On timing, the US president has previously suggested the war would take approximately four to five weeks but could go \u201cfar longer\u201d and today. Pete Hegseth, his defence secretary, said the US operation would continue for \u201cas long as it takes\u201d to achieve its objectives in Iran, saying yesterday: \u201cOur timeline is ours and ours alone to control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back to Leavitt, speaking ahead of a meeting between Trump and major defence contractors today, she told reporters at the White House that the US has sufficient weapons stockpiles to meet all its operational needs in Iran.<\/p>\n
She added that the US was looking at a number of potential candidates to lead Iran but didn\u2019t give any details.<\/p>\n
double quotation markI know there\u2019s a number of people that our intelligence agencies and the United States government are looking at, but I won\u2019t get any further on that.<\/p>\n
Updated at\u00a014.27 EST<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1h ago<\/p>\n Iran campaign may take four to six weeks, says White House<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1h ago<\/p>\n Macron expresses \u2018full solidarity\u2019 with Iraqi PM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Russia providing Iran intelligence to target US forces – reports<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n ‘The stakes could not be higher’: UN chief urges end to ‘all unlawful attacks in Middle East’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Today so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n US Central Command: Iran targeted civilian neighbourhoods in Bahrain<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Iraqi prime minister discusses ‘unified positions’ with president of Kurdistan region<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n UN: Forced displacement in Lebanon could be violating international law<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Trump: US is moving ‘thousands’ of people out of Middle East countries<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n US investigators believe strike on Iranian girls\u2019 school probably carried out by US forces<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Lebanon health officials say 217 killed in Israeli attacks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n US-Israeli strikes against Iran ‘extraordinary mistake’, says Spanish PM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Explosions near Erbil airport in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq- report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s deputy prime minister suggests that the UK could take part in strikes<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s president says \u2018some countries\u2019 have begun mediation efforts to end war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Trump: No deal with Iran except ‘unconditional surrender’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Video: IDF footage claims to show air strikes on Khamenei\u2019s underground bunker<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Lebanon drawn into war ‘it did not seek or choose’, says PM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Video: Pastors pray for Trump and US success in Iran war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Mediation talks should be aimed at US and Israel, says Iranian president<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n IDF claims 50 jets bombed Khamenei’s underground bunker ‘still being used by Iranian officials’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n ‘Plenty of oil’ in markets despite Middle East turmoil, says IEA chief<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Israel official says bombing campaign in Iran going ‘much better than expected’ – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n ‘We were humiliated’: Israel’s attacks on Beirut cause mass displacement crisis<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Azerbaijan withdraws diplomats from Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n US probe of Iran school strike must ‘happen very quickly’, says UN rights chief<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Sri Lankan president calls for peace as Iranian sailors seek refuge on island<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n Four people in UK arrested on suspicion of spying on Jewish community for Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n Majority of Spaniards against US-Israeli attacks on Iran – poll<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n Israel announces new phase in Iran conflict as US warns strikes will ‘surge dramatically’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Summary<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Sri Lanka takes control of an Iranian vessel off its coast after US sunk an Iranian warship<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Iranian leadership council meets ahead of selecting new supreme leader, state media says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Israel carried out 26 airstrikes on Beirut, IDF says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Philippines mulls shorter weeks, less air-con as fuel costs bite<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Two Japanaese nationals detained in Iran, Japan calls for release<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Evacuated British nationals return to UK, as crisis continues to disrupt flights<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Trump responds to Iranian claims that ground invasion would be ‘big disaster’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Gulf states intercept missiles amid reports of regional discontent<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Explosions in Tehran, as Israel launches more strikes<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Hezbollah warns Israeli residents to evacuate near border<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Ukraine to help US and allies counter Iranian drones<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n <\/a>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n A huge American bomber capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles has landed in the UK after the US defence secretary warned of a \u201csurge\u201d in strikes on Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 146ft B-1 Lancer has a wingspan of 137ft, weighs 86 tonnes and is the fastest bomber in the US Air Force, according to Boeing, hitting speeds of more than 900mph.<\/p>\n Piloted by a crew of four, \u201cthe Bone\u201d \u2013 as the aircraft is nicknamed \u2013 has advanced radar and GPS systems to help hit targets, and electronic jammers, radar warnings and a decoy system to protect it from enemies.<\/p>\n The B\u20111, which has been used in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq, can carry up to 34 tonnes of weapons and equipment.<\/p>\n A bomber was pictured arriving at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday after Keir Starmer granted the US permission to strike defensively against Iran\u2019s missile facilities from British bases.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Saudi Arabia has intensified direct engagement with Iran<\/a> to help contain the conflict in the Middle East, Bloomberg News reported, citing several European officials.<\/p>\n Saudi officials in recent days have used their diplomatic backchannel to Iran with increased urgency to ease tensions and keep the conflict from worsening, the report said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Sleeplessness, fear and exhaustion gripped residents of Tehran as successive waves of strikes struck the Iranian capital<\/a>, judging from messages sent by people in the city after the latest overnight onslaught, which several described as the worst bombardment in six days of war.<\/p>\n With Iran imposing a near-total internet blackout<\/a>, information emerging from inside the country is fragmentary and difficult to verify. But in a series of accounts sent through proxy connections, and calls with friends abroad, Tehranis described a night of intense explosions.<\/p>\n Zahra, a teacher and mother of one living in central Tehran, said the strikes, in what she said was the heaviest attack to date, had left her deeply worried for civilians who found themselves in danger not just from Iran\u2019s attackers but from their own government.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first time since the war began that I am genuinely scared for my fellow Iranians,\u201d said Zahra*. \u201cWe are trapped between the regime that is killing us with machine guns, and a foreign power has likely decided that we are collateral damage.\u201d<\/p>\n Although she had protested against the government in January<\/a> and had celebrated the killing of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in the first few seconds of the war a week ago, she has become increasingly fearful of the civilian toll.<\/p>\n \u201cThe initial joy of the regime\u2019s leaders paying the price is soon turning into fear. Who will be left in free Iran if we all get killed?\u201d Zahra said.<\/p>\n She described Thursday night as being unlike anything she had experienced before. \u201cI don\u2019t think I have ever experienced a night like this before or even seen [anything like it] in the movies. I am really scared, especially because I am in total information blackout.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf they don\u2019t stop now, Tehran will turn into Gaza,\u201d said Farzad*, a 36-year-old who has fled the city. \u201cWe can now tell the difference between the sounds of fighter jets, air defence, and missiles. Sometimes we stand together and watch the trails of hypersonic missiles in the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Iran campaign may take four to six weeks, says White House<\/p>\n The US military campaign against Iran may take as long as four to six weeks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a few moments ago, adding that the US is well on its way toward controlling Iranian airspace.<\/p>\n Leavitt added that the US would consider Iran in a state of \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d once Donald Trump determines the country no longer \u201cposes a threat\u201d to the United States.<\/p>\n She told reporters at the White House:<\/p>\n double quotation markWhat the president means is that when he, as Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America, and the goals of Operation Epic Fury has been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not.<\/p>\n Trump said today that only Tehran\u2019s \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d<\/a> will bring an end to the joint US-Israeli offensive launched seven days ago.<\/p>\n On timing, the US president has previously suggested the war would take approximately four to five weeks but could go \u201cfar longer\u201d and today. Pete Hegseth, his defence secretary, said the US operation would continue for \u201cas long as it takes\u201d to achieve its objectives in Iran, saying yesterday: \u201cOur timeline is ours and ours alone to control.\u201d<\/p>\n Back to Leavitt, speaking ahead of a meeting between Trump and major defence contractors today, she told reporters at the White House that the US has sufficient weapons stockpiles to meet all its operational needs in Iran.<\/p>\n She added that the US was looking at a number of potential candidates to lead Iran but didn\u2019t give any details.<\/p>\n double quotation markI know there\u2019s a number of people that our intelligence agencies and the United States government are looking at, but I won\u2019t get any further on that.<\/p>\n Press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House. Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.27 EST<\/p>\n Two British Wildcat helicopters have arrived in Cyprus today after Keir Starmer pledged to bolster UK defences on the Mediterranean island.<\/p>\n Starmer said on Thursday that the UK was sending the helicopters, which have anti-drone-capabilities, along with Type 45 naval destroyer HMS Dragon, which is due to arrive in Cyprus in the next few weeks.<\/p>\n It comes as Britain scrambles to bolster the defence of its RAF airbase in Cyprus after it was targeted by Iran, prompting fury from local ministers<\/a>.<\/p>\n In updated travel advice issued today for Cyprus, the UK Foreign Office said terrorist attacks on the island \u201ccannot be ruled out\u201d.<\/p>\n The attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals, the advice warned.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Macron expresses \u2018full solidarity\u2019 with Iraqi PM<\/p>\n French president Emmanuel Macron said today that he spoke to Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and praised his efforts to keep his country out of the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n \u201cI expressed to him France\u2019s full solidarity with Iraq in the face of the ongoing escalation in the Middle East,\u201d Macron said in a post on X. \u201cI reiterated my support for his resolute action to prevent Iraq from being drawn into the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe stability of the country is essential for the entire region. France supports the full respect for Iraq\u2019s sovereignty, security, and territorial unity.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Russia providing Iran intelligence to target US forces – reports<\/p>\n Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack US forces in the Middle East, the first indication that another major US adversary is participating in the war, the Washington Post (paywall) reported<\/a> today, citing three officials familiar with the intelligence.<\/p>\n Since the start of the war on Saturday, Russia has passed Tehran the locations of US military assets, including warships and aircraft, the three officials told the Post.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does seem like it\u2019s a pretty comprehensive effort,\u201d one of the Post\u2019s sources said.<\/p>\n The extent of Russia\u2019s support to Iran was not entirely clear but the Iranian military\u2019s own ability to locate US forces has been degraded since the US and Israel<\/a> launched strikes against Tehran last week, the Post reported.<\/p>\n The Russian embassy in Washington DC, the Pentagon and the CIA didn\u2019t comment when approached for the Post\u2019s article, but the White House provided this statement from spokesperson Anna Kelly:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed. Their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight.<\/p>\n CBS News is also reporting<\/a> that Russia is providing intelligence on US positions to Iran, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter, including a senior US official it says has direct knowledge.<\/p>\n Russia was in dialogue with representatives of Iran\u2019s leadership, the Kremlin said today. Reuters reports that it declined to provide details when asked by reporters whether Moscow was helping Tehran.<\/p>\n Moscow has called for an end to the war, which it has described as \u201cunprovoked act of armed aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘The stakes could not be higher’: UN chief urges end to ‘all unlawful attacks in Middle East’<\/p>\n The UN secretary-general has called on nations to \u201cstop the fighting and get to serious diplomatic negotiations\u201d. \u201cThe stakes could not be higher,\u201d Ant\u00f3nio Guterres wrote in a post<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n double quotation markAll the unlawful attacks in the Middle East and beyond are causing tremendous suffering and harm to civilians throughout the region \u2013 and pose a grave a risk to the global economy, particularly to the most vulnerable people.<\/p>\n The situation could spiral beyond anyone\u2019s control.<\/p>\n It is time to stop the fighting and get to serious diplomatic negotiations.<\/p>\n The stakes could not be higher.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.13 EST<\/p>\n Today so far<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, said his country was drawn into a war \u201cit did not seek or choose\u201d. In a speech during a meeting with Arab and foreign ambassadors, he warned that \u201ca humanitarian disaster is looming\u201d.<\/p>\n Donald Trump posted on social media that there would be no deal with Iran except \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d. The US president said following \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d, there would be \u201cthe selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s)\u201d \u2013 earlier, Trump had said he must \u201cbe involved in the appointment\u201d of Iran\u2019s next leader as he was in Venezuela, and dismissed the idea of the assassinated ayatollah\u2019s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeding his father as supreme leader as \u201cunacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n US investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls\u2019 school that killed scores of children on Saturday but have not yet reached a final conclusion, according to a Reuters report citing two unnamed US officials.<\/p>\n Iranian forces fired seven attack drones at residential neighbourhoods in Bahrain overnight, said US Central Command (Centcom), which accused the Iranian government of attacking 12 different countries and \u201cdeliberately\u201d targeting civilians.<\/p>\n The Israeli military announced a \u201cnew stage\u201d in its campaign against Iran, with US and Israeli officials hinting at escalating strikes. The IDF said it has \u201cadditional surprising moves\u201d as part of this new phase, without elaborating, while US defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced that strikes on Iran will \u201csurge dramatically\u201d.<\/p>\n The IDF claimed to have destroyed the underground bunker of the slain Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which it claims is still used by senior Iranian officials. The Israeli military said approximately 50 fighter jets dropped about 100 bombs at the site in Tehran, which it claimed spread across multiple streets and included \u201cmany entry points\u201d. There was no immediate comment from Iran.<\/p>\n The UN said nearly 100,000 people have been displaced within Lebanon<\/a> and tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in the country have fled back over the border. It follows a mass evacuation order by the IDF for people to flee a vast swathe of Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs as it bombs what it says are Hezbollah targets in the area.<\/p>\n Volker T\u00fcrk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, raised concerns that the Israeli military causing the mass displacement of people in Lebanon may be violating international law, the AFP reports. \u201cLebanon is becoming a key flashpoint,\u201d Turk said.<\/p>\n Officials in Azerbaijan said they are withdrawing diplomatic staff from Iran for their own safety. It comes a day after Azerbaijan said four Iranian drones had crossed its border and injured four people in the Nakhchivan exclave.<\/p>\n Four people in the UK have been arrested by counter terror police on suspicion of spying on the Jewish community for Iran, the Metropolitan police said. The men, one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals, were arrested this morning shortly after 1am in Barnet and Watford.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>US Central Command: Iran targeted civilian neighbourhoods in Bahrain<\/p>\n Iranian forces fired seven attack drones at residential neighbourhoods in Bahrain overnight, Brad Cooper, the head of the US Central Command (Centcom), said in a statement posted on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n Iran \u201chas attacked 12 different countries and continues to deliberately target civilians throughout the Middle East\u201d, Cooper said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is unacceptable and will not go unanswered.\u201d<\/p>\n Air defences in Bahrain have destroyed 78 missiles and 143 drones since the start of the conflict, the Bahrain Defence Force said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here are some images coming in from the Middle East today:<\/p>\n Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs, in Beirut, Lebanon on 06 March 2026. Photograph: Hussein Malla\/APSmoke rises from a fire caused by an Israeli strike Updated at\u00a012.40 EST<\/p>\n Footage shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the south of Lebanon\u2019s capital, a day after Israel issued a mass evacuation order for this part of the country.<\/p>\n The Israeli military carried out further strikes on Beirut\u2019s southern Dahiyeh suburb, as well as towns in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said 217 people had been killed in Israeli attacks since Monday.<\/p>\n![\"Press](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6131.jpg\")
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House. Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Deepa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Deepa_Parent.png\")
Deepa Parent<\/p>\n
on Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs on 06 March 2026. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi\/ReutersIsraeli tanks gather on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon on 06 March 2026. Photograph: Atef Safadi\/EPAA man hangs Israeli flags near a buildng that was damaged in a missile attack in Givatayim near Tel Aviv, Israel on 06 March 2026. Photograph: Nir Elias\/ReutersSmoke rises after an airstrike in central Tehran, Iran on 06 March 2026 Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPAIranian women holds pictures of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the Friday prayer ceremony at Mosallah mosque in Tehran, Iran on 06 March 2026. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Smoke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772828056_511_1920.jpg\")
Smoke engulfs buildings after Israeli forces strike Beirut suburbs \u2013 video