Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East crisis as the conflict continues to expand entering its second week.
Donald Trump has declared that he would only accept Tehran’s
“unconditional surrender”while Israel has exchanged fresh attacks with Iran and allied forces.
The US president’s comments on social media on Friday came hours after Iran’s president announced that unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts, briefly raising the possibility, however faint, of a diplomatic resolution.
If you are just catching up on the latest, here is a quick summary of what you need to know.
In Tehran, explosions could be heard on Friday as Israeli defenses activated to shoot down incoming Iranian fire.
The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia all reported fresh drone and missile attacks.
Israel pressed a major expansion of the war in Lebanon, pounding Beirut on Friday after ordering an unprecedented evacuation of the city’s entire southern suburbs.
Israel also launched a new wave of attacks on Iran, stating that 50 of its warplanes had hit a bunker still being used by Iran’s leadership beneath the destroyed Tehran compound of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mehrabad airport in Tehran was struck early on Saturday, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Russia has been sharing intelligence with Iran about US targets in the region, according to news reports. In response, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the US was
“not concerned”and was
“tracking everything”and factoring it into battle plans.
The Israeli military claimed it destroyed 80% of Iran’s air-defense systems in the first week of the campaign and disabled more than 60% of its missile launchers.
European and US stock indexes tumbled on Friday amid Trump’s demand for Iran’s surrender and concerns that it could complicate any quick path to ending the conflict.
Oil prices hit their highest levels in years with the critical shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed down.
Trump stated he must have a say in selecting Iran’s new supreme leader. Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani later said the new leadership would be chosen
“without any foreign interference”.
At least 1,332 people have been killed in Iran since the US-Israel first launched strikes on 28 February, Iravani said, citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
The Lebanese health ministry has reported 123 people killed and 683 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks. About 300,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon in the past four days, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Iranian attacks have killed 11 people in Israel since the war started, and at least six US service members have been killed.
With news agencies
Blasts heard in Dubai and Manama
Explosions were heard in Dubai and Manama on Saturday.
Two blasts were heard in Dubai and one in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, where a warning siren sounded, AFP has just reported.
“Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”
The blasts came as Iran has continued its retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries that host US forces.
Dubai authorities earlier reportedly said that a
“minor incident”resulting from the fall of debris after an interception had been contained.
Blast in Jerusalem after missile alert – report
An explosion was heard in Jerusalem on Saturday after air raid sirens warned of an incoming Iranian missile attack, AFP is reporting.
The Israeli military said earlier that air defenses were
“operating to intercept the threat”, before giving the all-clear.
A blast has been reported in Jerusalem after an Iranian missile alert.
We will provide more updates as information becomes available.
US approves $151m arms sale to Israel
The US State Department approved the sale of $151.8 million worth of munitions to Israel on Friday amid the escalating Middle East war.
The sale of 12,000 requested 1,000-pound (470kg) bomb bodies was approved by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, according to a press release on Friday.
“The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,”the bureau said in a statement cited by the AFP news agency.
