Iran launches another attack wave on Israel and Gulf cities
Loud explosions were heard across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Doha and Manama as well as in Jerusalem on Monday as Tehran pressed into a third day of strikes against Israel and Gulf neighbours in response to the US-Israeli attacks.
Agence France-Presse reported several loud blasts being heard in the Qatari and Bahraini capitals, as well as in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city.
The Israeli air force said on X a short while ago that missiles had been launched from Iran towards Israel and defence systems were operating to intercept them.
The post also said it had directed the public via mobile phones in relevant areas to go to “protected spaces” and stay until further notice.
A drone view of Israeli emergency responders working at the scene of an Iranian missile strike on a road in Jerusalem on Sunday. Photograph: Ilan Rosenberg/ReutersShare
Updated at 01.36 EST
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Journalists from the Associated Press reported hearing several loud explosions on Monday morning in Erbil, the capital city of Iraq’s semiautonomous region of Kurdistan.
It comes after loud explosions were heard early on Sunday near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops. Since the start of the US-Israel bombing campaign against Iran, drones have frequenty been intercepted over Erbil.
Smoke rises from Erbil international airport after it was hit in an attack, in Erbil, Iraq, on 1 March 2026. Photograph: Khalid Al-Mousily/ReutersShare
Helena Smith
Cyprus has put authorities on alert, closing schools and evacuating people where necessary, after it was dragged into the spiralling conflict across the Middle East following a drone attack on RAF Akrotiri, a British base on the island.
In an early morning address to the nation, president Nikos Christodoulides said his country’s security was the government’s paramount concern.
“We are located in a region of particular geopolitical instability, with many challenges and problems, currently undergoing an unprecedented crisis.
“We are doing what must be done, with the safety of our country and our citizens as our foremost concern,” he said.
Cyprus’s President Nikos Christodoulides has said his top priority is the safety and security of his country. Photograph: Fabio Frustaci/EPA
The Cypriot leader said it remained the firm stance of the eastern Mediterranean island, the EU’s closest member state to the Middle East and a popular tourist destination, to not “become part of any military operation.”
“We remain committed to the humanitarian role we have fulfilled throughout this period – always as part of the solution and not the problem – and we will continue to act with the same sense of responsibility,” he said in te address.
Referring to the midnight strike, Christodoulides told the island nation that “an unmanned aerial vehicle of the Shahed type struck within the military installations of the British Bases in Akrotiri, causing minor material damage.”
Greek media reports suggested a second combat aerialvehicle, also deployed against the British facility by Iran, approximately 600 miles away, had been neutralised.
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said it is moving families from the RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus after it was targeted in a suspected Iranian drone strike last night at around midnight local time (22:00 GMT), in an attack which caused limited damage but no casualties,
An MoD spokesperson said:
double quotation markThe safety of our personnel and their families is our absolute priority.
As a precautionary measure we are moving family members who live at RAF Akrotiri to alternative accommodation nearby on the island of Cyprus.
Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests.
The main gate of RAF Akrotiri base is seen after it was hit by a suspected drone strike. Photograph: Petros Karadjias/AP
The UK has agreed to let the US use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites, with the prime minister, Keir Starmer, saying Tehran’s actions were becoming more reckless and putting British lives at risk,
Updated at 02.27 EST
Summary
In case you’re just joining us, here’s an overview of the latest news as the US-Israeli war on Iran moves into its third day.
The Israeli military said on Monday it was striking Hezbollah across Lebanon, after the militant group launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli strikes on Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs and on southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people and wounded 149, Lebanon’s health ministry said. The Israeli military urged people in nearly 50 Lebanese villages to evacuate.
Explosions were heard across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Manama as well as in Jerusalem on Monday. Smoke was seen rising from the US embassy in Kuwait City and it warned of a continuing threat of attacks over Kuwait.
Donald Trump warned on Sunday that combat operations in Iran would carry on “until all of our objectives are achieved”. The US president continued to justify the operation and said: “I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.”
Trump told Fox News that 48 leaders have been killed in the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. “It’s moving along rapidly … Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot.”
A suspected drone strike hit RAF Akrotiri – a UK base in Cyprus – the British Ministry of Defence confirmed. There were no casualties at the base. The suspected strike came hours after Keir Starmer said the UK had allowed the US to strike Iranian missile sites from British bases as officials plan an unprecedented rescue operation for UK citizens in the Gulf.
Hundreds more flights were cancelled on Monday, extending the turmoil in global air travel caused by the war, with hundreds of thousands of passengers already stranded.
Oil prices soared and stock markets came under pressure on Monday after the strikes on Iran prompted fears of significant global economic disruption.
The death toll from a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran on Saturday rose to almost 165, according to Iranian state media.
Three US service members have been killed as part of US military operations against Iran, US Central Command said on Sunday.
Trump said Iran’s new leadership wanted to talk to him and that he had agreed, according to an interview with the Atlantic. Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, later said Tehran would “not negotiate with the United States”.
Updated at 02.29 EST
Hundreds more flights were cancelled on Monday, extending the turmoil in global air travel caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, with hundreds of thousands of passengers already stranded.
Callum Jones also reports that leading airline stocks came under pressure after days of disruption, with Donald Trump indicating that the US military action could last another four weeks.
Major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai – the world’s busiest international hub – closed for a third consecutive day amid the most acute aviation shock since the Covid-19 pandemic paralysed the industry.
Flights across the Middle East have been cancelled, disrupting thousands of services so far, as international carriers continued to suspend their services.
Early on Monday, 1,239 flights had already been cancelled. Emirates Airlines, based in Dubai; Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi; and Qatar Airways, based in Doha; have collectively cancelled hundreds of flights.
A plume of smoke caused by an Iranian strike rises in the distance behind an Emirates plane parked at Dubai international airport on Sunday. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP
Almost 2,800 flights were cancelled on Saturday and 3,156 cancelled on Sunday, according to the tracking platform FlightAware.
See full report here:
Updated at 01.47 EST
Israeli military says fighting Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days
Israel’s military chief has said the fighting against Hezbollah that began early on Monday could take “many” more days.
“We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah,” Eyal Zamir said in a video shared by the military on Monday and cited by AFP, hours after rocket fire claimed by the Lebanese militant group prompted a wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
“We must be prepared for several days of fighting – many.”
ShareUS embassy in Kuwait warns of attack threat and urges people to take cover
The US embassy in Kuwait City is reportedly urging people not to come to the embassy and to take cover.
It is also saying there is a continuing threat of missile and drone attacks over Kuwait.
Kuwait City after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran at the weekend. Photograph: Stephanie McGehee/Reuters
The warning comes after smoke was seen rising from the US embassy and amid reports Iran had launched another wave of strikes on Gulf states and on Israel.
Sirens were heard sounding earlier over Kuwait City.
Explosions have been heard in Jerusalem and across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Doha and Manama as Tehran pressed into a third day of strikes in response to US and Israeli attacks.
Updated at 01.34 EST
Smoke is rising from the US embassy in Kuwait City, an AFP correspondent is reporting.
Updated at 01.35 EST
Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill 31 – report
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 31 people and wounded 149, AFP is citing a Lebanese ministry as saying.
Updated at 01.35 EST
Iran launches another attack wave on Israel and Gulf cities
Loud explosions were heard across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Doha and Manama as well as in Jerusalem on Monday as Tehran pressed into a third day of strikes against Israel and Gulf neighbours in response to the US-Israeli attacks.
Agence France-Presse reported several loud blasts being heard in the Qatari and Bahraini capitals, as well as in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city.
The Israeli air force said on X a short while ago that missiles had been launched from Iran towards Israel and defence systems were operating to intercept them.
The post also said it had directed the public via mobile phones in relevant areas to go to “protected spaces” and stay until further notice.
A drone view of Israeli emergency responders working at the scene of an Iranian missile strike on a road in Jerusalem on Sunday. Photograph: Ilan Rosenberg/ReutersShare
Updated at 01.36 EST
Explosions have been heard over Jerusalem after an Iranian missile alert.
Blasts were also heard in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Doha in Qatar and Manama in Bahrain, news agency reports are saying.
We’ll bring you more on these as it comes to light.
Updated at 00.34 EST
Israeli general says strikes on Lebanon will intensify
A senior Israeli general said on Monday the military would intensify its attacks on Lebanon, after launching strikes in response to rocket fire claimed by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
“Hezbollah chose the Iranian regime over the state of Lebanon and initiated an attack on our civilians … they will pay a heavy price,” said Rafi Milo, head of the Israeli military’s northern command.
“The strikes continue, their intensity will increase,” AFP quoted him as saying in a military statement.
Updated at 01.37 EST
The suspected drone attack on the UK’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus came just hours after Britain agreed to let the US use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites.
The UK has so far not been involved in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, but in a recorded statement on Sunday evening the prime minister, Keir Starmer, said Iran’s approach was becoming more reckless and putting British lives at risk, leading to the decision to allow the US to use two of its military bases.
The suspected drone strike caused limited damage and no casualties, Cypriot authorities and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
A security alert put out to residents in the vicinity of Akrotiri by the British base’s administration advised residents to shelter in place until further notice following the impact.
Police check vehicles on the road leading to RAF Akrotiri military base in Cyprus on Monday after the strike. Photograph: Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters
An MoD spokesperson said:
double quotation markOur armed forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time. Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people.
Britain retains sovereignty over the territory of two bases on Cyprus, which is a member of the EU. RAF Akrotiri covers a sprawling, square-shaped peninsula on the southern tip of the eastern Mediterranean island. The last time it was directly attacked was by Libyan militants in the mid-1980s.
You can read the full report here:
Updated at 00.11 EST
Kuwait has intercepted drones approaching the country and no injuries have been reported, the official Kuwait News Agency has said, citing the civil defence chief.
Brig Gen Mohammad Al-Mansouri said the reported audible explosions in some residential areas were from the drones being intercepted at dawn on Monday.
The report also said he assured the public that “the situation in the country remains stable” and that there was no cause for concern as authorities continued to monitor regional developments.
ShareIran’s security chief says it ‘won’t negotiate’ with US
Iran’s security chief has declared: “We will not negotiate with the United States.”
The social media post from Ali Larijani – who was a close loyalist and adviser to the country’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – came in response to reports that Iran is trying to revive negotiations with Washington.
Donald Trump said earlier that Iran’s new leadership wanted to talk to him and that he had agreed, according to an interview with the Atlantic.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” the US president said. “They should have done it sooner.”
ShareAt least 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut – report
Israeli strikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut have left at least 10 people dead, according to a medical source quoted by Reuters just now.
Updated at 23.57 EST
The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, has said rocket attacks on Israel on Monday hurt his government’s efforts to spare Lebanon from a regional war.
“The launching of missiles from Lebanese territory this morning targets all the efforts and endeavours made by the Lebanese state to keep Lebanon away from the dangerous military confrontations taking place in the region,” Aoun said in a statement, cited by AFP.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah had earlier claimed responsibility for launching rocket and drone attacks on Israel on Monday in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will hold a press conference on Monday morning about the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, the first by a senior Trump-administration official since strikes began on Saturday.
The press conference would be held at 8am local time (1300 GMT), the Pentagon said. Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, would also take part.
Hegseth will visit Congress on Tuesday with secretary of state Marco Rubio to brief lawmakers on the progress of the military operation, the White House said on Sunday.
Democrats in opposition have complained that they were not consulted before the operation began.
Updated at 23.05 EST
ABC News’s chief Washington correspondent, Jonathan Karl, has said Donald Trump told him the US had identified possible candidates to take over Iran, “but they were killed in the initial attack”.
Karl said Trump told him:
double quotation markThe attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates … It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead.
Pres Trump told me tonight the US had identified possible candidates to take over Iran, but they were killed in the initial attack.
“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” Trump told me. “It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because…
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) March 2, 2026
Trump previously told Fox News that 48 Iranian leaders had been killed in the first two days of bombing. Israel’s Channel 12 cited officials as saying the Israeli air force killed 30 high-ranking Iranian officials within the first 30 seconds of the attack.
Updated at 22.42 EST