![\"Smoke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2513.jpg\")
Smoke rises from a building damaged during strikes in Beirut on Thursday, in a screengrab from social media. Photograph: Obtained by Reuters<\/p>\nIsrael keeps up Lebanon strikes as ground forces advance<\/p>\n
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have entered a fourth day after Israeli forces pushed into several border towns and conducted air strikes targeting Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
AFPTV footage showed smoke rising after a strike hit the Iran-backed militant group\u2019s stronghold of southern Beirut early on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s military earlier told residents to leave the suburb where the strike hit, warning it was about to attack a target it said was linked to Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
Smoke rises from a building damaged during strikes in Beirut on Thursday, in a screengrab from social media. Photograph: Obtained by Reuters<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse also reports that in Israel\u2019s north near the border, repeated air raid alerts sent residents to shelters in several locations, with no immediate reports of impact or casualties.<\/p>\n
Hezbollah\u2019s leader vowed on Wednesday to keep up its fight against Israel and step up attacks, saying the group had targeted Israeli positions as far as Tel Aviv in at least 15 attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are facing aggression… our choice is to confront it until the ultimate sacrifice, and we will not surrender,\u201d Naim Qassem declared in his first speech since the latest fighting broke out. \u201cFor us this is an existential defence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.30 EST<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 40m ago<\/p>\n Israel says no casualties reported after Iran missile launches<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Israel keeps up Lebanon strikes as ground forces advance<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Carney doesn’t rule out Canada participating in war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Iranian bombers ‘two minutes’ from striking US air base before being downed \u2013 report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Qatar evacuates residents near US embassy in Doha<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Israel says it is working to intercept Iranian missiles<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n US Senate rejects attempt to curb Trump’s Iran war powers<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Oil price rises almost 2% in early Asian trade<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n New Zealand sends military planes for Middle East evacuations<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Where we are today<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n ‘Not a single Iraqi Kurd has crossed the border,’ says deputy chief of staff to prime minister of Kurdistan region of Iraq<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n US citizens urged to leave Iraq as soon as possible, state department says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Reports claim that Kurdish Iranian militias have launched a ground offensive in north-western Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n All scheduled Emirates flights to and from Dubai remain suspended until 7 March, says airline<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n ‘We’re doing very well on the war front,’ Donald Trump says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n White House spokesperson refuses to rule out US boots on the ground but says ‘they’re not part of the plan’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Spain ‘has agreed to cooperate’ with US after Trump ire, says White House<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n White House pushes back against questions on US involvement in Iran school bombing<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Today so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Cost of living fears rise in UK as oil and gas prices spike with Iran conflict<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Was it legal for the US to sink an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean?<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n From petrol to groceries: how Middle East crisis is driving up prices<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Iranian president tells neighbouring countries that Iran respects their sovereignty<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Israeli air force says it has dropped 5,000 bombs on Iran in current military campaign<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n At least 80 people killed after US submarine torpedoes Iran warship, officials say<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Key points from Pentagon briefing<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n China and Russia are \u2018non-factors\u2019 in Iran war, says Hegseth<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth: Iran cannot outlast us<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth says Iran can no longer shoot volume of missiles as before<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n US is investigating deadly strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school girls school in southern Iran, Hegseth says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n US has ‘effectively neutralised’ Iran’s naval presence, Caine says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth: We have only just begun to fight<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Person charged with attempted assassination of Trump killed, Hegseth said<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth confirms sinking of Iranian warship<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Rules of engagement designed to “unleash American power”, Hegseth says.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth: US and Israel will have ‘complete’ control of Iranian skies in ‘under a week’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n ‘America is winning’ in Iran conflict, Hegseth says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n IDF launch fresh attacks in southern Lebanon as people urged to flee north<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Nato condemns Iran’s targeting of Turkey<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Iran death toll reaches 1,045, officials say<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Nearly 150 missing after Iranian warship sinks near Sri Lanka – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Who is Mojtaba Khamenei? The son of late supreme leader Khamenei seen as potential successor<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Iran state funeral for Khamenei postponed – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n UN ‘deeply disturbed’ by reports of Iran school strike that killed 160 children<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Donald Trump \u2018really does not care\u2019 if Iran play at World Cup 2026<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Tell us: how have you been affected by the latest events in the Middle East?<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n EU sees no immediate effect of Iran conflict on gas supply security – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Hezbollah says it targeted Israel’s major aerospace and aviation company<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Iran close to choosing new supreme leader – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Senior Khamenei aide says Iran won\u2019t negotiate with US<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Trump ‘betrayed diplomacy and Americans who elected him’, says Iran foreign minister<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n IDF says Israeli F-35 fighter jet shot down manned Iranian warplane in Tehran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Spain’s position is ‘no to war’, says Sanchez<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n Israel-US strikes on Iran appear \u2018inconsistent with international law\u2019, says Canadian PM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n Loud explosion in Tehran – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 21h ago<\/p>\n Dozens rescued from sinking Iranian warship near Sri Lanka<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 21h ago<\/p>\n Israel threatens to assassinate Ali Khamenei’s replacement<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n Iran Guards say launched more than 40 missiles at US, Israeli targets<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n Iranians to bid farewell to late Supreme Leader Khamenei in Tehran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 23h ago<\/p>\n UK government charter flight for British nationals in Oman<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 23h ago<\/p>\n Conflicting claims over the strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 23h ago<\/p>\n Global markets roiled by conflict<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Six killed in Israeli strikes south of Beirut<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n <\/a>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n This blog is closing now but you can continue to follo<\/a>w live news and updates from the US-Israel war on Iran, and the wider Middle East crisis, in our new live blog here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thank you for reading.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.09 EST<\/p>\n Israel says no casualties reported after Iran missile launches<\/p>\n Iran launched several rounds of missiles at Israel<\/a> early on Thursday, the Israeli military said, triggering alerts in several areas and explosions heard in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n There were no immediate reports of casualties, the AFP report said.<\/p>\n After a lull of more than seven hours, Israel\u2019s military issued three separate alerts warning of Iranian missile fire in under two hours.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s state broadcaster IRIB also reported the launches.<\/p>\n Explosions were heard in Jerusalem after the third reported launch.<\/p>\n But Israel\u2019s emergency services, the Magen David Adom, said it had received no reports of casualties after early Thursday\u2019s rocket fire, and the military had cleared people to leave their shelters.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, the military\u2019s Home Front Command had said it would ease some war-related restrictions effective midday Thursday, citing a decline in the number of missiles fired by Iran.<\/p>\n Israeli air defences intercept projectiles over Jerusalem on Wednesday. Photograph: Abir Sultan\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.49 EST<\/p>\n The Pentagon has released the names of the final two of the six soldiers who were killed during a recent drone strike in Kuwait.<\/p>\n The two soldiers were identified as Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, 54, and Maj Jeffrey O\u2019Brien, 45. They were from Sacramento, California, and Indianola, Iowa, respectively.<\/p>\n They were killed on Sunday, the day after the US and Israel<\/a> launched strikes against Iran. Their names were released by the US Department of Defence on Wednesday.<\/p>\n O\u2019Brien had earned several awards and decorations during his time in service, the defence department said.<\/p>\n The US army reserve said it would investigate the incident that led to their deaths and those of Capt Cody Khork, 35; Sgt Nicole Amor, 39; Sgt Declan Coady, 20; and Sgt Noah Tietjens, 42, who were identified on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The Pentagon said Marzan was at the scene when a drone strike hit the command centre in Kuwait and was \u201cbelieved to be the individual who perished at the scene\u201d. A medical examiner would confirm identification.<\/p>\n See the full story here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israel keeps up Lebanon strikes as ground forces advance<\/p>\n Israeli attacks on Lebanon have entered a fourth day after Israeli forces pushed into several border towns and conducted air strikes targeting Hezbollah.<\/p>\n AFPTV footage showed smoke rising after a strike hit the Iran-backed militant group\u2019s stronghold of southern Beirut early on Thursday.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military earlier told residents to leave the suburb where the strike hit, warning it was about to attack a target it said was linked to Hezbollah.<\/p>\n Smoke rises from a building damaged during strikes in Beirut on Thursday, in a screengrab from social media. Photograph: Obtained by Reuters<\/p>\n Agence France-Presse also reports that in Israel\u2019s north near the border, repeated air raid alerts sent residents to shelters in several locations, with no immediate reports of impact or casualties.<\/p>\n Hezbollah\u2019s leader vowed on Wednesday to keep up its fight against Israel and step up attacks, saying the group had targeted Israeli positions as far as Tel Aviv in at least 15 attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are facing aggression… our choice is to confront it until the ultimate sacrifice, and we will not surrender,\u201d Naim Qassem declared in his first speech since the latest fighting broke out. \u201cFor us this is an existential defence.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.30 EST<\/p>\n Carney doesn’t rule out Canada participating in war Mark Carney won\u2019t rule out Canadian participation in military action but has made a distinction between offence and defence.<\/p>\n Responding to a question on whether he would rule out Canada participating in US military<\/a> action in Iran if the conflict continued to spread, the prime minister said it couldn\u2019t be ruled out and that Canada would stand by its allies, and always defend Canadians.<\/p>\n He said at the joint press conference with Australia\u2019s prime minister:<\/p>\n double quotation markOne can never categorically rule out participation. We will stand by our allies, but it makes sense there\u2019s a distinction between the offensive actions that were taken and are being taken by the United States and Israel, that were taken by them without consultation with Canada, with other allies, and we\u2019re not party to those actions, but we will always defend Canadians. We will always stand by and defend our allies when called.\\<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.25 EST<\/p>\n Circling back to Canadian and Australian prime ministers Mark Carney and Anthony Albanese, the leaders were asked how concerned they were about the escalation of war, and whether they were concerned about the actions of the US navy, after Carney called for a de-escalation of conflict.<\/p>\n Albanese said the world wanted to see a de-escalation, for Iran to stop its attacks over an increasing number of countries. He also said Australia wanted to see the \u201cobjectives\u201d of the strikes by the US and Israel<\/a> achieved.<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019re seeing Gulf states that have not been involved attacked across the board, including the attacks on civilian and tourist areas as well. We also want to see the objectives achieved. I want to see the possibility of Iran getting a nuclear weapon removed once and for all. And I also want to see a removal of the ongoing threat that has been there for such a long period of time of Iran endangering peace and security and stability, not just in its own region but here in Australia.<\/p>\n Mark Carney (L) and Anthony Albanese speak to media at Australia\u2019s Parliament House on Thursday. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/EPA<\/p>\n At the leaders\u2019 joint press conference in the Australian capital, Carney said he associated himself with Albanese\u2019s remarks, and pointed to the brutality of the Iranian regime, which had killed \u201cscores of Canadians\u201d.<\/p>\n Carney said he wanted to see de-escalation but also that it had to come after those outcomes were achieved.<\/p>\n double quotation markWe want to see a broader de-escalation of these hostilities with a broader group of countries than just the direct belligerence involved. We recognise, we stress, that cannot be achieved unless we\u2019re in a position that Iran\u2019s ability to acquire a nuclear weapon, develop a nuclear weapon, and to export terrorism is ended. So that process must lead to those outcomes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.12 EST<\/p>\n Iranian bombers ‘two minutes’ from striking US air base before being downed \u2013 report<\/p>\n Iranian bomber aircraft came within minutes of striking the largest military base housing US troops in the Middle East before Qatari planes shot them down in their first aerial combat mission, according to a CNN report <\/a>citing two sources briefed on the operation.<\/p>\n On Monday morning Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard dispatched two Soviet-era Su-24 tactical bombers towards al-Udeid air base \u2013 which typically houses 10,000 US service members \u2013 and Ras Laffan, a key natural gas processing facility and a bedrock of the Qatari economy, the report said.<\/p>\n It continued:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe Iranian jets were \u201ctwo minutes\u201d away from their targets, one of the sources said. A second source told CNN that the planes were visually identified and photographed \u201ccarrying bombs and guided munitions.\u201d<\/p>\n The Qataris issued a warning over radio but received no response from the jets, which had switched to a flying altitude of 80 feet [24 metres] to evade radar detection, the second source said.<\/p>\n Due to \u201ctime constraints\u201d and \u201cbased on the available evidence\u201d, the aircraft were \u201cclassified as hostile\u201d, the second source added. Qatar then dispatched its warplanes, and a Qatari F-15 fighter engaged the Iranian jets in \u201caerial combat\u201d before downing them, the second source added.<\/p>\n The Iranian planes crashed into Qatar\u2019s territorial waters, the report said, and a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said a search was under way for the crews.<\/p>\n US general Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, acknowledged the incident on Wednesday without specifying the Iranian bombers\u2019 target, it said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Mark Carney has also said that Canada \u201caspires\u201d for a ceasefire in Iran<\/a> but that attacks on civilians must stop first.<\/p>\n At a press conference with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra, the leaders were asked if they would call for a ceasefire.<\/p>\n Carney said the government \u201caspires\u201d for one but that it was not yet the time for it.<\/p>\n double quotation markTo see a situation where all the parties in this conflict must recognise the necessity to avoid attacks on civilians and on civil infrastructure, that is not given this stage.<\/p>\n Albanese gave a similar answer and added that there needed to be a \u201cde-escalation of hostilities. Right now we have a spreading of hostilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.45 EST<\/p>\n Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has said he supports the strikes on Iran<\/a> \u201cwith some regret\u201d as they represent an extreme example of a rupturing world order.<\/p>\n \u201cGeostrategically, hegemons are increasingly acting without constraint or respect for international norms or laws, while others bear the consequences. Now the extremes of this disruption are being played out in real time in the Middle East,\u201d Carney said in Sydney at the Lowy Institute thinktank during the Australian leg of a trade-focused, three-nation visit.<\/p>\n He also stressed that Canada was not apprised beforehand of the US-Israeli strikes, the Associated Press reports, in his first remarks since the war broke out on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were not informed in advance, we were not asked to participate,\u201d Carney told reporters travelling with him.<\/p>\n double quotation markPrima-facie, it appears that these actions are inconsistent with international law.<\/p>\n Whether the US and Israeli airstrikes broke international law was \u201ca judgment for others to make\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n Canada supported efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and from threatening international peace and security, Carney said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.15 EST<\/p>\n Qatar evacuates residents near US embassy in Doha<\/p>\n Qatar is evacuating residents living in the vicinity of the US embassy in Doha as a \u201ctemporary precautionary measure\u201d, the Gulf country\u2019s interior ministry said early on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cSuitable accommodation has been provided for them as part of necessary preventive measures,\u201d the ministry said in a statement quoted by Reuters.<\/p>\n Iran has launched retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region \u2013 targeting US military<\/a> bases, embassies and civilian infrastructure \u2013 in response to the US and Israel\u2019s huge campaign of airstrikes.<\/p>\n Thirteen people, seven of them civilians, have been killed in countries around the Gulf since the war began.<\/p>\n Military helicopters over Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday. Photograph: EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.46 EST<\/p>\n Israel says it is working to intercept Iranian missiles<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military said air defences were responding to missiles launched from Iran on Thursday, the first such report in over seven hours, triggering alerts in several areas including Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n The military said in a statement it had \u201cidentified missiles launched from Iran<\/a> toward the territory of the state of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat\u201d, the AFP news agency is reporting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n More than 2,000 Canadians have requested assistance from the Canadian government to leave the Middle East amid the widening conflict, a Canadian official said.<\/p>\n Half of those inquiries came from Canadians in the United Arab Emirates, 200 from Qatar and 160 from Lebanon, the official said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The Canadian government was working to secure seats on commercial flights out of some cities in the region, Reuters quoted the official as saying, including 75 that were made available on Wednesday and more expected in the coming days.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s defence ministry is saying<\/a> it has intercepted and destroyed three missiles outside Al-Kharj city.<\/p>\n The city is south-east of the Saudi capital, Riyadh.<\/p>\n![\"Aben\u00e9](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Abene_Clayton.png\")
Aben\u00e9 Clayton<\/p>\n![\"Krishani](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Krishani_Dhanji.png\")
Krishani Dhanji<\/p>\nKrishani Dhanji<\/p>\nKrishani Dhanji<\/p>\n