Israel launched pre-dawn strikes on Lebanon Thursday and said it was intercepting fresh missiles from Iran, as a war launched by the United States and Israel widened across the Middle East.
The escalation comes as a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and the US Senate voted down a War Powers resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump's military action, 'Operation Epic Fury', against Iran.
The conflict entered its sixth day after US and Israeli strikes on Saturday killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other key figures, triggering retaliation from Tehran across the region.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials. US and Israel said they targeted Iran’s leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear program, while suggesting that toppling the government is a goal. However, shifting statements on objectives and timelines have pointed to what could become an open-ended conflict.
Follow US-Israel-Iran War Live UpdatesIran launches fresh missiles at Israel
Iran launched a fresh round of missiles at Israel early Thursday, triggering alerts in several areas including Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli military and Tehran's state media. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Iran has been hitting sites across the region in retaliation after the United States and Israel launched strikes against it on Saturday. Iran also fired on Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel as the conflict spiraled.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards claimed to have closed the Strait of Hormuz, and warned that “The Americans' mischief and deceit could lead to the collapse of the entire military and economic infrastructure of the region." IRGC claimed Wednesday “the Strait of Hormuz is under the complete control of the Islamic Republic's Navy.”
A ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading towards Turkish airspace via Iraq and Syria was destroyed by Nato air defense systems, Turkish officials said.
The Saudi ministry of defense announced that it successfully intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles outside the city of Al-Kharj.
Air strike hits Hezbollah stronghold
An airstrike hit the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut early Thursday, after Israel had issued a warning to residents.
Elsewhere, three people were killed in a pair of Israeli strikes on vehicles along Beirut's airport highway, Lebanon's health ministry said. Prior to these strikes, officials had said 72 people had been killed and more than 83,000 others displaced since the start of a new round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel also traded fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
Israel said it also hit buildings associated with Iran's Basij, the all-volunteer force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard whose bloody crackdown on protesters in January left thousands dead.
US submarine sinks Iranian warship
A US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, as Washington and Israel intensified their bombardment of Iran's security forces and other symbols of power.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a torpedo from an American submarine sank the vessel Tuesday night. Sri Lankan authorities said 32 people were rescued from the ship, while the country's navy said it recovered 87 bodies.
The tempo of the strikes on Iran was so intense that state television announced the mourning ceremony for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the conflict, would be postponed. Millions attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.
Senate backs Trump
The US Senate voted down a War Powers resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump's military action, 'Operation Epic Fury', against Iran, with the measure failing 47-53 on mostly party lines, Fox News reported.
Only Senator Rand Paul voted in favour of the resolution, while Jon Fetterman was the lone Democrat to cross the aisle in support of a move that helped the GOP defeat the measure. Democrats argued that Trump's actions were another instance of him disregarding Congress' authority to use military force, that they lacked a clear strategy going forward and, further, that they were yet another campaign promise he had broken, Fox News reported.
Polls showed that eight in 10 Republicans approve of the current US use of force, while nearly eight in 10 Democrats disapprove and six in 10 independents disapprove. Among voters who have served in the military, 59 per cent approve of the US strikes on Iran.
President Donald Trump hailed the US performance in the war and said Iran's leaders were rapidly being killed. "We're doing well on the war front, to put it mildly. Somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it? I said about a 15,"
Energy supplies in the crosshairs
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued its most-intense threat yet, saying the strikes against it would result in "the complete destruction of the region’s military and economic infrastructure.”
Tanker traffic through the strait has fallen by around 90% compared to prewar levels, shipping tracker MarineTraffic.com said. Oil prices have soared and global stock markets have been hammered over worries that the spike in oil prices may grind down the world economy.
A tanker anchored off the coast of Kuwait was hit by a "large explosion" on Thursday, causing an oil spill in the Persian Gulf. The British maritime security agency UKMTO said the incident took place in the Mubarak Al-Kabeer area. The vessel’s Master reported hearing a loud blast on the port side, after which a small craft was seen leaving the area. The tanker has taken on some water but there are no fires onboard, and all crew members are safe.
Iran’s clerics choose new supreme leader
Iran’s leaders are scrambling to replace Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years. It’s only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen.
Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement. Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei’s son, has long been considered among them — though he has never been elected or appointed to a government position.
In a sign that Iran’s leadership will only seek to consolidate its power as it faces its biggest crisis in decades, the head of the judiciary warned that "those who cooperate with the enemy in any way will be considered an enemy."
Israel's defense minister, Katz, said on X that Iran's next supreme leader, if he continues to threaten Israel, the US and others, "will be a target for elimination.”
Diplomatic reactions and mediation efforts
Spain doubled down on its opposition to Washington's use of its bases against Iran, after Trump's threats of trade reprisals. The White House said Madrid had now agreed to cooperate, but Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said its stance on "bases, on the war in the Middle East, on the bombardment of Iran, has not changed at all."
China will send a special envoy to mediate in the Middle East, foreign minister Wang Yi said. Beijing is a close partner of Iran and has said it backs Tehran in defending its sovereignty, while urging the United States and Israel to cease their attacks.