West Bank communities where sirens sounded that they can now leave their bomb shelters, after intercepting the latest Iranian ballistic missile fire.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage as a result of the missile attack.

Iran missile fire targeting north lands in open area; sirens sound in Tel Aviv and center of country

As the IDF tells residents of northern Israel they can leave bomb shelters after the most recent Iranian ballistic missile fire landed in an open area and triggered no sirens, the military warns residents of Tel Aviv, large parts of central Israel and the West Bank that it has detected another missile launch from Iran.

Shortly after the latest warning, sirens sound in those communities.

Trump said to privately mull deployment of some US ground forces to Iran

US President Donald Trump has privately expressed interest in deploying ground forces to Iran, according to NBC News.

In a report citing several sources, the US broadcaster says that Trump has raised the idea with White House aides and Republican officials while laying out his vision for Iran after the war, which he envisions will include cooperation between Tehran and Washington on oil similar to the US and Venezuela.

The sources cited in the report say Trump hasn’t discussed a major ground offensive in Iran, but instead a small group of US forces to carry out missions that the report describes as having specific strategic purposes. The sources add that Trump hasn’t yet made any decision on the matter.

IDF says Iranian missile launch detected; northern residents told sirens due to sound

The IDF detects a fresh ballistic missile launch from Iran, with the Home Front Command alerting Israelis across the north that sirens may soon sound in their communities.

US State Department bypasses Congress to approve over $150M munition packages for Israel

WASHINGTON — The US State Department says it has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to Israel of munitions and munitions support for $151.8 million, without congressional review.

Israel has requested to buy 12,000 BLU-110A/B general purpose, 1,000-pound bomb bodies, the State Department says in a statement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an emergency existed that required the immediate sale to Israel. The announcement comes during the US and Israel’s war against Iran.

Hegseth brushes off reports Russia aiding Iran’s targeting: ‘We mitigate as we need to’

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says that the United States is “not concerned” about reports that Russia is providing intelligence to Iran on US troop positions and movements.

While declining to confirm the reports, Hegseth, in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” says: “We’re tracking everything.”

“Our commanders are aware of everything,” he says. “We have the best intelligence in the world. We’re aware of who’s talking to who.”

“We’re not concerned about that,” the defense secretary says. “We mitigate it as we need to.”

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted ballistic missile fired at airbase near Riyadh

Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted a ballistic missile fired at an airbase southeast of the capital Riyadh, as Iran presses attacks across the Gulf.

“A ballistic missile launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base was intercepted and destroyed,” the Saudi defense ministry posts on X.

Pakistani man found guilty of Iran-linked plot to assassinate Trump, US officials

A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been found guilty of plotting to assassinate US President Donald Trump or other US officials in retaliation for the American military killing of Islamic Revolutionary Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, prosecutors say.

Asif Raza Merchant allegedly sought to hire a hitman to assassinate a politician or a government official in the United States, prosecutors established during the trial in a federal court in Brooklyn.

Soleimani, the head of Iran’s foreign military operations, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed to avenge his killing.

During his trial, Merchant testified that he was forced into the plot to protect his family in the Iranian capital Tehran from the IRGC, adding that he thought he would get caught before anyone was killed, multiple media outlets reported.

He said he was never ordered to kill a specific person but noted his Iranian contact had mentioned three people in connection with the plot — Trump, former president Joe Biden and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.

Merchant will be scheduled at an unconfirmed future date after his conviction on both counts that he faced — transnational terrorism and murder for hire — a spokesman for prosecutors tells AFP. He could face life imprisonment.

Merchant’s trial comes as the US and Israel carry out attacks on Iran, which have killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

US officials previously said Merchant had “close ties to Iran” and described his alleged plot as “straight out of the Iranian regime’s playbook.”

Trump: Unconditional surrender could be when the Iranians announce it or they ‘can’t fighter any longer’

US President Donald Trump says unconditional surrender in the American-Israeli war against Iran could mean the total destruction of the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities and not necessarily a former capitulation by Tehran.

“Unconditional surrender could be that [the Iranians] announce it. But it could also be when they can’t fight any longer because they don’t have anyone or anything to fight with,” he tells Axios.

Footage shows strikes, larges fires at Tehran airport after IDF announces strikes

Footage posted to social media shows strikes and large fires at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, after the Israeli military said it was carrying out an “extensive” wave of strikes against regime targets in Iran’s capital.

Mehrabad International Airport.

Possible strikes on fuel storage and at least one plane might be on fire (pic 2). https://t.co/gSuzBaiaOd pic.twitter.com/O84LX561ad

— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) March 6, 2026

Mahrabad in Iran pic.twitter.com/bUkrvzXwp0

— Ph.Gritti (@Philipp27960841) March 6, 2026

Suspected drone infiltration sirens activated in Nahiraya and Lebanon border towns

Air raid sirens sound in numerous Western Galilee communities, including the coastal city of Nahariya, due to a suspected Hezbollah drone infiltration from nearby Lebanon.

No injuries reported in latest Iran missile attack; IDF says Israelis can leave shelters

There are no reports of injuries following the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, medics say.

According to preliminary military assessments, a small number of missiles were launched in the attack, setting off sirens in southern and central Israel. There are no reports of direct impacts.

The IDF Home Front Command says civilians in areas where sirens sounded can now leave bomb shelters.

Protesters chant ‘Death to America, death to Israel’ at NYC vigil for Khamenei

Protesters in New York City chant “death to America, death to Israel,” in Farsi, at a protest honoring late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in New York City.

The protesters set up images of Khamenei on a table alongside flowers and candles, hold flags showing Jeffrey Epstein’s face, and hold signs that say, “solidarity with Iran.”

“We must live like the ayatollah did, with his heart for his people, and we must die like he did,” a speaker tells the crowd.

Iranian counter-protesters chant “USA,” “terrorist,” and “Bibi thank you” from across a metal police barricade.

As booms heard over Beersheba, IDF warns of another Iran missile launch headed toward central Israel

As sirens sound in Beersheba and the surrounding area in southern Israel, the Home Front Command issues an early warning in central Israel as more missile fire from Iran is detected by the IDF.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

Meanwhile, several explosions are heard in the Beersheba area.

Air force launches new ‘extensive’ wave of strikes on Iranian regime targets in Tehran

The Israeli Air Force has launched a new “extensive” wave of airstrikes against Iranian regime targets in Tehran, the IDF announces.

Further details are expected to be provided later.

Western Tehran,#Tehran Province, #Iran pic.twitter.com/XzJlVahFfd

— Shin (@hey_itsmyturn) March 6, 2026

IDF detects Iranian ballistic missile fire; sirens sound in the south

The IDF says it had detected another launch of ballistic missiles from Iran.

Sirens sound in southern Israel.