US military says 2,000 targets hit as Iran retaliates across Gulf

Israel early Wednesday launched new attacks on Iran as the US military said it has hit nearly 2,000 targets inside the Islamic republic, which tried to impose a cost by expanding a missile and drone barrage across the region.

With global energy prices on the rise, President Donald Trump said the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital chokepoint into the Gulf that Iran has threatened to seal off.

Israel's military said it launched a "broad wave of strikes" after midnight across Iran, which in the hours before had launched three separate missile barrages at Israel, causing mild injuries to a woman in Tel Aviv.

The US military has hit nearly 2,000 targets since attacking Iran alongside Israel on Saturday, targeting ballistic missiles and "all the things that can shoot at us", said Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command.

"These forces bring a massive amount of firepower, representing the largest build-up by the US in the Middle East in a generation," he said in a video message, describing the first day's barrage as bigger than the so-called "shock and awe" against Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 2003.

The US and Israeli attacks have killed 787 people in Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent, a toll that could not be independently confirmed by AFP.

Iran vowed to inflict a heavy price in retaliation. Drones struck adjacent the US consulate in Dubai, starting a fire but inflicting no casualties, and against the US military base at Al-Udeid in Qatar.

The attacks came a day after strikes on the US embassies in Riyadh and Kuwait City and on a US air base in Bahrain.

"We are saying to the enemy that if it decides to hit our main centres, we will hit all economic centres in the region," Islamic Revolutionary Guard General Ebrahim Jabbari said.

- More Israeli strikes in Tehran -
The Israeli military said it had begun a fresh wave of strikes on Tehran on Wednesday, as an AFP journalist reported a fresh explosion in the northeast of the Iranian capital.

The army said it had struck "dozens" of targets, including security command centres in the capital Tehran.

The Israeli military said its air force shot down an Iranian fighter jet over Tehran on Wednesday, the fifth day of the Middle East war sparked by joint US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.

"An Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jet ('Adir') shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter jet a short while ago over the skies of Tehran," a military statement said.

- Iranian frigate sinks off Sri Lanka -
Sri Lanka said an Iranian navy frigate with 180 crew sank just outside the island's territorial waters after an explosion.

No information was immediately available on the cause.

The Sri Lankan foreign minister said 32 "critically wounded" sailors had been rescued from the warship, the IRIS Dena, after it issued a distress call at dawn. A search for remaining crew was ongoing.

- Canada questions US-Israeli strikes -
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said the US-Israeli strikes on Iran "would appear, prima facie... to be inconsistent with international law".

- Guards claim control of Hormuz -
The Revolutionary Guards said Iranian forces had "complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for world oil and gas supplies, and any vessels seeking to pass risked damage from missiles or stray drones.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the crucial Gulf shipping route.

The Guards said they had also launched more than 40 missiles at US and Israeli targets in a new wave of strikes.

Kuwait says girl killed

Kuwait's health ministry said Wednesday an 11-year-old girl was killed after being hit by falling shrapnel following waves of Iranian attacks across the Gulf.

The Gulf has borne the brunt of much of Tehran's response since the US and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran over the weekend with at least nine people killed in the region in the fallout.

Drone attack hits CIA base in Riyadh

The Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) station at the US Embassy in ​Saudi Arabia was hit by ‌a suspected Iranian drone. The CIA declined to comment.

The ⁠attack came amid ongoing strikes in the Middle East following Saturday's US and Israeli attacks on ​Iran.

The embassy, which is located in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, is among the US sites that ​have been hit so far in the ​conflict. Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said the embassy was ‌hit ⁠by two drones, which resulted in a limited fire and some material damage.

Washington's mission in the kingdom subsequently warned Americans to avoid ​the embassy ​until further ⁠notice "due to an attack" on the facility.

On Tuesday, it cancelled routine ​and emergency US citizen services appointments.

"There ​is ⁠a threat of imminent missile and UAV attacks over Dhahran. Do not come to the ⁠US ​Consulate," the mission said ​in a security alert.

Saudi Arabia intercepts cruise missiles

The Saudi defence ministry said two cruise missiles were intercepted Wednesday over an area south of the capital Riyadh, and state media reported a separate drone attack was thwarted.

"Two cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed in Al-Kharj" district, a defence ministry statement said, while the official Saudi Press Agency cited a ministry spokesman as saying "nine drones were intercepted and destroyed immediately upon entering the Kingdom's airspace". The statements did not say who may be behind the attacks.

Thousands gathered in Minab, for the mass funeral of 165 schoolgirls and staff killed in what Iran says was a US‑Israeli strike on a primary school.

Washington denies targeting a school, and the UN and rights officials have called for an independent investigation. pic.twitter.com/JRxXaxWXHc

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 4, 2026

Iran missile attack sends Israelis to shelters

Missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday triggered air raid sirens across large parts of Israel, with the military saying it was "operating to intercept the threat".

The order to seek shelter covered Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other areas across the country.

It was lifted after several minutes, with no immediate reports of any direct impact.

Israel's emergency medical service Magen David Adom said it had received no reports of casualties.

Israeli media reported that shrapnel fell in an area near Jerusalem, causing a fire.

Police said officers in the Jerusalem area were "conducting searches to locate impact sites involving fallen munition debris or interceptor fragments".

The Israeli military had reported a previous missile launch from Iran about five hours earlier.

Iran Guards have 'complete control' of Hormuz Strait

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they control the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas, and any vessels seeking to pass through the waterway risk damage from missiles or stray drones.

"Currently, the Strait of Hormuz is under the complete control of the Islamic Republic's Navy," said Guards Navy official Mohammad Akbarzadeh in a statement issued on Fars news agency.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the crucial Gulf shipping route.

Iran Guards launch over 40 missiles

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they had launched around 40 missiles at US and Israeli targets, on the fifth day of war in the Middle East.

"Several hours ago, the 17th wave of operation Honest Promise 4 was conducted with the launch of 40 missiles by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' aerospace forces, towards American and Zionist targets," a statement read on state TV said, without giving further details.

Israel says any Khamenei successor 'target for assassination'

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened on Wednesday to assassinate any Iranian leader picked to succeed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.

"Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel's destruction, threatening the United States, the free world and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people, will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides," Katz said in a post on X.

Trump says no more talks 

The United States and Israel launched the attack on Saturday and quickly killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two days after US envoys had been speaking to Iran in Geneva on a nuclear accord.

Trump insisted that Iran wanted to resume talks but it was "too late". He also walked back a statement the day before from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the US attack's timing was precipitated by Israel's plans.

"If anything, I might have forced Israel's hand," Trump said as he met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House.

Trump boasted that "just about everything's been knocked out" in Iran, including its navy, air force and air detection, and said the attacks had killed even leaders who could have taken over.

"Most of the people we had in mind are dead," Trump said. "Now we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports."

According to Iranian media, US and Israeli strikes targeted a building on Tuesday in the holy city of Qom belonging to the committee that is to elect a new supreme leader. The Tasnim news agency reported that strikes had already targeted the body's main headquarters in Tehran the day before.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have urged Iranians to rise up but Trump said regime change was not the goal.

The assault came weeks after Iranian authorities clamped down on mass protests, killing thousands.

- Lebanon violence expands -
The regional war also took a growing toll on Lebanon, where Hezbollah, the armed Shiite Muslim movement that long had Tehran as a benefactor, launched drones and rockets at Israel in retaliation for Khamenei's slaying.

Hezbollah said it targeted the Israeli naval base in the northern city of Haifa and Israel said it struck Beirut's heavily Shiite southern suburbs. Loud explosions were heard early Wednesday.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 52 people in Lebanon, according to the government, while the United Nations said that more than 30,000 people were displaced.

In a throwback to earlier wars, Israel said it was moving troops across the border to create a buffer zone inside Lebanon.

In Tehran, photos showed damage to Mehrabad airport, which handles mainly domestic flights.

The Israeli military also announced a strike on an underground facility on the eastern outskirts of Tehran where it alleged scientists were covertly working on a nuclear programme.

The United States ordered non-emergency personnel to leave embassies in much of the region. The Washington Post reported that the Iranian drone in Riyadh hit the station of the CIA.

The United States encouraged all Americans to leave the region if they can find commercial flights, even though air travel has been severely disrupted.

The State Department said that some 9,000 Americans have found a way home.

Qatar said it had downed missiles targeting Hamad International Airport in Doha. Oman reported several drones attacking the port of Duqm, and in the UAE falling debris from an intercepted drone caused a fire at an oil storage and trading zone, authorities said.

- Ghost town -
In Tehran, residents who have not fled remained shut away in their homes for fear of the US-Israeli bombardment.

The Iranian capital is normally home to around 10 million people, but in recent days "there are so few people that you'd think no one ever lived here", said Samireh, a 33-year-old nurse.

Authorities had previously urged people to leave the city, and police officers, armed security forces and armoured vehicles have been stationed at main junctions, carrying out random checks on vehicles.

In the more upmarket north of Tehran, the meowing of cats and chirping of birds replaced the usual din of traffic jams.

Iranian authorities said a strike on a school in the city of Minab on the first day of the war killed more than 150 people. AFP has been unable to access the location independently to verify the toll or circumstances.

The US military began naming the first of six troops who have been killed. In Israel, nine people died Sunday when a missile hit the town of Beit Shemesh.

At least eight people have died across the Gulf.

The United States and Israel have received lukewarm support, with Western nations limiting involvement to helping Gulf states and repatriating citizens.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who had backed the strikes, said Wednesday in Sydney that it was time for "rapid de-escalation".

- Qatar says Iranian spy cells dismantled -
Qatar, which hosts a major US military base and has been targeted by multiple Iranian strikes since the outbreak of the war, reported after midnight Wednesday that it had dismantled two spy cells linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Ten suspects were arrested who "admitted during the investigation their links to the Revolutionary Guards and having been instructed to conduct espionage and sabotage activities," the nation's official press agency said.

- Drone attack on Dubai's US consulate -
A drone attack caused a fire by the US consulate in Dubai as Iran ramped up its targeting of American diplomatic missions in the Gulf.

Residents told AFP they heard a bang and one said she then saw the blaze. Police cordoned off roads nearby and shooed away passersby trying to see the damage.

- France deploys aircraft carrier -
France is sending its flagship aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the widening conflict in the Middle East, President Emmanuel Macron announced.

The Charles de Gaulle carrier has been pulled out of a deployment in the North Atlantic to head for the eastern Mediterranean. It made a stopover in the Swedish port of Malmo last week.

- Charter flights to help Americans leave -
The United States said that it had arranged charter flights to help Americans leave the Middle East.

US officials have helped arrange charter flights from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates "and will continue to secure additional capacity as security conditions allow," the State Department said.

- Trump threatens to cut all Spain trade -
President Donald Trump threatened to sever all trade with Spain after it refused to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran, while he also lashed out at Britain for not cooperating more.

Spain's left-wing government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of Europe's most defiant leaders against Trump, has said that bases long used by US forces could only be allowed for activities consistent with the United Nations Charter.

- US proposes escorts through Hormuz Strait -
Trump said the US navy would escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if needed amid the Iran war and ordered Washington to provide insurance for shipping.

"If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD," he said on his Truth Social platform.

- Air strike hits Iraq base of pro-Iran group -
An air strike hit the Jurf al-Nasr military base Tuesday in southern Iraq but only caused material damage, according to sources from the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group, which has members located there.

More than 10 fighters, mostly from Kataeb Hezbollah, have been killed in strikes across Iraq since Saturday.

An explosion was also heard overnight by AFP in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah.

The autonomous Kurdistan region, which hosts US troops and Iranian Kurdish fighters, has been the main target of Iranian drones in Iraq.

Oil market turmoil

Global markets reacted sharply after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. Trump said the US navy was ready to escort tankers through the waterway. Shipping disruptions pushed US gasoline prices to their largest one-day rise since 2005, while oil prices climbed and stocks fell. Iraq also slowed or halted production at the Rumaila field and the West Qurna 2 project.–Agencies