Iran vs Israel
- Israeli forces continue their assault on Tehran and Beirut, including a strike on the Iranian state broadcaster, as the death toll in Iran and Lebanon surpasses 600 people.
- US President Donald Trump says the military campaign against Iran could last about four weeks, pledging that Washington will do whatever it takes to destroy Tehran’s missile and nuclear capabilities.
Israeli forces continue their assault on Tehran and Beirut, including a strike on the Iranian state broadcaster, as the death toll in Iran and Lebanon surpasses 600 people.
US President Donald Trump says the military campaign against Iran could last about four weeks, pledging that Washington will do whatever it takes to destroy Tehran’s missile and nuclear capabilities.
Iran has struck energy infrastructure across the Gulf, sending global oil and gas prices sharply higher. Qatar’s state-owned petroleum company has suspended all liquefied natural gas production after two of its facilities were hit.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil consumption passes, is now “closed” and warns that any vessels attempting to pass through the waterway will be attacked.
Iran continues to attack sites across Israel, with the Israeli military reporting missile interceptions over West Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Eilat. At least 10 people have been killed in Israel since Saturday.
US troops fired on protesters storming consulate in Karachi: Report
The Reuters news agency is reporting that US Marines opened fire on Pakistani protesters during the storming of the Karachi consulate over the weekend.The agency cited two US officials and its report marks the first confirmation that Marines were involved in firing at the protestors.The officials told Reuters that it was unclear whether the rounds fired by Marines struck or killed anyone. They also did not know whether shots were also fired by others protecting the mission, including private security guards and local police.At least 10 people were killed during the protest, when demonstrators breached the compound’s outer wall.A provincial government spokesman, Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, said “security” personnel had opened fire, without specifying their affiliation.
US cancels all visa appointments in Pakistan
The US embassy in Islamabad has announced the cancellation of all visa appointments citing “current security situation” in the country.The order covers the embassy in Islamabad as well as the consulates in Lahore and Karachi, according to the US embassy.It said the cancellation will be 
effective until Friday, March 6.On Sunday, at least 10 people were reported killed when security personnel fired on demonstrators during the storming of the Karachi consulate following reports of the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israel strikes.
Israel issues more evacuation orders for southern Beirut
A spokesperson for the Israeli military has said that residents of the al-Ghubeiri and Haret Hreikthe areas in southern Beirut must evacuate ahead of incoming Israeli attacks.
“Warning to all residents present in the southern suburbs area, specifically in the buildings specified in the attached maps and the adjacent buildings to them in the following areas: al-Ghubeiri, Haret Hreik,” spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a social media post.
Hezbollah says Israeli attacks cannot continue without response
Hezbollah has defended its recent missile attacks on Israel as a legitimate response to 15 months of “Israeli aggression against Lebanon” in violation of a ceasefire agreed in 2024.
“All political and diplomatic efforts have failed to curb this aggression or compel Israel to implement the ceasefire agreement and its requirements,” the group said in a message on Telegram, calling strikes against Israel a “defensive act” and a “legitimate right”.“We have repeatedly warned that aggression without a response cannot continue, and assassinations and destruction cannot continue,” the group said.“What is required is to put an end to the aggression by all available means, with fervour and effective action,” it added.The statement came after Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced “a ban on Hezbollah’s military activities” and said its role will be restricted “to the political sphere”.
Rights group says at least 96 people killed in Iran on Monday
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) is reporting that at least 85 civilians and 11 military personnel have been killed following the joint US-Israeli strike in Iran in the last 24 hours.The Washington, DC-based group said the latest figures take the total civilian death toll to at least 742 since the US-Israeli attack began on February 28.These include 176 children, it added.Earlier, the Iranian Red Crescent Society put the death toll at 555 people.Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the figures.HRANA said the US-Israeli attacks hit a range of locations and infrastructure on Monday, including several military bases, two residential areas, and Shahid Bahonar Pier in Bandar Abbas.‘No appetite for negotiations’ in Iran amid ‘unprovoked’ warHassan Ahmadian, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, says US explanations for launching the war on Iran were “really vague” and have no basis in international law.
“Iran was attacked by the United States. Civilians are being bombed, school kids were bombed, hospitals are bombed. The world is watching what is happening… It’s a clear violation of international law. It’s unprovoked and unlawful.”
Ahmadian told Al Jazeera there was no “appetite for negotiations” in Iran.
“Iran negotiated in good faith two times, and both times led to a war on the country,” he said, noting that the head of Iran’s National Security Council Ali Larijani has rejected Trump’s claim the Iranians want to negotiate.
“After all, the country is under aggression, continuous, and the Israelis are starting carpet bombing in Tehran and other cities in the country,” he said. “In such a circumstance strategic culture in Iran tells us that they will not negotiate. They will stand firm and fight back, and then after a cease fire, they will see where things go.”
Qatar intercepts vast majority of Iranian missiles and drones
Qatar’s Ministry of Defence says it has intercepted the vast majority of Iranian projectiles fired at the country since the attacks began – including all three cruise missiles, 98 of 101 ballistic missiles, 24 of 39 drones, and both SU-24 fighter jets detected.
US speaker says strikes on Iran ‘absolutely necessary for our defence’
As we’ve been reporting, top US officials have briefed Congress on the strikes against Iran, with Rubio telling reporters beforehand that Washington acted on an imminent threat – knowing Israel would strike Iran and that American forces would likely face Iranian retaliation as a result.Republican lawmakers have backed that narrative.“Because Israel was determined to act with or without the US, our commander in chief and the administration … had a very difficult decision to make,” House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after the classified briefing.“In my view, right now … our military and the commander in chief, he is presiding over the completion of an operation that was limited in scope, limited in its objective, and absolutely necessary for our defense. I think that operation will be wound up quickly,” Johnson said.
Netanyahu claims Iran’s nuclear, missile sites would have been ‘immune’ to strikes ‘within months’
The Israeli prime minister has told Fox News that the US and Israel attacked Iran because the country’s ballistic missile and nuclear programmes would have become “immune” to strikes “within months”.
“The reason that we had to act now is that after we hit their nuclear sites and their ballistic missiles programme, you’d think they’d learn a lesson, but they didn’t. Because they’re unreformable, they’re totally fanatic about this, about the goal of destroying America. So they started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers, that would make their ballistic missiles programme and their atomic bomb programme immune within months,” said Netanyahu.
“If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future,” he added.
Trump says US response to attacks on Riyadh embassy coming soon: Report
Kellie Meyer, a journalist for NewsNation, says Trump has told her “you’ll be finding out very soon” what the response to the attack on the US embassy in Riyadh will be.
Meyer added that Trump said he “doesn’t think boots on the ground will be necessary” in the war against Iran, after stating earlier in the day that he was not intimidated by the prospect of deploying US ground forces.
Iraqi group claims attack on Erbil hotel housing US troops
We are getting reports of an attack in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish region near the border with Iran.The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for carrying out a drone attack on a hotel that it said housed US troops in ErbilA video clip posted on Telegram by the Iraqi Naya news agency meanwhile showed a building on fire in Erbil. The post claimed that drones were launched by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq towards “occupation bases”.
Australia says Iran hit base used by its troops near Dubai
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles says Iranian forces struck Al Minhad Air Base where Australian troops are stationed on the first night of the conflict.He said all Australian troops are “safe and accounted for” and that about 100 of them are stationed across the Middle East.Most of them are based in the United Arab Emirates, he added.
Israel bombs Hezbollah affiliated Al Manar TV in Beirut
Just a short while ago in southern Beirut suburb, known as Dahiya, we saw another round of Israeli strikes after Israeli media said the military was going to target the building that houses Al Manar TV, which is a local station here affiliated with Hezbollah.
We understand that has indeed happened but the station is back on air, probably broadcasting from another location. This strike is of course just the latest in Lebanon. Over the 24 hours, we have seen multiple strikes not just in Beirut, but also in southern Lebanon and in the eastern Bekaa valley towards the Syrian border. At least 52 people have been killed, 154 were injured and thousands are displaced.
The Israeli military announced that they have killed the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Organisation in an earlier strike on Beirut. They have also been saying that these strikes have been targeting senior members of Hezbollah and they say they have killed the head of the intelligence wing as well. So f
ar, we haven’t had a confirmation of that from Hezbollah.
We continue to get reports of people stuck in southern Lebanon, trapped in traffic trying to flee, after the forced evacuation orders from the Israeli military. This evening, residents of some 30 villages in the south were told that they needed to leave immediately for their own safety.
Several flights to UAE, Saudi Arabia diverted: Monitor
Flight Radar says two Etihad Airlines flights bound for Abu Dhabi have been diverted to the Omani capital Muscat, while an Emirates flight to Dubai appeared to be heading back to India’s Mumbai.
Several flights heading to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport are also in a holding position or are turning back to their origin, according to the monitor, following reports of an attack on the US embassy there. The diversions came amid reports of ongoing retaliatory strikes from Iran targeting several areas in the Gulf region.
UN says bombing Iranian school a violation of humanitarian law
UNESCO, the UN’s education agency, says that the bombing by the US and Israel of an Iranian primary school on Saturday constitutes a grave violation of humanitarian law.
“The killing of pupils in a place dedicated to learning constitutes a grave violation of the protection afforded to schools under international humanitarian law,” it said in a statement.
More than 160 people, mostly students, died in the bombing.
US sends more refuelling aircraft, fighter jets to the Middle East: Report
The US is bolstering its forces in the Middle East by deploying an additional 15 refueling aircraft, according to the Israel Hayom news outlet.
These aircraft allows for air-to-air supply to fighter jets and other military aircraft without having to land allowing for faster fuel transfer.
Israel Hayom also reported that the refueling aircraft were accompanied by fighter jets.
It did not say how many fighter jets were deployed.
US urges citizens to immediately leave more than dozen Middle East countries
A senior State Department official has urged US citizens to immediately leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks.
Mora Namdar, the State Department’s assistant secretary for consular affairs, said US citizens should “DEPART NOW” from the following: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, and Yemen.Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Washington, DC, Patty Culhane, said the call to evacuate was “truly bizarre”, as the notice did not follow the “complex processes” the State Department has long had in place “to notify Americans in these places that they need to leave”.“It’s not quite clear what this means, and exactly how Americans could leave the entire Middle East, since commercial traffic has been interrupted,” she said.
US Embassy in Saudi Arabia issues shelter in place notice
US authorities have urged Americans in several cities in Saudi Arabia to shelter in place and avoid the country’s embassy in Riyadh after the facility was struck by two drones.
“The US Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting non-essential travel to any military installations in the region – we recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately and avoid the Embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility,” the embassy said in a social media post.
As we’ve been reporting, Saudi authorities said the attack caused a “limited fire” and minor damage.
Trump calls Iranian Kurdish leaders based in Iraq: Report
The Axios news outlet is reporting that the US president has spoken with the leaders of the two primary Kurdish factions in Iraq, Masoud Barazani and Bafel Talabani, a day after the joint US-Israel attacks on Iran.
The outlet noted the factions have thousands of soldiers along the Iran-Iraq border and control strategic areas that could be significant as the war develops.It said Iraq’s Kurds also have close ties to Iran’s Kurdish minority.An unnamed source told Axios that the “calls were the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu”.Israel has had close security, military and intelligence ties with the Kurds in Syria, Iraq and Iran for decades.“It is the general view, and certainly Netanyahu’s view, that the Kurds are going to come out of the woodwork … that they’re going to rise up,” one official was quoted as saying.
Iran launches attack on US base in Kuwait
The IRGC says it has carried out a “new wave of attacks” on the Arifjan Base hosting US troops in Kuwait using 10 drones.
The drones successfully hit their targets, it claimed.
There was no immediate comment from Kuwait or the US..
UNESCO warns of destruction of heritage sites in the Middle East
The UN culture and education agency (UNESCO) has expressed “concern” over the protection of heritage sites amid the escalating war between Iran and joint US-Israeli forces.
The statement comes amid reports of major damage to the historic Golestan Palace in Tehran, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Golestan Palace was an official royal complex in Iran during the Qajar dynasty.
“UNESCO recalls that cultural property is protected under international law, notably the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, including its enhanced protection mechanism, as well as the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,” the statement said.
‘Iran does not seek war, but will not surrender sovereignty: Iran’s UN envoy
Even as Gulf countries unanimously condemn Iran for firing missiles and drones at their territories, Tehran’s envoy to the UN on Monday insisted that his government was not seeking a war and did not want escalation.“Iran does not seek war. Iran does not seek escalation,” Amir-Saeid Iravani said, speaking in a media briefing at the UN headquarters in New York. “But Iran will not surrender its sovereignty.”
US Embassy in Riyadh struck by two drones
Saudi authorities are reporting a “limited fire” at the US Embassy in Riyadh after it was struck by two drones.
“The US Embassy in Riyadh was subjected to an attack by two drones according to initial estimates, resulting in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building,” a spokesperson for the Defence Ministry said.
Israeli police say 1 injured by missile shrapnel in Tel Aviv
Israeli authorities have said that a person has been injured by Iranian rocket shrapnel that fell in the Tel Aviv area.
The Israeli police have warned residents against approaching rocket impact sites or touching the remnants of munitions found on the ground.
Qatar says missile interceptors remain ‘well-stocked’
The Qatari government has stated that the country retains ample supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles, despite having to use them repeatedly over the past three days to counter Iranian missiles.
“The inventory of Patriot interceptor missiles held by the Qatar Armed Forces has not been depleted and remains well-stocked. The Qatar Armed Forces have repeatedly demonstrated their capability to defend the nation against external threats and remain at full readiness to protect all citizens, residents, and visitors for as long as necessary,” Qatar’s international media office said in a statement.
Posted on 2026/03/03 08:46 AM