Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait all reported new attacks, after loud explosions were heard in Dubai and Bahrain's Manama a day earlier
Dubai: Israel has struck southern Lebanon, Beirut and an oil storage facility in Tehran as the war in the Middle East keeps escalating, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised "many surprises" for the next phase of the conflict.
Iran also hit a desalination plant in Bahrain. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a U.S. airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, warning that in doing so "the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran." Such infrastructure is critical for drinking water supplies in the parched deserts of the Gulf.
An Israeli attack on an oil storage facility in Tehran sent up pillars of fire that could be seen in Associated Press video as a glow against the Saturday night sky. It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war.
The conflict has rattled global markets, disrupted air travel and left Iran's leadership weakened by hundreds of Israeli and American airstrikes.
Here is the latest:
Israel's army chief tells Israeli public to prepare for war to take a long time'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir spoke at an assessment held with the Home Front Command chief and other military officials, in comments provided by the army.
"Israel has already been in a state of prolonged emergency for two years," Zamir said. "What we mainly need right now is perseverance and patience. It will take a long time yet, you need to be prepared for that, and however long it takes, it will take."
Israel confirms it struck hotel in central Beirut, says 5 Iran-linked commanders killed
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The military said the overnight strike by its Navy killed five top commanders in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps while they were "hiding in a civilian hotel."
It said they served in the Guard's Quds Force's Lebanon and Palestine corps and were involved in funding, arming and providing intelligence to Hezbollah and Hamas.
The Quds Force works heavily with Iran's allied militant groups in the region.
Last week the Israeli military said it killed the acting commander of the Quds Force's Lebanon Corps in an airstrike in Teheran.
Macron urges Iran to halt strikes in phone call with the country's president
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had talks with Iranian President Massoud Pezechkian on Sunday and urged him for stopping strikes.
"I stressed the need for Iran to immediately cease its strikes against countries in the region," Macron said in a post on X.
He also called on Iran to guarantee freedom of navigation by "putting an end to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz."
Macron also mentioned the case of Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French nationals who were released from an Iranian prison in November and transferred to the French Embassy in Tehran, after more than three years in detention on spying charges. He called for their return to France as an "absolute priority."
Macron also stressed deep concern regarding the development of Iran's nuclear and ballistic program and said a diplomatic solution is necessary.
Both leaders agreed to remain in contact, according to Macron's post on X.
Macron is the first Western leader to talk to Iran's president since the beginning of the war.
Macron speaks with Iranian president
----------------------------------------
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone Sunday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He also had separate talks with President Donald Trump, Macron's office said.
No other details provided.
Lebanon says over a half-million people have been displaced in the week of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lebanon says over a half-million people have been displaced in the week of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The actual number is likely higher. Lebanon's count of 517,000 refers to those who registered on the government's online portal. The cash-strapped government has struggled to accommodate the large number of people who have fled their homes in large parts of southern and eastern Lebanon.
Israel over the past week has called on residents in dozens of villages across southern Lebanon and the entirety of Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate as the fighting intensifies.
Six Palestinians have been killed this week in interactions with Israeli settlers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palestinian mourners marched down the main street of the West Bank village of Khirbet Abu Falah Sunday, hoisting high the coffins of three men killed in an interaction with settlers.
Earlier in the day, Israeli settlers had attacked Palestinians near the village, which is east of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied territory, the military said. Two Palestinians were killed by gunfire and a third died from suffocation, likely due to tear gas, the military said.
The deaths bring the total number of settler-related killings of Palestinians in the West Bank to six this week, and seven in the roughly nine weeks since the start of 2026.
That's a major spike. In all of 2025, the UN human rights office reported nine Palestinians killed by settlers.
Tensions on Israel's northern border as military beefs up presence to counter Hezbollah
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Israelis along the northern border with Lebanon Sunday watched and worried as the area grew increasingly militarized during yet another round of fighting with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Military jeeps and trucks with tanks on them could be seen on roads close to the border.
"I believe that our army today will bring order regarding Hezbollah and eliminate them permanently so we can live here in peace," said Morris Yakuti, a poultry farmer from the area.
Others weren't so sure.
"Since I have enough experience in this area all my life, I think it's just another circle of war and it will not end this war, so it will happen again and again," said Harella Matalon Aizenshtadt.
Israel's renewed offensive began last week after Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel during the war's opening days.
The subsequent strikes have been the most intense since a November 2024 ceasefire.
The first day of the Iran war was the deadliest, an independent monitoring group says
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, the U.S-based group known as ACLED, said over 43% of the fatalities were documented that day, Feb. 28, in 10 countries. ACLED has documented over 1,000 incidents in the first week of the war across 16 countries.
The deadliest single strike during the first week was on Feb 28 on a girl's school near a Revolutionary Guards base in Minab in southern Iran, that killed 168 civilians.
That was followed by another strike on a playground in Shiraz, in central Iran, on March 5, that killed 20 people. Another strike on a residential area in Lamerd, in Fars province, killed 19 on the first day of the war, ACLED said.
Although ACLED recorded fewer strikes on civilian sites in Iran, they caused more causalities, it said. Over 57% of civilian casualties in Iran resulted from 3.4% of the recorded strikes by the US and Israel.
Sirens spread to central Israel in successive barrages from Iran
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Moments after residents of southern Israel were warned of incoming ballistic missiles from Iran, sirens sent millions more Israelis in the Tel Aviv metro area and parts of the West Bank into shelters as the army said it had detected another missile attack.
Analyst says separatism will strengthen Iranian government
---------------------------------------------------------------
However disdainful of their government in Tehran, most Iranians are wary of Trump's courting of Iranian Kurdish groups, said Alex Vatanka, a fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.
Iranians see the U.S. president's calls to the Kurds and posts on social media as signals that Trump desires not the liberation but rather than the fragmentation of Iran.
"What Iranians are by and large hearing is not regime change in Tehran, not this glorious move to a secular democracy and so forth, but basically the dismantling of Iran," Vatanka said. Talk of separatism, from the Kurds and other minority groups like Baluchis, Ahwazi Arabs and Azeris "is going to undermine that bigger effort aimed at the regime and it will demoralize the opposition."
Vatanka said that territorial losses in Iranian Kurdish areas or perhaps three Iranian islands claimed by the United Arab Emirates would rally Iranians around the flag if not the authorities against foreign interference. (AP)
DUBAI: British Broadcasting Corporation has verified a video posted online overnight, showing a line of fire burning in a street in north-west Tehran.
"The fire is in Koohsar Boulevard, in Shahran neighbourhood, the report said, where about 2km (1.2 miles) away an oil depot was reportedly struck on Saturday evening. It's not clear whether the two incidents are connected," the report said.
According to the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), oil depots in Tehran and Alborz provinces were attacked last night.
- The death toll continues to rise. At least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 300 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel have been killed, according to officials in those countries.
- Israel's military has promised it will target any successors to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
- Israel's military has promised it will target any successors to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Live Updates
- 9 March 2026 12:17 AM IST
'Nowhere safe' after Israeli strike on central Beirut hotel
'Nowhere safe' after Israeli strike on central Beirut hotel
BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 8, 2026 (AFP) - In central Beirut's Ramada hotel, a few metres away from Lebanon's landmark Pigeon Rocks, no one expected an Israeli strike to disturb the relative safety of this touristy area.The rock formation, which comprises a natural arch and neighbouring sea stack, decorates the area of Raouche, facing a large banner that reads "beautiful romantic scenery".They stood witness to Israel's first attack on central Beirut since the start of its new war against Hezbollah.The health ministry said four people were killed in the Ramada, a four-star hotel, when a strike hit a fourth-floor room, leaving it a large blackened hole.Windows in neighbouring rooms were also shattered, as were the windscreens of several cars in the street."Look at how precise the strike was, it was probably a drone," said a bystander who was mingling with journalists.Israel's military said it had "conducted a precise strike targeting key commanders" in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, its foreign operations arm.It launched multiple waves of strikes this week across Lebanon and sent ground troops into border areas after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel on Monday in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."Anyone could have died if they were unlucky enough to be near the targeted building," Mohammed Zaher, an engineer who was walking along the sunny coastline, told AFP, decrying that "Israel does not care about civilians"."People usually come to this area to relax, to unwind, to enjoy the sea, the beach, the tranquillity, the beauty, the cleanliness and the safety."- 'Nowhere is safe' -Zainab, a 41-year-old who had been sleeping in her car with her husband and three children since escaping Israeli bombing of southern Lebanon, was woken up by the sound of the explosion."We rushed out and ran away" she said, as dozens of panicked guests were fleeing the hotel with their luggage."During the previous war, we also came here," she added, referring to the 2024 war between Hezbollah and Israel, which a ceasefire in November of that year sought to end."In the past, we used to come here for a stroll. We would come to Raouche and Manara, sit down, smoke shisha, and then return to our village... now nowhere in Lebanon is safe."Her fears were shared by other passers-by."There is no safe place anymore," Salem Zeaiter, a Lebanese man who lives in Sweden but was visiting home, told AFP as he and his wife took selfies in front of the rocks."We came here on holiday two days before the war started," he added."The weather is nice and the food is good, I have many memories from this place, as I played here when I was younger... it's over now."A mix of tanned athletes and wandering families swarmed on the seaside corniche, while Lebanese authorities struggled to manage the influx of hundreds of thousands of displaced people.Tents had been erected under palm trees to accommodate those who could not afford a hotel and had not found space in schools serving as shelters.Mothers sat on mattresses feeding their babies, while idle teenagers chain-smoked."Of course I fear the strikes could happen again and affect my work and the security of the area, forcing me to move my business to another location," said Moussa, who runs a small cafe next to the Ramada.On the other side of the road, Hassan, a valet working for a local restaurant, waited for customers who were nowhere to be found."Raouche is a touristy area, but it has now become deserted," he said. - 8 March 2026 11:57 PM IST
Thousands march for women's rights and against Mideast war
Thousands march for women's rights and against Mideast war
PARIS, France, March 8, 2026 (AFP) - Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the world Sunday to mark International Women's Day and, in some cases, denounce the war in the Middle East.From Rio in Brazil to cities across France, Spain and other European countries, demonstrators marched to demand women's rights across a range of issues.In France, rape survivor Gisele Pelicot led a women's rights march in Paris, one of several demonstrations in French cities.Thousands also marched in cities across Spain to protest gender-based violence and call for an end to the war in the Middle East.The Paris march was one of some 150 demonstrations held to mark International Women's Day in France, with events taking place in other cities including Bordeaux, Lille, and Marseille."We won't give up," Pelicot, 73, told the crowd as she joined thousands in the French capital marching for women's rights, economic equality, and an end to sexual violence.Pelicot became a global symbol in the fight against sexual violence after she waived her right to anonymity during the 2024 trial of her ex-husband and dozens of strangers who raped her while she was unconscious.Last week, she received the Order of Civil Merit from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid.- 'No to war'-Spanish protesters were denouncing both violence against women and the war in the Middle East sparked by last weekend's US-Israeli strikes.Demonstrations took place in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Granada, Bilbao, and San Sebastian, among other cities.Madrid hosted two demonstrations in the centre of the Spanish capital -- one for transgender rights and the other for the legalisation and regulation of prostitution.Slogans written on placards at the protests included "No to war" and "Anti-fascist feminists against imperialist war".Alexa Rubio, a 30-year-old Mexican living in Spain, cited pay and harassment as some of the most urgent issues."And in my country, gender-based violence, because women are being killed for being women," she told AFP.Yolanda Diaz, Spain's second deputy prime minister, spoke out against the war in the Middle East at a Madrid rally."It is within our power to stop the war, to stop the barbarity, and to win rights," she said."We proclaim ourselves in defence of peace, in defence of the Iranian people, in defence of Iranian women," she added, referring to the US-Israeli war against Iran.Sanchez, Spain's socialist prime minister, has drawn the ire of the US administration for refusing the use of Spain's military bases for strikes against Iran.He has called the US-Israeli attack on the country an "extraordinary mistake" and "not in accordance with international law."In Latin America, women marched in cities in Brazil, Chile and Mexico and other countries."When one woman advances, we all advance," said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in a speech. - 8 March 2026 11:02 PM IST
Iran war's targets widen into civilian infrastructure and Saudi Arabia reports first deaths
Iran war's targets widen into civilian infrastructure and Saudi Arabia reports first deaths
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Iran war’s targets widened dangerously into civilian infrastructure Sunday as Bahrain accused Iran of striking one of the desalination plants that are crucial for Gulf nations’ drinking water.While Israeli-struck oil depots smoldered in Tehran after a late-night strike, prompting environmental warnings for citizens, Iran’s president vowed to expand attacks on U.S. targets across the region on the ninth day of the war.Saudi Arabia reported its first deaths, saying a military projectile fell onto a residential area and killed two people of Indian and Bangladeshi nationality. It said 12 other Bangladeshis were wounded. Foreign residents and workers have made up most of the war’s deaths in Gulf nations.Anger has grown in the region following hundreds of Iranian missile and drone strikes. Arab League chief Ahmed Abouel Gheit lashed out at Iran for a “reckless policy” of attacking Arab countries.U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have vowed to press ahead with the coordinated campaign against Iran, even as Washington's stated war aims have varied. Trump told ABC News he wants a say in who comes to power in Iran once the war is over, adding that new leader “is not going to last long” without his approval.In Israel, the military reported the first soldier deaths since the war began, saying two were killed in southern Lebanon while Israel targets the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Three people were injured in Israel in an afternoon strike.The war, which Israel and the United States launched with airstrikes on Feb. 28 that killed Iran's supreme leader, has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, at least 397 in Lebanon and at least 11 in Israel, according to officials. Six U.S. troops have been killed.The conflict has rattled global markets, disrupted air travel and left Iran’s leadership weakened by several thousand Israeli and U.S. airstrikes.Iran’s president toughens tone Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian backtracked from conciliatory comments a day earlier in which he apologized for attacks on Gulf neighbors’ soil. Iranian hard-liners had swiftly contradicted him, saying war strategy wouldn’t change.“The more pressure they impose on us, the stronger our response will naturally be,” Pezeshkian said Sunday. “Our Iran, our country, will not bow easily in the face of bullying, oppression or aggression — and it never has.”Pezeshkian has urged neighboring states not to take part in U.S. and Israeli attacks.The U.S. strikes have not come from the Gulf Arab governments but from U.S. bases and vessels in the region.“The geography of some countries in the region — both overtly and covertly — is in the hands of the enemy, and those points are used against our country in acts of aggression. Intense attacks on these targets will continue," judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei wrote on X on Saturday.Mohseni-Ejei and Pezeshkian are part of the three-member leadership council overseeing Iran since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed.Iran awaits the selection of a new supreme leader.Desalination and oil facilities attacked The Gulf nations of Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also reported additional Iranian missiles launched toward them.Bahrain accused Iran of indiscriminately attacking civilian targets and damaging one of its desalination plants, though its electricity and water authority said supplies remained online.Desalination plants supply water to millions of residents in the region and thousands of stranded travelers, raising new fears of catastrophic risks in parched desert nations.Home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Bahrain also has seen hotels, ports and residential towers hit, with at least one person killed.The desalination plant strike came after Iran said a U.S. airstrike damaged a desalination plant there. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strike on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz had cut into the water supply to 30 villages.He warned that in doing so “the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.”In response, CENTCOM spokesperson U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said that "U.S. forces do not target civilians – period.”Iranian authorities also said Israel's overnight strikes on four oil storage tankers and a petroleum transfer terminal killed four people. Witnesses in Tehran said the smoke was so thick that it looked as if the sun had not risen.Israel’s military said the oil depots were being used by Iran’s military for fuel to launch missiles.The Iranian Red Crescent Society said about 10,000 civilian structures across the country had been damaged, including homes, schools and almost three dozen health facilities. It also warned Tehran residents to take precautions against toxic air pollution and the risk of acid rain after Israel's strikes.Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said the war’s impact on the oil industry would spiral, warning it soon could become harder to produce and sell oil. Some regional producers, including in Iraq, have curbed output amid dangers in the Strait of Hormuz.Iran maintains sufficient fuel, Veys Karami, managing director of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, told Iran’s state-run news agency.More strikes hit Lebanon Israel renewed its assault on parts of Lebanon. Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said 83 children and 82 women have been among those killed.Israel's military has ordered large swaths of the country to evacuate, and Lebanese officials said over 400,000 people have been displaced.In Beirut, sheltering families crammed into schools, slept in cars or in open areas near the Mediterranean Sea, where some burned firewood to keep warm. The government said it would open a sports stadium to shelter thousands more.Israel’s renewed offensive began last week after Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel during the war's opening days. The strikes have been the most intense since a November 2024 ceasefire. Israel has continued near-daily strikes, primarily in southern Lebanon, saying Hezbollah had been trying to rebuild its positions there.Hezbollah said last week that after more than a year of abiding by a ceasefire its patience has ended, leaving it with no option but to fight. - 8 March 2026 9:53 PM IST
Iran's top diplomat says Iran, not Trump, will elect new leader
Iran's top diplomat says Iran, not Trump, will elect new leader
WASHINGTON, United States, March 8, 2026 (AFP) - Iran's foreign minister said Sunday that the Iranian people, not Donald Trump, will elect their new leader and demanded that the US president apologize for starting the war with Iran."We allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs. This is up to the Iranian people to elect their new leader," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC's "Meet the Press."Trump on Sunday reiterated his demand to have a say in picking Iran's next supreme leader after Ali Khamenei died in the opening salvos of the US-Israeli attack that began nine days ago."He's going to have to get approval from us," Trump president told ABC News. "If he doesn't get approval from us he's not going to last long."Araghchi would not be drawn on who the successor would be. Iranian state media reported Sunday that the clerical body responsible for doing that had voted and that a name would be announced soon.Some clerics suggested Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, would be chosen. Trump has previously rejected that possibility."We have to wait for the Assembly of Experts to convene and vote for the new supreme leader, and the one who is elected by them," Araghchi told NBC.Trump told ABC he was open to a successor with ties to the Iranian government in power before the 1979 Islamic revolution, adding, "There are numerous people that could qualify."In addition to rejecting the idea of the US president guiding the Iranian succession, Araghchi said Trump "should apologize to people of the region and the Iranian people for the killings and destruction they have done against us."He defended Iranian attacks that have hit Gulf neighbors during the war, saying those strikes were aimed at US bases in the region as Iranian missiles were unable to reach the United States."It is Americans who started this war against us, attacking us, and we are defending ourselves. So it is obvious that our missiles cannot reach the US soil," Araghchi said."What we can do is to attack American bases and American installations around us, which are unfortunately in the soil of our, you know, neighbor countries."Trump has asserted that Iranian missiles could "soon" be able to strike the United States, although a US intelligence assessment as recently as 2025 stated Tehran did not have intercontinental ballistic missiles, and that it could take until 2035 for it to develop 60 such weapons. - 8 March 2026 8:22 PM IST
Israel military says struck Iran Guards 'space force' HQ
Israel military says struck Iran Guards 'space force' HQ
JERUSALEM, March 8, 2026 (AFP) - The Israeli military said on Sunday it had struck what it described as the "space force headquarters" of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Tehran."As part of the strikes, the IDF targeted and dismantled the Iranian terror regime's IRGC Space Force headquarters," the military said."The headquarters served as a reception, transmission and research centre for the Iranian Space Agency, which is affiliated with the regime's military," it said. - 8 March 2026 7:41 PM IST
Iran accused of attacks in UAE and Bahrain, smoke blankets Tehran from Israeli strikes
Iran accused of attacks in UAE and Bahrain, smoke blankets Tehran from Israeli strikes
Israel on Sunday struck southern Lebanon, Beirut and oil storage facilities in Tehran as the war in the Middle East keeps escalating, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “many surprises” for the next phase of the conflict.Iran also hit a desalination plant in Bahrain. Earlier Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a U.S. airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, warning that in doing so “the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.” Such infrastructure is critical for drinking water supplies in the parched deserts of the Gulf.An Israeli attack on oil storage sites in Tehran sent up pillars of fire that could be seen in Associated Press video as a glow against the Saturday night sky. It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war.The war, which erupted on Feb. 28 after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes hit Iran, has so far killed at least 1,230 people in the Islamic Republic, more than 300 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials.Here is the latest:Iran’s ‘brave soldiers’ are ready if outside forces enter the country, foreign minister says Araghchi says Iranian forces are ready if ground troops were to enter his country.“For the time being, we are capable enough,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said Iran has “very brave soldiers who are waiting for any enemy” and would “destroy” those who come on to Iranian soil.“We have a great civilization. We have defended our land for thousands of years and we continue to,” he said.Iranian official challenges Trump over school explosion claim Araghchi is taking issue with President Donald Trump’s comment accusing Iran of a school explosion on Feb. 28 that killed more than 165 people — most of them children — when evidence suggests it was likely a U.S. airstrike.Iran’s foreign minister told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “’it is funny. It is our school, these are our students and our girls and they are attacked by an American fighter, a jet fighter and they have been killed. Why (is) Iran responsible?”Asked for evidence that it was an American warplane, Araghchi said “if it was not U.S., then who was that? Maybe Israelis. But who else is attacking us?”Satellite images, expert analysis, a U.S. official and public information released by the U.S. and Israeli militaries have suggested that the explosion was likely caused by U.S. airstrikes that also hit an adjacent compound associated with the government’s Revolutionary Guard.Araghchi says ‘military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new’ U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia has provided Iran with information to target U.S. troops and assets in the Middle East.Iran’s foreign minister isn’t going into detail about how Moscow may be helping Tehran, but says that “military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new.”Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “it’s been there and will continue in the future.”Asked whether Russia was helping Iran locate American forces, he said he did not have “exact military information. As far as I know we have a very good partnership with Russia.”In response to a question about Russia providing intelligence, he said “they are helping us in many different directions. I don’t have any detailed information.”Iran foreign minister says his country is attacking American bases, not countries in the region Araghchi says his country isn’t attacking other countries in the region, but rather American bases, installations and assets “which are unfortunately located in the soils of our neighbors.”“We are retaliating,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”Asked about the apology Saturday by Iran’s president for attacks on “neighboring countries,” Araghchi says an apology “in our culture is a sign of dignity and strength.”He says the apology from President Masoud Pezeshkian was for “the inconveniences they have faced because of this aggression by the United States and retaliation by us.”Araghchi says it’s the president of the United States “who should apologize to the people of region and Iranian people for the killings and destruction.”Iran foreign minister says his country is looking for a permanent end to the war, not a ceasefire But before Tehran might even consider a ceasefire, Abbas Araghch said “they have to explain why they started this aggression.” Araghch did not specify about whom he was speaking.Araghchi also told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “there should be a permanent end of the war and unless we get to that, I think we need to continue fighting for the sake of our people and our security.”He says the war “was imposed on us” by the United States and Israel, and that “what we are doing is legal acts of self-defense and we have every right to do that.”State Dept says more than 32,000 Americans have left the Mideast since start of Iran war; most on commercial flights The State Department says more than 32,000 Americans have left the Middle East since the start of the Iran war last week.Although most of them departed on commercial flights without government assistance, the department said Sunday that it had organized nearly two dozen charter flights that had carried several thousand U.S. citizens from the Mideast to destinations in Europe and the United States.The department said in a statement that more than half of Americans who requested assistance in leaving have declined offers of seats on government-paid charter flights, some of whom have decided to remain in the Middle East and some who prefer to make their own travel plans.It did not give a number of those who have turned down charter flights but said more than 19,000 Americans had sought information from the State Department about security or transportation options.Israeli military says 2 soldiers have been killed in Lebanon, first military fatalities since Iran war began The Israeli military announced that two soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon on Sunday.They are the first military fatalities since the start of the war with Iran last week.One of the soldiers was identified as 38-year-old Maher Khatar, from the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. The military has not published the name of the second soldier as his family is still being notified.Israeli military says 2 soldiers have been killed in Lebanon, first military fatalities since Iran war beganStrikes on Iran oil facilities push the war into ‘dangerous phase,’ official says An Iranian official deplored the U.S.-Israeli strikes on oil facilities in Iran, saying they pushed the war into a “dangerous phase.”“These attacks on fuel storage facilities amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against the Iranian citizens,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a social media post.He said such attacks will have “devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale” because of hazardous materials and toxic substances they release into the air.“The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe will not be confined within Iran’s borders,” he said.Lebanese foreign minister condemns drone attack on Cyprus Lebanon’s top diplomat has condemned a drone attack apparently launched from Lebanese territory that hit a British airbase on the southern coast of Cyprus.Youssef Rajji’s remarks Sunday come after his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos said an exploding drone that hit the British Royal Air Force’s Akrotiri on Monday originated from Lebanese territory, where the Hezbollah militant group is at war with Israel. Hezbollah’s arsenal notably includes exploding drones, similar to the ones used by Iran.“I called on our Cypriot friends not to confuse the Lebanese state with those acting outside its authority and legal framework,” Rajji, a staunch opponent of Hezbollah said, referring to a Lebanese government decision that ordered security agencies to crack down on non-state groups carrying out attacks.As Beirut scrambles to make amends, French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the European Union island nation Monday. The attack puts Lebanon in a predicament, as Macron is leading the only diplomatic endeavor to try to halt the conflict, which has killed almost 400 people in Lebanon and displaced hundreds of thousands.3 injured in central Israel from Iranian missile strike Israel’s rescue services said three Israelis were injured in a missile barrage from Iran on Sunday afternoon.Rescue services said they responded to impact sites in central Israel and treated a 40-year-old man in serious condition, a 25-year-old man in moderate condition, and a 56-year-old man who was slightly injured.The impact made a meters-deep hole in the ground and thrust a car over a small wall.Egypt’s leader concerns about ‘grave repercussions’ of the war in Middle East President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt on Sunday expressed concerns about the war in the Middle East and its “grave repercussions, including rising energy prices and disruptions to supply chains and air and maritime traffic.”He warned of the dangers of the conflict expansion which he said could plunge the entire region into chaos, the Egyptian president said.He called for intensified international efforts to stop the war which was triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.El-Sissi’s comments came in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.Israel says Iran has fired new missile barrage The Israeli military says Iran has launched a new barrage of missiles toward Israel.It says air defenses have been activated to intercept the incoming fire.Palestinians in West Bank lack sirens and bomb shelters Israelis rely on to stay safe from missiles fired from Iran and Lebanon But as missiles arc overhead, residents have remained unfazed, instead focused on the realities of Israel’s occupation, some of which are compounded during wartime.In Ramallah’s few cafes open during the daylight hours of Ramadan, warnings ping from the one table where patrons prop their phones to catch rare pockets of Israeli cell service from nearby settlements. But before the distant boom of interceptions, nobody rushes for shelter, except on television, where Al Jazeera shows people in Israel roughly 10 miles away.Palestinian families have gone outside at night to film missiles streaking through the sky and have reported falling debris but no injuries. Meanwhile, the more than 1,000 checkpoints and gates across the occupied West Bank have been mostly closed, drawing complaints, including from first responders who say the restrictions are slowing access to emergencies and settlerFirefighters control fires at Kuwait airport and government agency, hours after attacks Firefighters have controlled fires at the Kuwait International Airport and a government agency in Kuwait City, hours after both facilities were hit in missile and drone attacks early Sunday.The General Fire Force said in a statement that it managed to control fires at fuel tanks in the airport as well as the headquarters of the state-run Public Institution for Social Insurance.Spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Badr said the fire damaged both the tanks and the insurance agency building. No causalities were reported, he said.Lebanon says 83 children among almost 400 killed in a week of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel Lebanon’s health minister said Sunday that 83 children are among the 394 killed so far in the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group over the past week.Israel’s renewed offensive began last week after Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel during the opening days of the war.Arab League chief calls out Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks on its Arab neighbors Arab League chief on Sunday lashed out at Iran for attacking Arab countries during its war against the U.S. and Israel.Secretary-General Ahmed Abouel Gheit told a virtual meeting of Arab foreign ministers that Iran’s strikes against its Arab neighbors “can’t be justified,” and reflects a “reckless policy.”He said Arab countries haven’t part of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, and declared that their territories wouldn’t be used as launching pads for U.S. attacks.“This unjustified Iranian aggression reflects a confused understanding and further isolates Iran during this difficult and delicate period,” he said.UK will not outsource foreign policy, foreign secretary says Britain’s top diplomat said the U.K. government will not outsource its foreign policy following further criticism over the country’s position on the Iran war from President Donald Trump.Yvette Cooper told BBC News that it was important to “learn the lessons” from the Iraq war in 2003 and its aftermath, when British forces fought alongside their U.S. counterparts.She said “it is our job as the U.K. government to decide what’s in the U.K. national interest, and that doesn’t mean simply agreeing with other countries or outsourcing our foreign policy to other countries.”British Prime Minister Keir Starmer opted against granting the U.S. military permission to use British bases for the first wave of military action, but then said the U.K. would engage in defensive operations after Iran attacked countries throughout the Middle East.On hearing that the U.K. was reducing the time it would take one of its two aircraft carriers, the HMS Prince of Wales, to set sail for any deployment, Trump said “we don’t need them any longer.”Iran soccer team exits Women’s Asian Cup and faces the prospect of a return home Iran’s soccer team lost its last group match at the Women’s Asian Cup on Sunday and had to contemplate returning home to a country embroiled in war.The Iranian women’s squad arrived in Australia for the continental championship last month, before the war that began with the U.S. and Israel Feb. 28 strikes on Iran. Teams ousted during the group stage usually depart within days.Their silence during the anthem before an opening loss to South Korea last Monday was viewed by some as an act of resistance and others as a show of mourning. The team hasn’t clarified. But the players sang the anthem and saluted during the national anthem ahead of their 4-0 loss to Australia last Thursday and a 2-0 loss to Philippines on Sunday.Amid concerns for player welfare following reported criticism in the Iranian media, the Australian Iranian Council wrote to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke urging the government to protect the squad members while they’re in Australia.Iran’s Revolutionary Guard vows to step up missile and drone attacks Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Sunday vowed to step up attacks against Israel and the U.S. assets in the Middle East as Israel continue to bound Iran with devastating strikes, the Iranian state-run news agency reported.The guard said “the scale and depth” of its missile and drone attacks will increase following what it called “the brutality” of U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to IRNA news agency.Bangladesh faces fuel crisis amid tensions in Middle East Car owners and drivers in Bangladesh waited for hours in long queues on Sunday to collect fuel for their vehicles amid fear that the ongoing war in the Middle East involving Iran would create a serious fuel crisis.Many even waited overnight in many fuel stations in Dhaka, the capital, to get fuel under a government rationing system allowing cars and bikes to collect a limited amount of fuel. Others have even resorted to panic-buying as fuel pump owners say they were under severe pressure for higher demand.Bangladesh imports roughly 95% of its fuel oil and 70% of its gas, predominantly from the Middle East. Authorities say five of the country’s six fertilizer factories have been closed until March 18 because of the gas crisis.The government said Sunday six vessels carrying liquefied natural gas, furnace oil, liquefied petroleum gas and condensate have already arrived at the country’s main Chattogram seaport from the Middle East and East Asian countries to ease the crisis. Separately, another five vessels, carrying LNG, LPG and diesel, are en route to Bangladesh.Pope appeals for peace as Vatican rejects ‘preventive war’ Pope Leo XIV called Sunday for an end to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and the opening of dialogue, warning that the conflict was spreading throughout the Middle East and sowing “a climate of hatred and fear.”For the second Sunday in a row, Leo expressed his “profound consternation” about the war and how it was destabilizing Lebanon, a bulwark for Christians in the predominantly Muslim region.During his traditional noontime prayer, the American pope prayed for an end to the bombs and the opening of dialogue “to hear the voice of the people.”The Holy See has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality but has nevertheless rejected the Trump administration’s justification of attacking Iran preventively.“If states were to be recognized as having a right to ‘preventive war,’ according to their own criteria and without a supranational legal framework, the whole world would risk being set ablaze,” the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, told Vatican Media this week.Parolin demanded instead for a respect of international law and multilateral diplomacy.UAE intercepts most of the missiles and drones fired by Iran The UAE’s Defense Ministry says it intercepted all 16 missiles, while a 17th fell into the sea. It says it intercepted most of the drones, but four fell in UAE territory.The ministry says it is ready to “firmly confront” the threats.Iran’s president earlier Sunday threatened to increase attacks on U.S. targets across the region in the face of ongoing Israeli and U.S. strikes. The Emirati statement did not specify the locations of Sunday’s attacks.Macron will visit Cyprus in a show of solidarity after attacks on air base French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Cyprus on Monday to show France’s solidarity with the European Union nation targeted by drones last week.Macron will meet there with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Greece Prime Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Macron’s office said Sunday. “Together with our European partners, the aim will be to strengthen security around Cyprus and in the Eastern Mediterranean,” the statement said.The visit will also help coordinating efforts to ensure the safety of European nationals in the region and support repatriation operations, it said.Cypriot and British officials haven’t said where the Shahed drone that hit the Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri came from, but speculation is that it was the work of Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Warplanes intercepted a pair of drones in a second attempted strike on the U.K. base last Monday.Iran says attacks have damaged about 10,000 civilian buildings U.S. and Israel strikes in Iran have damaged about 10,000 civilian structures across the county, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said.In a social media post, the Red Crescent said the structures include 7,943 residential units and 1,617 commercial units along with several medical and educational facilities.Iranian Red Crescent warns public about smoke dangers from oil facility fires The Iranian Red Crescent warned people in Tehran to take extra precautions to avoid toxic amounts of pollutants in the air stemming from a fire that broke out after Israeli struck multiple oil storage depots late Saturday. Heavy, black smoke from the fires blocked out the sun on Sunday morning.The Red Crescent advised the public to avoid turning on air conditioners or going outside immediately after rainfall due to concerns about toxic acid rain.The Red Crescent also encouraged people to protect exposed food and to gargle salt water to clean the throat from oily soot particles they may have inhaled. Tehran’s governor recommended everyone wear masks outside.A second Pakistani national was killed by missile debris in Dubai A Pakistani driver was killed overnight when debris from an aerial interception fell on a vehicle in Dubai, authorities said Sunday. It’s the second death of a Pakistani national there in recent days.Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the deaths of the two Pakistanis in Dubai.Two other civilians, from Nepal and Bangladesh, have been killed by missile debris in Dubai since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering Iranian missile and drone attacks on its Gulf neighbors.Iran’s parliament speaker says oil prices will surge more as the war continues Iran’s parliament speaker said Sunday oil prices will continue to soar, inflicting pain on the global economy as long as the war in the Middle East goes on.Oil prices have soared since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, reaching its highest levels since 2023.The price for a barrel of Brent crude jumped 8.5% to $92.69 on Friday — up from nearly $70 a barrel just late last week. Meanwhile, benchmark U.S. crude climbed 12.2%, to $90.90 a barrel on Friday.“If the war continues like this, there will be neither a way to sell oil nor the ability to produce it,” Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a social media post. He said the war is not only impacting the U.S., but also the Middle East and the whole world “due to Netanyahu’s delusions,” referring to the Israeli prime minister.Iran says 200 children and 200 women among the war dead U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran have killed 200 children and around 200 women, the Iranian Health Ministry said Sunday.They are among more than 1,200 people killed in the war, spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said in a social media post.He said more than 1,000 others, including about 400 women, have been injured since Feb. 28.- AP - 8 March 2026 6:21 PM IST
Explosions heard in Abu Dhabi
Blasts were heard in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi on Sunday, witnesses told AFP, as Iran continued to press its attacks across the Gulf region.
- 8 March 2026 6:04 PM IST
Iranians including diplomats evacuated from Beirut on Russian plane: Lebanese official
More than 100 Iranians, including some diplomats, were evacuated from Beirut overnight on a Russian plane, a Lebanese official told AFP on Sunday.
The evacuation came after Lebanon on Thursday banned any activity by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps -- a main backer of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah -- and imposed a visa requirement on Iranians entering the country as part of measures to pressure the group.
- 8 March 2026 6:01 PM IST
Israel says Iran has fired new missile barrage
The Israeli military says Iran has launched a new barrage of missiles toward Israel.
It says air defenses have been activated to intercept the incoming fire.
- 8 March 2026 5:46 PM IST
British Broadcasting Corporation has verified a video posted online overnight, showing a line of fire burning in a street in north-west Tehran.
The fire is in Koohsar Boulevard, in Shahran neighbourhood, the report said, where about 2km (1.2 miles) away an oil depot was reportedly struck on Saturday evening. It's not clear whether the two incidents are connected.
According to the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), oil depots in Tehran and Alborz provinces were attacked last night.
