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<\/a><\/p>\nPublished On 3 Apr 20263 Apr 2026<\/p>\n
The United States and Israel are widening their attacks<\/a> on Iran, hitting infrastructure in and around the capital, as Washington ramps up pressure on Tehran and the conflict spreads across the region.<\/p>\n Iranian state media said a US fighter jet<\/a> was shot down on Friday over central Iran, and the US military launched a search and rescue operation in the area.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly fired the US Army\u2019s top general and two other senior officers, prompting speculation of a wartime leadership shake-up.<\/p>\n Here is what we know about Friday\u2019s developments:<\/p>\n In Iran
\nDowned US fighter jet: Two unnamed US officials speaking to the Reuters news agency confirmed Iranian state media reports about the downing of the US fighter jet<\/a>. US media reported one of its crew members was recovered in a US search and rescue operation but the fate of the second was not known.
\nIntensifying strikes: The US and Israel expanded their attacks on Iran, hitting a century-old medical research centre in Tehran, the Pasteur Institute; steel plants; and a bridge near the capital in some of the latest strikes on Iranian infrastructure. A drone strike also hit a Red Crescent aid warehouse in Iran\u2019s Bushehr province.
\nBridge strike justification: US officials said the bridge bombed in Iran was used to transport material for Iranian military drones, Al Jazeera\u2019s Rosiland Jordan reported from Washington, DC. But Iran insisted the bridge was civilian infrastructure, which, if true, would make the attack a violation of international law.
\nCasualties and damage: The human toll continues to rise with at least 2,076 people killed and 26,500 wounded in Iran since the start of the war on February 28. Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said more than 600 schools and education centres have been hit.
\nIran\u2019s response: Iran\u2019s military said the war will continue until its enemies face \u201chumiliation\u201d and \u201csurrender\u201d, specifically cautioning the US against a ground invasion.
\nWar diplomacy
\nPakistan pushes US-Iran talks: Pakistan said it will continue trying<\/a> to push Washington and Tehran towards ending the war but admitted there are \u201cobstacles\u201d to peace efforts. The comments came hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran if it did not accept US terms.
\nHormuz blockade talks: The United Kingdom is holding talks with about 40 countries on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world\u2019s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass, as Iran\u2019s blockade has halted most shipping and pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel. The US is not taking part. Could such an effort work? Read our explainer.<\/a>
\nUse of force in Hormuz: The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council called for the United Nations Security Council to authorise the use of force to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks.
\nUS position on diplomacy: The US Department of State said Trump is \u201calways open to diplomacy\u201d with Iran and had pursued talks before the war, but Washington continued to accuse Tehran of seeking a nuclear weapon.
\nPhilippine ships granted \u201csafe\u201d Hormuz passage: The Philippines said its ships will be granted safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz after talks with Iran, Al Jazeera\u2019s Patrick Fok, reporting from Singapore, said Manila sought \u201cnonhostile\u201d status to secure oil shipments, and Foreign Minister Tess Lazaro said Iran pledged Philippine-flagged vessels, energy cargo and seafarers would be allowed \u201csafe, unhindered and expeditious passage\u201d.
\nFormer Iranian foreign minister\u2019s \u201cpeace plan\u201d: Javad Zarif, who previously served as the vice president and foreign minister of Iran, proposed a peace plan under which Iran would drop any development of nuclear weapons and the US would lift sanctions on Iran.
\nUS response in the strait: Trump has signalled potential military action to \u201ceasily open the Strait of Hormuz\u201d. This intervention could involve mine clearing, escorting naval vessels and launching strikes against Iranian ships that threaten transiting tankers.
\n\u2018Immediate ceasefire\u2019 urged: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an immediate ceasefire during a phone call, the Kremlin said, warning the fighting risks global impacts on energy, trade and logistics.
\nIn the Gulf
\nUnited Arab Emirates: Falling shrapnel killed a Bangladeshi farmworker.
\nBahrain: Warning sirens sounded multiple times, and residents were told to seek shelter while highway traffic near Saar was diverted due to falling debris. The government called on motorists to take alternative routes and follow instructions until traffic returns to normal.
\nSaudi Arabia: The Ministry of Defence said it intercepted and destroyed an incoming drone.
\nKuwait: A fire at Kuwait International Airport caused by a drone attack on Wednesday is now extinguished. The Kuwait News Agency said strikes hit the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery and a power and desalination plant. The extent of the damage was unclear.
\nUnited Kingdom military deployment: The UK is deploying RapidRanger short-range drone defence systems to the Gulf.
\nItalian PM visits Gulf: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni began a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia as part of a Gulf tour to boost \u201cnational energy security\u201d, a government source said.
\nEaster Mass cancelled: All Masses in Dubai have been cancelled because of the war, two Catholic churches in the UAE posted on their websites.
\nIn the US
\nMilitary leadership shake-up: Hegseth abruptly fired Army Chief of Staff Randy George, effective immediately. Reports said two other senior officers, General David Hodne and Major General William Green Jr, were also dismissed, prompting speculation the administration is reshaping the military\u2019s leadership to align more closely with Trump\u2019s agenda.
\nPresident steps up threats: Trump intensified his rhetoric against Tehran, threatening to bomb Iran back to the \u201cstone ages\u201d and warning that the US military \u201chasn\u2019t even started\u201d targeting key infrastructure. He said bridges, power plants and energy facilities could be next unless Tehran accepts US terms to end the war.
\nUS casualties: The US has lost 13 service members in combat and two to noncombat causes. More than 200 soldiers have been injured.
\nUS carrier departs Croatia: The USS Gerald R Ford, an aircraft carrier that had been deployed to the Arabian Sea, left Croatia after five days in port for repairs after a fire on board, the US Navy said. It did not reveal its next destination as US forces reposition in the Middle East.
\nMost Iranian Americans oppose the war: A poll suggested a majority of Iranian Americans reject the US-Israeli war on their homeland. More than 66 percent of respondents to the survey, commissioned by the National Iranian American Council, said they oppose the war while 32.7 percent said they support it.
\nIn Israel
\nSirens have become \u201cpart of life\u201d: Israelis are repeatedly heading to shelters, especially in the Tel Aviv area, where millions of people live, Al Jazeera\u2019s Nour Odeh reported from near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Sirens also sounded in Ashdod and Ashkelon. Schools have moved online, and Ben Gurion Airport is operating at reduced capacity as Israel prepares for a prolonged war and expands its strikes on strategic Iranian industries.
\nNorthern front: Fighting with Hezbollah remained intense as the Lebanese group said it carried out 60 military operations against Israel in 24 hours, including rocket fire targeting Israeli soldiers in Malkia and Dishon, an explosive device attack in Biyyada and attacks that it said disabled four Israeli tanks.
\nMore than 3,500 hits: The Israeli military said it has struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon since a resurgence in fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah started on March 2.
\nIn Lebanon, Iraq and Syria
\nUS bases in Iraq targeted: The Iraqi armed group Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed responsibility for six attacks on US military facilities within 24 hours in a statement released on its Telegram channel.
\nSyria: Israel expanded its raids across southern Syria while the Syrian government said it uncovered and blocked two tunnels used to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Hamas\u2019s armed wing praised protests in Syria against a new Israeli law imposing the death penalty on certain Palestinian prisoners.
\n\u201cAlarming\u201d displacement risk: The head of the International Organization for Migration warned of \u201cvery alarming\u201d prospects for prolonged mass displacement in Lebanon due to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. \u201cThere are parts of the south that are being completely flattened,\u201d Amy Pope told the AFP news agency, warning that even if the war ended now, the destruction would leave many unable to return home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXPLAINER The US-Israel war on Iran hits century-old medical research centre, the Pasteur Institute, and a bridge near…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373964,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[18292,5697,1155,85,46,6606,47,2899,43,1823,78,1032,162198],"class_list":{"0":"post-373963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-bahrain","9":"tag-explainer","10":"tag-human-rights","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-kuwait","14":"tag-middle-east","15":"tag-military","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-qatar","18":"tag-saudi-arabia","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-us-israel-war-on-iran"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}