LIVE: Iran Strikes Israel and US Targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar

In a briefing with reporters, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, a military spokesman, said Israel has identified “a sharp acceleration” in Iran’s missile program.

He said Iran was beginning to make dozens of ballistic missiles a month.

Shoshani also said there had been no significant hits in Israel. He spoke just before noon, roughly four hours after the operation began  — AP

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed in a statement the country had begun responding to the joint strikes, saying its armed forces had “commenced a decisive response to these hostile acts.”

The statement warned Iranians to avoid areas in the zones being targeted and that the government had made “prior arrangements” to ensure supply of basic necessities.

Schools and universities were ordered to close, while the statement said banks would continue to operate. — AP

France, whose military has bases and a regular presence in the Mideast, has called on French citizens in the region to exercise extreme caution.

''A military escalation is underway... It’s not the time for negotiations, we are in a situation of war,’' junior defense minister, Alice Rufo, told France-2 television Saturday, comparing the situation to what happened last June.

''Our priority is the protection of our citizens and protection of our forces in the region,’' she said.

Asked if French forces were involved in the U.S. and Israeli strikes or targeted in retaliatory strikes, French military spokesperson Col. Guillaume Vernet said: ''The French armed forces continuously adapt their posture to threats and implement measures to ensure the surveillance and protection of military installations where French soldiers are deployed.’'   — AP

He would not elaborate.

''Our military presence guarantees France’s independent assessment of the situation,’' he told the AP.

 ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines on Saturday suspended flights to 10 Middle East nations after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, with many nations closing their airspace.

"Flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan have been cancelled until March 2," spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on X, while flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Oman were only suspended for the day.   — AFP

Several explosions were heard across Doha on Saturday as Qatar's defence ministry said it had intercepted several missile attacks targeting the Gulf state.

Blasts were heard over central Doha and near the Al-Udeid military base, the largest US military facility in the region.

An AFP journalist saw an interceptor destroy one missile in a puff of white smoke, as Qatar's defence ministry said in a statement it had "repelled a number of attacks".  — AFP

Lufthansa announced Saturday it has cancelled it flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil and Tehran until March 7, as the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, which retaliated with missile launches.

The German airline group said in a statement it and its subsidiaries were also suspending flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi until Sunday. It said the cancellations were due to the "current situation in the Middle East".  — AFP

Two officials with different Iran-backed militias in Iraq told The Associated Press that a meeting took place two months ago between Iranian officials and allied Iraqi militias to make plans for a response in case Iran was attacked, including distributing tasks among the Iraqi armed groups.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

One of the officials said it was decided that the response would target U.S. forces and interests in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region and in neighboring Jordan.

U.S. troops have vacated bases where they were previously stationed in Iraq in areas under the control of the central government in Baghdad as a result of an agreement to end the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, but they remain in the Kurdish region.

One of the most prominent Iraqi militias, Kataib Hezbollah, on Thursday issued a public statement urging its fighters to “be prepared to engage in a war of attrition that may be prolonged and exceed the expectations of the U.S. administration.” It also issued a warning to the Kurdish regional government in Iraq “against collaborating with hostile foreign forces” that “could threaten its security and future.”  — AP

Germany was informed in advance about Israel’s military strikes on Iran, a spokesman for the German executive said on Saturday, saying the German government is monitoring developments closely and is in close consultation with its European partners.

The German government’s crisis management team is scheduled to meet today at noon to discuss the situation in Iran. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has already consulted with relevant ministers and will have further talks on Saturday.

Germany also urged its nationals in Iran, Israel, and the wider region to register on the official system for citizens abroad and follow the instructions of local authorities regarding the necessary measures for their own protection.

The foreign ministry said it was in “close and constant” contact with the embassies in Iran and Israel, as well as other missions in the region.  — AP

MOSCOW: Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev criticised the United States on Saturday for striking Iran, casting doubt on whether Washington entered negotiations to avert the conflict in good faith.

"The peacemaker has shown its true face once again," Medvedev, an ally of President Vladimir Putin currently serving as the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, said in a post on Telegram.

"All the talks with Iran were just a cover. No one ever doubted that. Nobody was interested in negotiating anything in particular."  — AFP