(Associated Press) Operation Epic Fury
Iran’s president has rejected a U.S. call for unconditional surrender as Israeli and US airstrikes keep hitting Iran. On Saturday, Masoud Pezeshkian also apologizes to Gulf countries after Iranian missiles and drones targeted Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Oman. Saudi Arabia says it intercepted drones aimed at its Shaybah oil field. Dubai International Airport halted flights after alerts, blasts and passengers sheltering in train tunnels. Israel is striking Beirut, southern Lebanon and Tehran. Officials report rising deaths in Iran, Lebanon and Israel, plus six U.S. troops killed.
Iran’s president rejected a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender on Saturday and apologized for Iran’s attacks on regional countries, as Israel and the United States kept up their airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic.
Gulf countries say they have intercepted more ballistic missiles and drones launched from Iran.
Saudi Arabia said it stopped four drones attacking the country’s massive Shaybah oil field, the second attack within hours. Flights in and out of Dubai International Airport were interrupted after passengers were ushered down into train tunnels as several blasts were heard and the alert sounded.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes hammered Beirut and Tehran. Death toll continued to rise Saturday with at least 1,230 people killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials. Six U.S. troops were reported killed.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel after Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran without its “unconditional surrender.”
Here is the latest:
Iran has fired a total of 119 missiles and drones at Jordan
Jordan has been attacked with 119 missiles and drones since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran a week ago, authorities said Saturday.
Fourteen people have been injured in the attacks.
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hiyari told a news conference Saturday the attacks were aimed at “purely Jordanian targets.” He said no attacks against Iran originated from Jordan.
Police spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said most of the casualties suffered minor injuries from falling shrapnel.
3 Lebanese troops among dead in clashes with Israeli troops in Bekaa Valley
Three Lebanese troops were killed in an Israeli military operation to gather information on a pilot who has been missing in Lebanon for almost 40 years, Lebanon’s military said Saturday.
The military said Israeli helicopters landed in the eastern town of Nabi Shit, triggering fighting when residents clashed with Israeli troops.
It was not immediately clear whether the troops were among 16 dead reported earlier by the Health Ministry.
The Israeli army said it found no evidence related to Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who was captured alive after his fighter jet crashed over south Lebanon in 1986. He was believed to have been held in Nabi Chit until 1988, when he went missing.
Trump warns: ‘Today Iran will be hit very hard!’
Trump made the comments on his Truth Social website, noting an apology by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier in the day to neighboring nations over Tehran’s attacks.
“Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time,” Trump wrote, without elaborating.
Israel launched an operation in Lebanon to find info on a missing pilot
The Israeli military says its special forces conducted an operation deep inside Lebanon in an attempt to gather information about an Israeli navigator who has been missing for nearly 40 years.
The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesman posted on X that no evidence was found related to Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who was captured alive after his fighter jet crashed over south Lebanon in 1986.
According to Lebanon’s state media, Israeli forces landed in the eastern Lebanese town of Nabi Chit late Friday and were intercepted by members of the militant Hezbollah group, triggering a gunfight that lasted until the early hours of Saturday.
Ron Arad was believed to have been held in Nabi Chit until 1988, when he went missing.
An Iranian cleric warns that Khamenei’s successor should be named quickly
A prominent cleric in Iran, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, urged the country’s Assembly of Experts to act quickly and name a new supreme leader, likely in response to the ongoing political confusion.
Buildings associated with the 88-cleric panel have been hit by airstrikes in the war, likely slowing any meeting of the group.
“The timely realization of this important matter will lead to national authority and the best possible organization of affairs,” Shirazi said in a statement.
Qatar Airways operates limited flights to Doha
Qatar Airways says it will operate six flights into Doha on Sunday through a “safe corridor,” as the country’s airspace remains closed.
The state-owned airline said the flights will come from five European cities as well as Bangkok.
Israel says it struck Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon
The latest wave of Israeli airstrikes included targets in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, the Israeli military said.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said earlier that overnight airstrikes in that area killed at least 16 people and wounded 35.
The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with an Israeli force that landed there late Friday. Israel hasn’t commented on the fighting in the Bekaa Valley.
The military also said its Saturday strikes hit rocket launchers, weapons storage facilities and two command centers of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in southern Lebanon.
Bahrain says it repelled fresh missile and drone attacks
Bahrain’s military intercepted two missiles and a drone on Saturday, the Defense Ministry said.
That brought to 86 missiles and 148 drones that have been intercepted over Bahrain since the U.S. and Israel launched war against Iran last weekend.
India’s foreign minister confirms an Iranian naval ship has docked in Kochi
India’s foreign minister said Saturday that an Iranian naval vessel has docked in India, after a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship and another vessel sought assistance from Sri Lanka.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the IRIS Lavan is docked in southern Kochi city, after India granted permission when the vessel reported “having problems” on March 1. “I think it was the humane thing to do,” Jaishankar said.
A U.S. submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Another vessel, the IRIS Bushehr, requested assistance from Sri Lanka and more than 200 sailors were brought ashore. Both ships had previously taken part in naval exercises hosted by India, but Jaishankar said they got “caught on the wrong side of events” once the war began.
Dubai and its long-haul carrier Emirates say airline will resume operations after Iranian attack
Dubai and its long-haul carrier Emirates said Saturday the airline would resume operations after temporarily halting them following an Iranian attack on the city-state.
The news brought cheers in Dubai International Airport, where passengers had been sheltering after hearing a large boom overhead.
Authorities have not explained if there was an interception or damage at the airport, which is the world’s busiest for international travel.
Another 6 reported killed as Israeli strike hits a building in southern Lebanon
An Israeli airstrike flattened a residential building in southern Lebanon, killing at least six people early Saturday, the country’s state-run news agency reported.
The dead from the strike in Jibchit town included four from the same family, the National News Agency said.
The Lebanese Health Ministry earlier reported at least 16 killed and 35 wounded in overnight Israeli airstrikes in the mountain town of Nabi Chit.
Sirens echo in Bahrain for the fifth time in a day
Sirens sounded in Bahrain ahead of a potential attack for the fifth time Saturday, the interior ministry said, urging people to head to the nearest safe location.
Death toll from Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon rises to 16
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 16 people and wounded 35 others in overnight Israeli airstrikes in the mountain town of Nabi Chit.
The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with an Israeli force that landed late Friday in the mountains of eastern Lebanon.
Israel has yet to comment on the fighting there.
Operations at Dubai airport have been temporarily halted
The Dubai Media Office issued a statement on behalf of the city-state, saying: “For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended.”
It did not give a reason for the suspension, which came after passengers there heard a loud boom while sheltering.
Iranian president apologizes to Gulf countries over attacks
Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s three-man leadership council had been in touch with the armed forces over the attacks.
“I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,” the president said. “From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.”
He also suggested miscommunication in the ranks caused it. However, his statement aired after repeated attacks Saturday morning on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has been at the forefront of the war, answers only to the country’s supreme leader. However, an Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, at the start of the war on Feb. 28.
Pezeshkian, in his comments, specifically blamed the killing of Khamenei and other top leaders for what sounded like a loss of command and control in the armed forces for days.
It remained unclear just what command Pezeshkian and the leadership council could exert over the armed forces.
Iranian state television, after airing his speech, immediately went back to praising the country’s ongoing attacks across the region.
Long-haul carrier Emirates says ‘all flights to and from Dubai have been suspended until further notice’ after Iranian attack
Passengers at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, heard a boom while sheltering in train tunnels at the massive facility.
Emirates has been trying to get its sprawling travel network up and running after several days of halting flights due to the war.
Iran’s president says US demand for an unconditional surrender is a ‘dream that they should take to their grave’
Iran’s president said Saturday that a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender is a “dream that they should take to their grave.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian made the statement in a prerecorded address aired by state television.
Pakistan raises petrol and diesel prices by about 20%
Pakistan cited a surge in global oil prices due to the war in the Middle East.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the 55-rupee-per-liter (about $0.20) increase overnight, saying the government had little choice but to pass on the impact of rising international prices.
Pakistan relies heavily on imported oil, mainly from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
Israel hits Revolutionary Guard’s military university in another wave of strikes
The Israeli military said the Imam Hussein University in Tehran was used for the training of Revolutionary Guard officers and contained “multiple military assets” used by the Revolutionary Guard.
It said over 80 fighter jets participated in the latest wave of strikes on Saturday, which also targeted an underground compound used for storing ballistic missiles and housing command centers from where the army said “senior officials of the Iranian regime” were operating.
Targets also included launch sites in central and western Iran, the army said.
New strikes hit Tehran
Explosions echoed across Iran’s capital, Tehran, Saturday morning as new airstrikes hit the city.
The strikes appeared to target downtown Tehran and government buildings there.
Passengers at Dubai International Airport take shelter in train tunnels
Passengers waiting for flights at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, found themselves ushered down into train tunnels at the sprawling airfield after missile alert sounded.
Emirati authorities send mass mobile phone alerts about possible missile threats
Mobile phone alerts sounded Saturday morning in Dubai over “potential missile threats.” Emirati authorities urged the public to seek immediate shelter.
Emirati air defenses had activated over the missile threat, the government added.
Trump rebukes reporter for asking about possible Russian involvement in the war
Trump berated a reporter for raising the matter when the president opened the floor to questions from the media at the end of a White House meeting about how paying student-athletes has recalibrated college sports.
“I have a lot of respect for you, you’ve always been very nice to me,” Trump said to Peter Doocy, the Fox News reporter. “What a stupid question that is to be asking at this time. We’re talking about something else.”
Loud booms sound in Jerusalem
People headed to bomb shelters across Israel early Saturday after hearing loud booms as Iranian missiles attacked more targets.
There were no immediate reports of casualties by Israel’s emergency services.
