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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war, saying that the leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used, and that attacks on Iran’s Gulf Arab neighbors will continue. Khamenei did not appear on camera. Israeli intelligence assessed that he was likely wounded in the war’s opening salvo. See key quotes from Khamenei’s first public statement.
Israeli attacks killed several top Iranian nuclear scientists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. He denounced Iran’s new supreme leader as a “puppet of the Revolutionary Guards” who cannot appear in public, and told Iranians that airstrikes are meant “to give them the space needed to go out to the streets.”
Israel warplanes pummeled Lebanon with airstrikes, even targeting the busy heart of Beirut near foreign embassies and government buildings. More than 800,000 people have been displaced in 10 days of Israel-Hezbollah fighting tied to the wider Iran war.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil briefly topped $100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near $120 in the latest jolts to financial markets and the global economy as a whole.
The U.N. refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the ongoing war. It said most have fled from Tehran and other major cities toward the north of the country or rural areas.
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Israeli strikes on checkpoints in Iran aim to weaken state control, monitoring group says
At least 18 instances in which Israel struck checkpoints operated by Iran’s paramilitary Basij forces, mostly in the capital, were documented on Wednesday alone by Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, the U.S-based group known as ACLED.
ACLED said the strikes may be aimed at stoking unrest among the security forces, who play a key role in suppressing dissent.
Since the start of the war, ACLED said at least 30% of its recorded U.S. and Israeli strikes have targeted Iran’s system of internal control, including police stations and sites used by intelligence and Revolutionary Guard forces involved in domestic security.
Israel’s prime minister said Thursday that his country was trying to create the conditions for Iranians to rise up against the government. However, hundreds of thousands of people work for the internal security forces across the country, ACLED said.
Worries about the war with Iran send oil prices back to $100 per barrel as stocks sink worldwide
The S&P 500 fell 1.5% Thursday and returned to big swings following a couple days of relative calm.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.6%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.8%.
The center of action was again the oil market, where the price of a barrel of Brent crude got as high as $101.59. Treasury yields climbed in the bond market on worries about higher inflation and fewer cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve.
JUST IN: US stocks sink 1.5% as crude oil hits $100 a barrel with no end in sight for the war with Iran.
An Iranian American sees the damage to historical sites as deeply personal
For Shabnam Emdadi, a 35-year-old Iranian American in New York, damage to the Safavid-era Chehel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan is deeply personal. She visited the site with her father a few years before he died.
“Those Iran trips with him were my most fond memories of him at his happiest, where he felt most at home and alive,” Emdadi said. “Which is why every day when I see the damage to these sites that are the core of my memories, I feel like I’m also losing a piece of him.”
The Pentagon did not comment on the strikes, and the Israeli military said it was “unfamiliar” with claims of damage to UNESCO sites.
Damage to historical sites in Iran raises alarm about war’s impact on protected places
Golestan Palace, a UNESCO world heritage site in the Iranian capital, was reportedly damaged by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in its vicinity. A strike on Monday hit Tehran’s Arag Square in the buffer zone of the palace, the U.N. agency reported. The palace was damaged by debris and shock waves from the strike, it said.
At least four of Iran’s nearly 30 historical sites, including palaces and an ancient mosque, have sustained damage from U.S. and Israeli strikes during the war.
The speed and extent of the damage made Iran and Lebanon so concerned that they sent a request this week to the United Nations’ cultural agency, UNESCO, to add more sites to its enhanced protection list.
UNESCO said it shared site coordinates with combatants beforehand to help avoid damage, but warned that modern conflicts increasingly endanger civilians, infrastructure and cultural heritage.
One nonprofit group has pointed to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying last week that America’s approach to the war would not include “stupid rules of engagement.”
“It is not a serious injury and he is recovering,” Mir Masoud Hosseinian, Iran’s ambassador to Tunisia, told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday.
Iranian officials have released little information about the condition of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, although an Israeli intelligence assessment suggests he was wounded in the war’s opening strikes. He did not appear on television Thursday when his first statement as supreme leader was read by a news anchor.
Hosseinian also denounced the countries hosting U.S. bases in the Gulf and said they had exposed themselves to the conflict.
“We will decide how this war ends,” he said.
Iran fires missiles during Netanyahu’s speech
As Netanyahu was speaking, Israel’s military said it had detected a new barrage of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel.
Netanyahu: ‘We are creating the optimal conditions for the fall of the regime’
Netanyahu says the U.S.-Israeli strikes against the country are an effort to give Iranians “the space needed to go out to the streets.”
Israel and the U.S. have given conflicting answers about what exactly the war’s objectives are and what the endgame is.
Netanyahu says Israeli attacks have killed top Iranian nuclear scientists
At a news conference Thursday night, the Israeli prime minister denounced Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as a “puppet of the Revolutionary Guards” who cannot appear in public.
And he addressed the Iranian people, saying the moment for a “new path of freedom” was approaching and Israel stands with them.
“But at the end of the day, it depends on you. It is in your hands,” he said.
JUST IN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli attacks have killed top Iranian nuclear scientists.
No significant injuries to US personnel after attack on base in Iraq, official says
An attack on a base in northern Iraq resulted in no significant injuries to American personnel, a U.S. defense official said Thursday.
The official, who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S. personnel are still on duty after Wednesday’s attack.
British military officials said earlier Thursday that several U.S. personnel were injured in drone strikes at a base in Irbil that houses both British and American troops.
The U.K. and U.S. military officials did not specify if the wounded were American troops.
A projectile approaches its target during an Israeli strike on a building in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A projectile approaches its target during an Israeli strike on a building in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
The islands off Iran’s southern coast are key to its economy and security
Iran’s parliament speaker warned on Thursday that attacks on the Persian Gulf islands on Iran’s southern maritime frontier would provoke a new level of retaliation, underscoring how central they are to the country’s economy and security.
In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iran “will abandon all restraint” if the islands come under attack and said Trump will be responsible for “the blood of American soldiers.”
Kharg Island, Qeshm Island, and the tiny islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb carry outsized importance because of their oil facilities and strategic location. “A direct strike would immediately halt the bulk of Iran’s crude exports, likely triggering severe retaliation,” JPMorgan said in an investment note this week.
Oil jumps to $100 per barrel as global markets sink
Stocks were sinking worldwide on Thursday with no clear end in sight for the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
The S&P 500 fell 1.4% and is returning to sharp swings following a couple days of relative calm. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 674 points, or 1.3%, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.6% lower.
The center of action was again the oil market, where the price of a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 9.2% to settle at $100.46. Worries are worsening that the war could block the production of oil in the Persian Gulf for a long time and cause a debilitating surge of inflation for the global economy.
Hezbollah official says Beirut branch of financial arm that Israel hit had been shuttered for 2 weeks
Amin Sherri, a member of Lebanon’s parliament, made the remarks after an Israeli strike hit the ground floor of a building in crowded central Beirut.
In the current conflict with Hezbollah and the last one in 2024, Israel has targeted branches of the militant group’s financial arm, Al-Qard al-Hassan, which offers small loans to people but also transfers funds within the group.
This was the second Israeli strike Thursday in the heart of the Lebanese capital, close to government, United Nations, and diplomatic buildings.
Residents gathered afterward, walking through the narrow street filled with debris and shattered glass. Several vehicles were badly damaged.
“The al-Qard al-Hassan branch in Zoqaq el-Blat has been inactive,” Sherri said after walking through the area.
Top US military commander in Europe says air defenses moved because of Iran war
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told lawmakers on a Senate committee that the precious weapons systems have been moved from Europe to the Eastern Mediterranean to protect NATO allies. He also said “we do have a robust set of air defenses in the Middle East.”
The general was pressed on the issue by Sen. Angus King, and independent from Maine, who cited Ukraine’s need for such weapons systems to defend against Russia.
Democratic lawmakers have argued Trump is waging a “war of choice” as munitions for missile defense systems diminish. The Trump administration has repeatedly said American forces have all the weapons they need.
US general tells lawmakers military has ‘robust standards’ for reducing civilian harm
A top Pentagon official said Thursday that the U.S. military has “robust standards” to reduce civilian harm, addressing concerns outdated intelligence likely led to a deadly American missile strike on an Iranian school.
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich spoke at a Senate committee hearing on European operations. But Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., pressed the head of European Command on the strike and Trump administration staffing cuts at a Pentagon office focused on reducing civilian casualties.
Grynkewich said the cuts haven’t curtailed his ability to prevent civilian harm.
“We have robust standards that we go through, and look to see and update the imagery, and update our understanding of the target and refresh the intelligence on a recurring basis to determine the chances of civilian harm,” he said.
Israeli strike kills two academics at Lebanese university
The Israeli strike that apparently hit in the vicinity of Lebanon’s only public university killed the director of the faculty of sciences Hussein Bazzi and professor Mortada Srour.
The campus is in Hadath, on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Israel had warned last week should be evacuated. It was not clear whether the campus was directly targeted, but smoke could be seen rising near the building’s courtyard in the aftermath. Israel had no immediate comment.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the bombing, which he said targeted the campus, as a crime and a “violation of international laws and norms that prohibit attacks on educational institutions and civilians.”
Cyber threats rise as Iran-linked hackers eye US targets
Pro-Iranian hackers targeting sites in the Middle East are starting to stretch into the United States, raising risks that American defense contractors, power stations and water plants could be swept into the Iran war’s digital chaos.
Hackers supporting Iran claimed responsibility for a significant cyberattack Wednesday against U.S. medical device company Stryker. They’ve also tried to penetrate cameras in Middle Eastern countries to improve Iran’s missile targeting, and hit data centers in the region, industrial facilities in Israel, a school in Saudi Arabia and an airport in Kuwait.
Iran has invested heavily in offensive cyber capabilities. Groups working for Tehran have infiltrated the email system of Trump’s campaign, targeted U.S. water plants and tried to breach U.S. defense networks.
“Something is going to happen because the gloves are off,” said Kevin Mandia, founder of the cybersecurity companies Mandiant and Armadin.
Iran’s supreme leader vows in his first public statement to keep open a ‘file of revenge’
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war Thursday — read by a state television news anchor — vowing to avenge not just the killings of his father and other leaders by the U.S. and Israel, but that of every Iranian who has died in this war.
“I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” his statement said. “The retaliation we have in mind is not limited only to the martyrdom of the great leader of the Revolution; rather, every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy constitutes a separate case in the file of revenge.”
Infrastructure that supplies the world with oil and gas is at risk
The Iran war threatens some of the world’s most critical oil and gas infrastructure — the pipelines, refineries, and shipping terminals that keep energy flowing from the Persian Gulf region to the global economy.
Strikes by Iranian drones and missiles have disrupted some operations, while the risk of Iranian strikes has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for some 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. Oil fields in the region have cut back output as storage fills up.
All that is raising the cost of everything that needs fuel made from crude: flying, cooking, heating homes, running factories, transporting goods, and farming.
Brazil lifts fuel taxes to ease pain at the pump
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday his government will suspend two fuel taxes through Dec. 31 to offset rising costs linked to the war in Iran, temporarily cutting diesel prices by 0.64 Brazilian real per liter (about $0.12).
Lula, who is up for reelection, put most of the blame squarely on “the irresponsibility of global wars.”
Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said the priority is preventing diesel price increases, as the fuel underpins Brazil’s supply chain.
Israel says it’s launching more airstrikes on Beirut
Israel’s military said Thursday night it had begun another wave of strikes on Lebanon’s capital, saying it was targeting Hezbollah sites.
It came after Israeli strikes earlier Thursday hit a building in a busy residential and commercial district in central Beirut, close to the prime minister’s office, the U.N. building and foreign embassies.
US says it continues to destroy Iran’s minelaying capacity as crucial waterway remains closed
The U.S. military said Thursday that American forces have now struck more than 6,000 targets since the operation against Iran began Feb. 28, including 30-plus mine-laying vessels.
The U.S. wants to prevent any attempt by Iran to plant explosive mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.
The war in Iran has ground tanker traffic through the chokepoint to a halt, and oil prices have been swinging sharply. The Islamic Republic vowed to block the region’s oil exports, saying it would not allow “even a single liter” to be shipped to its enemies.
Swiss temporarily close their embassy in Iran that represents US interests
Switzerland, which touts its neutrality in world affairs, has served for decades an an intermediary between the United States and Iran, which do not have direct diplomatic relations.
A State Department travel advisory on Thursday advised Americans in Iran that the Swiss Embassy in Tehran has closed and they may have trouble getting consular assistance.
Switzerland announced the temporary closure a day earlier, citing an “increasing security risk” and the departure of its 10 staff, including the ambassador, in recent days.
The Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs said the county will “continue to maintain an open line of communication between the United States and Iran” and the embassy staffers will return to Tehran “as soon as the situation allows.”
“The protecting power mandate, under which Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran, can be exercised independently of geographical location,” the ministry said Wednesday.
White House considers waiving Jones Act requirements during Iran war
The 1920s law is often blamed for making gas more expensive. It requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels, and is designed to protect the American shipbuilding sector.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that temporarily waiving the requirement could “ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to U.S. ports.” The action has not been finalized, she said.
UN chief renews call for end to war, return to negotiations
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.S.-Israeli military strikes, followed by Iran’s retaliatory attacks, have caused “immense suffering” and pushed the region to a breaking point.
“And as always, the most vulnerable are being hurt first and worst,” Guterres said. “De-escalation and dialogue are the only way out.”
He made the comments in the Turkish capital where he received the country’s peace prize on behalf of global U.N. staff.
Russia and China clash with US and its allies over Iran’s nuclear ambitions
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons to produce and accumulate uranium enriched up to 60%, which is near weapons-grade.
The United Kingdom’s acting ambassador, James Kariuki, said there is “no credible civilian justification” for Iran possessing more than 400 kilograms (about 880 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, adding the stockpile erodes confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and led to the “snapback” of U.N. sanctions last September.
But Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S. and its allies of whipping up “hysteria” about Iran seeking a nuclear weapon to justify “yet another military venture against Tehran” and escalate tensions.
China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said Iran has repeatedly reaffirmed it does not seek nuclear weapons and that its “sincerity should be taken seriously.”
Residents watch as smoke rises from a nearby building during an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
The building is in a busy residential and commercial district in central Beirut, close to the prime minister’s office, the U.N. building and foreign embassies.
The strike came soon after Israel’s Arabic-language spokesperson issued a warning on X for residents to evacuate 300 meters (1,000 feet) away from the building, saying it was near a Hezbollah facility that the military would soon “act against.”
This was the first strike in central Beirut of the current conflict that came with a warning.
The building didn’t immediately collapse after an initial strike. As people approached after the first hit, an Israeli drone launched a warning strike to disperse the crowds again ahead of a second anticipated strike.
UK says drones wounded US personnel at a base in northern Iraq
British military officials say several U.S. personnel were injured in drone strikes in northern Iraq on Wednesday night, without specifying if the wounded were American troops.
Brig. Guy Foden said a number of drones hit a base in Irbil that houses both British and American troops.
Another officer, Lt. Gen. Nick Perry, said there were no British casualties, while the U.S. sustained some casualties but “nothing too serious.”
Democratic senator wants hearings on why Trump attacked Iran
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin told reporters during a teleconference Thursday that she’s demanding Republican Majority Leader John Thune hold public hearings with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
She said he constituents deserve to know why Trump decided to attack Iran, but the president has been unable to articulate a clear reason.
She and five other Democratic senators have filed war powers resolutions to block unauthorized strikes in Iran, she said, calling the conflict “illegal” and “a war of choice.” She went on to accuse Trump of having no exit strategy.
Trump says it’s not ‘appropriate’ for Iranian team to attend World Cup
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup,” Trump wrote on his social media site Thursday, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
This appears to depart somewhat from the message he relayed Tuesday evening at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later publicly said that Trump assured him the Iranian players and coaches would still be welcome.
On Thursday, the White House did not immediately clarify what the president meant by “their own life and safety,” such as whether he anticipated threats against them while in the United States.
Iranian leaders said this week that it’s “not possible” for the country to participate in this year’s World Cup.
A new wave of Israeli strikes in Beirut
Israel’s military said it began the strikes Thursday after warning residents of a large swath of southern Beirut to evacuate north earlier in the day.
US State Department says demand for evacuation flights is going down
The State Department said the vast majority of the 47,000 Americans who have left the region did so commercially without government help, although by the end of Thursday it will have completed roughly 50 free charter evacuation flights for Americans.
The department said that about 32,000 Americans in the region had reached out for either security information or travel assistance and that all of them had been contacted by phone, text or email. However, it said that most offered seats on the charter flights have declined them, preferring to arrange their own travel or to remain in the Middle East.
The department said it would adjust its charter flight planning depending on the demand for seats.
California governor sees no imminent Iran threat despite FBI warning about a possible drone attack
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said drone issues “have always been top of mind.”
“We’ve been aware of that information. … It’s all about a posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios,” the governor said Wednesday.
The FBI recently warned police departments that Iran could try to strike the state.
“Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,” the alert said, according to ABC News.
The FBI alert said it had no additional information.
Russia and China fail to prevent UN meeting on sanctions against Iran
The U.S., which holds the Security Council presidency this month, had been pushing for a meeting on sanctions that were reimposed on Iran last September because of growing concerns over its nuclear program.
It received support from 10 other members of the council, who voted in favor of holding the meeting amid ongoing conflict in Iran after U.S. and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. Iran’s two allies on the Security Council, Russia and China, were opposed, and Pakistan and Somalia abstained from Thursday’s vote.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia argued that reimposing the sanctions would be a “flagrant violation.”
Goldman Sachs sees war slowing growth, raising inflation this year
The investment bank said early Thursday that the Iran war could have a sustained, if modest, impact on the U.S. economy, with inflation and unemployment higher and growth slower.
Goldman now thinks the Federal Reserve won’t cut its key interest rate until September, and its forecasts suggest Americans will keep seeing higher costs for gas, utilities and potentially groceries as they prepare to vote in this year’s elections.
Before this war began, Goldman forecast that inflation would cool as the impact of Trump’s tariffs fades. The bank now expects the Fed’s preferred inflation measure to end this year at 2.9%, remaining above the Fed’s target of 2%.
And that’s based on average oil prices rising 40% to $98 a barrel in March and April. Should the war cause oil prices rise to an average $110 over those two months, inflation would hit 3.3%, Goldman economists estimate.
US: Non-combat fire on Ford aircraft carrier left two sailors with non-life-threatening injuries
The U.S. Navy said the fire Thursday on USS Gerald R. Ford originated in the carrier’s main laundry area.
“The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained,” the Navy said in a post on X. “There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational.”
Two sailors are receiving medical treatment “for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition,” the post continued.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier has been operating in the Red Sea for the last few weeks as part of U.S. operations in Iran.
Turkey condemns Israel’s actions in Lebanon
A Foreign Ministry statement said the attacks in Lebanon have led to a humanitarian crisis and constitute a violation of international law.
It also accused Israel of expanding its “destructive” policies in Gaza into Lebanon.
“We will continue to stand in solidarity with the Lebanese people and state,” the statement read.
Israel drops case against soldiers accused of sexually abusing Palestinian detainee
The Israeli military says it is dropping charges against five soldiers who were accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee in an encounter partially caught on camera. The army announced the decision as much of Israel’s attention is focused on the war with Iran.
It happened at Sde Teiman, a facility holding Palestinians rounded up in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas. The leaked video was aired by Israel’s Channel 12 and bitterly divided Israel.
Hard-line ultranationalists were furious that the soldiers were arrested. Members of Netanyahu’s government were in uproar, leading to the resignation of the military’s top legal official, who had filed the indictment and authorized the leak. Israel has long been accused of failing to hold its soldiers accountable for crimes committed against Palestinians.
Japan expresses concern over Strait of Hormuz safety after damage to Japanese ships
“As we pay serious attention to the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and actively gather information, we are deeply concerned about the development involving damage to the ships,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines confirmed Thursday that the stern of a Japanese-flagged container ship, One Majesty, was damaged Wednesday while anchored in the Persian Gulf, though all crew members were safe and the ship had no fire, flooding or oil leak.
Another Mitsui-operated oil tanker had minor damage from unidentified falling objects last week while in the Gulf of Oman. Mitsui said both incidents are being investigated.
UK’s top diplomat lands in Saudi Arabia for talks on oil supply
Britain’s top diplomat is in Saudi Arabia to show solidarity with the U.K.’s Gulf allies as they face Iranian drone and missile attacks.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned Iran’s hits on Saudi oil facilities and the U.S. embassy in Riyadh as “reckless.”
Cooper is due to discuss ways of ensuring “continuity of oil supply” with regional partners as Iran attacks shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says stopping ‘evil empire’ higher priority than surging oil prices
The president made the statement after oil prices surged in early morning trading in the U.S. following more Iranian attacks on oil tankers.
“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” Trump said in a social media post. “BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World. I won’t ever let that happen!”
Trump’s post came shortly before Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement since being elevated to succeed his father.
Khamenei in part said closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used by Iran for leverage in the conflict.
Israeli military warns residents of a large swath of Lebanon to leave their homes
The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on X that Lebanese residents should move north of the Zahrani River, which at its midpoint is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) away from the border with Israel, as it takes action against Hezbollah militants.
Over 800,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced over the past 10 days in the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, part of the wider Iran war.
Rescue services meanwhile said there were no immediate reports of major injuries or deaths in Israel following the latest missile barrage.
JUST IN: Israeli military warns residents of a large swath of Lebanon to leave their homes, saying it will act against Hezbollah
Khamenei offered no clues to his location as airstrikes pound Tehran
Khamenei said he, like the Iranian public, only learned about being selected as supreme leader from Iranian state television.
He did not mention his location in the speech as well as he’s likely in a secure, secret location to avoid a threatened Israeli operation to kill him. Minutes after the speech ended, the sound of airstrikes again boomed across Iran’s capital.
Khamenei describes deaths of his family members
Khamenei acknowledged in his speech the death of his father, signaling he was there in the aftermath and saw his father’s body. Khamenei also confirmed his wife, one of his sisters, his niece and the husband of his other sister also were killed in the airstrike.
“I had the honor of seeing his body after his martyrdom,” Khamenei said of his father. “What I saw was a mountain of steadfastness, and I was told that the fist of his intact hand had been clenched.”
Khamenei signals more attacks on the US, opening up new fronts
Mojtaba Khamenei finds himself and the Iranian government he leads in perhaps its most-desperate fight since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
His remarks suggest Iran may open up new fronts in the war if it continues. That likely would signal a return by Iran to the militant attacks the United States has blamed on it in the past, such the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.
Iranian TV doesn’t explain why Khamenei didn’t read his speech
The first statement of Khamenei since his appointment was read by a news anchor. Khamenei did not appear on camera — state television offered no explanation why. An Israeli assessment indicates he was wounded in the war’s opening salvo.
The new ayatollah, 56, signaled a continuation of his slain father’s strategy in confronting the United States and Israel. He signaled a willingness to continue the war that has disrupted global energy supplies, international travel and the relative safety enjoyed by the Gulf Arab states that have lived in the shadow of Iran’s theocracy for decades.
Iran’s top leader calls on Gulf Arabs to ‘shut down’ US bases
These countries must clarify their position regarding those who have attacked our beloved homeland and killed members of our people. I recommend that they shut down those bases as soon as possible, because by now they must have realized that the United States’ claims of providing security and peace have been nothing more than a lie.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
His statement aired as an Iranian attack targeted Israel. Khamenei said only a limited part of Iran’s retaliation had been realized so far in the war.
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
