On one of the holiest days on the Islamic calendar, Iran fired on Israel and energy sites in neighboring Gulf Arab states, insisting that it can still build missiles and issuing a new threat, to deny safety to its enemies in “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide. Israel meanwhile pounded Tehran with airstrikes as Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
The US military is deploying three more warships and roughly 2,500 more marines to the Middle East, where there's no end to the war in sight despite three weeks of U.S. and Israeli air strikes that have decimated Iran's military and leadership. The Pentagon’s request for another $200 billion to fund the war would need congressional approval as the U.S. national debt hits a record $39 trillion.
U.S. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will stop attacking the gas field that Iranians depend on for most of their electricity at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump. Iran responded to Israel’s attack on the field by intensifying targeting of energy infrastructure in other Middle East countries, sending oil and gas prices soaring.
The death toll has risen to more than 1,300 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members in the region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Here is the latest:
Turkish president condemns Israel’s closure on Friday of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
“Using the war with Iran as a pretext, they closed our first Qibla, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, to worship,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, speaking to citizens during an Eid al Fitr celebration in the northeastern city of Rize.
“They have accelerated their illegal settlement activities and expansionist policies in the West Bank and in Palestinian territories they occupied,” he said. “Terror by Netanyahu continues to threaten regional and global peace. The Iran-centered attacks launched on February 28th, with provocations by Netanyahu, have further deepened instability in our region.”
Syria condemns Israeli strikes on Syrian military
Syria’s foreign ministry condemned strikes launched Friday by Israel on military infrastructure in southern Syria. Israel had said it was acting to protect members of the Druze minority after attacks by government forces.
The foreign ministry said Israel was acting on “flimsy pretexts and fabricated excuses” in a “continuation of its policy of interference in internal affairs with the aim of destabilizing security and stability in the region.” No casualties were reported from the strikes.
In recent days, there have been scattered clashes between Druze groups in Sweida province and Syrian government forces. Last year, armed groups affiliated with Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouin clans, spurring intervention by government forces, which effectively sided with the Bedouins. Hundreds of civilians, mostly Druze, were killed, many by government fighters.
Since then, a group of the militias banded together under al-Hijri, creating a de facto autonomous area in large swaths of the province, with backing from Israel.
Naval expert says reopening Strait of Hormuz a tall order
A British naval expert says it’s “fanciful” to try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while fighting still rages.
Trump has criticized other countries for failing to send naval ships to unblock the key oil route, which has been effectively shut by Iran. But Retired Royal Navy Commodore Steve Prest said Friday that “the idea that you could force the strait, even with significant warships and firepower, against a determined enemy … is fanciful.”
Prest, an associate fellow at defense think-tank RUSI, said it’s necessary to degrade Iran’s ability to use missiles, drones, attack craft and mines “to bring the risks down to a tolerable level, even before you start sending warships through the strait.”
To restore shipping, “you have to come to a ceasefire. The fighting has to stop and then you can create the necessary conditions of security,” he said.
NATO pulls its security advisory mission out of Iraq
NATO has pulled its security advisory mission out of Iraq and relocated several hundred personnel involved in the effort to Europe. The move came after a series of attacks from Iran on other troops at British, French and Italian bases in northern Iraq.
NATO’s top commander, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, confirmed that the last troops left on Friday. He thanked the government of Iraq and allies who helped to safely relocate them, as well as the troops involved, calling them “true professionals.”
The non-combat mission was launched in 2018 to advise Iraq’s national security chief, ministries of defense and interior, and police on how to develop and build effective institutions and forces. It has worked mostly around Baghdad.
The mission will now be run from NATO’s headquarters in Naples, Italy.
Missile fragments hit near revered holy sites in Jerusalem
A strike hit near Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday, close to the hilltop compound home to religious sites revered by Jews and Muslims, marking the danger facing holy sites.
Israel’s military said it was Iranian missile fragments that smashed into a gate on a path toward the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock compound, less than 500 meters away.
The wall and hilltop compound is where Jews believe the ancient biblical temples once stood and Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Shrapnel also fell nearby on Monday.
White House official says Trump has no plans to send troops into Iran, despite new deployment
Asked about Trump’s plans for the additional troops, and reports that the administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island, a White House official said that Trump has said he has “no plans” to send troops into Iran, but retains all options and does not broadcast his military strategy.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the U.S. military could “take out Kharg Island at any time.”
Khamenei praises Iranian people, says killing top leaders won’t topple government
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei praised Iranians’ steadfastness in the face of war, saying that U.S. and Israeli attacks were based on an illusion that by killing top leaders they could cause the overthrow of the government.
Khamenei’s written statement marking the Persian New Year, Nowruz, was read on Iranian television.
He commended Iranians for “building a nationwide defensive front and strongholds across cities, neighborhoods, and mosques, delivering such a bewildering blow that the enemy fell into contradictions and irrational statements.”
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he became supreme leader following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of the war.
Political tug of war over Iranian women’s soccer team prompts criticism in Australia
The United States and Australia’s political tug of war against Iran over the fates of seven members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad appears to have ended with the depleted team returning home, minus the two players who defected last week.
Critics now say politics trumped concern for the women’s best interests as the drama played out. The evidence is that of seven Iranian women who initially accepted asylum in Australia, five changed their minds within days and returned to the team for reasons undisclosed. Iranian media showed them wearing head coverings as they signed soccer balls Thursday during a welcome home ceremony in Tehran.
“We ended up with an outcome that is certainly far from ideal,” said Graham Thom, advocacy coordinator for the Refugee Council of Australia, a nonprofit umbrella organization representing asylum-seekers. “Hopefully the two who are remaining get the protection they need, but we just hope that those who have returned are also safe.”
Lebanon’s Hezbollah denies it has a network in the United Arab Emirates
Hezbollah’s statement on Friday came a day after authorities in the oil-rich country said they dismantled a “terrorist network” working undercover. UAE state media reported that authorities detained members of an Iran-backed network involved in money laundering and financing terrorism.
Hezbollah called the allegations a “baseless” attempt to harm its image, and said it has no presence in the Emirates.
Earlier Friday, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry condemned “the terrorist plot targeting the United Arab Emirates.” The statement noted that the Lebanese government declared on March 2 that all military and security activities by Hezbollah are illegal.
Ukraine is using its drone expertise to help Middle East countries against Iran
Ukrainian officials are helping five Middle Eastern and Gulf countries counter attacks by Iranian drones, while the United States and European countries have requested support, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday.
Ukraine is also looking into whether it can have a role in restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, he said.
Ukraine has become a leading producer of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone interceptors that are cheap and effective in defending against Russia’s full-scale invasion. A Ukrainian official said Ukrainian military specialists are operating in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.
“Our teams are already working with five countries on countering (Iran’s) ‘Shahed’ drones — we have provided expert assessments and are helping build a defense system,” Zelenskyy said on X.
Thousands of Marines and sailors are bound for a region at war
The news comes just days after the U.S. military redirected another group of amphibious assault ships carrying Marines from the Pacific to the Middle East.
Last week, U.S. officials also confirmed that the Japan-based USS Tripoli and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit have been ordered to the Middle East — shifting them from exercises in the vicinity of Taiwan. Earlier this week, the USS Tripoli and another amphibious assault ship, the USS New Orleans, were spotted sailing west of Malaysia on publicly available satellite imagery.
The pair of Marine Expeditionary Units will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region where the U.S. is engaged in a war with Iran. The U.S. military says it has about 50,000 troops in the region.
The US military is deploying three more warships and roughly 2,500 more marines to the Middle East, an official says
One U.S. official confirmed that the USS Boxer and two other amphibious assault ships, along with roughly 2,500 Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are bound for the Middle East from their home port of San Diego. Two other U.S. officials confirmed that the ships were deploying, without saying where they were headed.
All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.
— By Konstantin Toropin.
US stocks slip, but markets worldwide hold steadier after oil prices ease a bit
They’re slipping under the weight of another rise for yields in the bond market, which makes borrowing more expensive for U.S. companies and households, slowing the economy and grinding down all kinds of investments. Treasury yields have climbed as the war with Iran threatens a long-term spike in oil and natural gas prices.
Worries have gotten so high that traders have canceled bets that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates multiple times this year, and some are even seeing a slight possibility of a rate hike in 2026, a nearly unthinkable scenario before the war began. Lower interest rates would give the economy and investment prices a boost, and Trump has angrily called for them, but they risk worsening inflation.
Markets outside of Wall Street held up better following their wipeout on Thursday as oil prices pulled back Friday to $108.29 for a barrel of Brent crude.
Hezbollah says it hit five towns and villages in northern Israel
Lebanon’s Hezbollah group says it fired salvos of rockets and drones that struck Israeli military positions and towns and villages including Kiryat Shemona, Hanita, Avivim, Ramot Naftali and Shlomi.
The Iran-backed group’s statement Friday also said that its fighters attacked a group of Israeli soldiers inside the Lebanese town of Khiam, the scene of intense fighting over the past days.
Trump calls NATO members ‘COWARDS’ as he again complains that they did not join his call to protect Strait of Hormuz
The president said in a social media post Friday morning that, “NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!”
He also claimed that “that fight is Militarily WON” and that NATO members are complaining about high oil prices but don’t want to help open the strait.
“We will REMEMBER!” he said.
France taking ‘appropriate measures’ after naval officer’s use of Strava app exposed carrier’s location
The deployment of the Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean to help protect French and allied assets during the Iran war isn’t secret — reporters were briefed by video link from aboard the nuclear-powered 42,000-ton behemoth, which is also visible from space.
Still, the French newspaper Le Monde caused a stir by spotting a naval officer using the Strava exercise app, which narrowed its search for the satellite image taken that same day.
French military spokesman Col. Guillaume Vernet told The Associated Press that sailors are warned about the security risks of using apps while deployed. “Appropriate measures are being taken by the command,” he said.
Iran’s military warns ‘parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations’ worldwide won’t be safe for enemies
Iran’s top military spokesman warned Friday that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide won’t be safe for Tehran’s enemies.
Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi made the threat as Iran continues to be hit by American and Israeli airstrikes.
It renews a concern held by analysts as the war goes on — that Iran could revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic in the war.
“From now on, based on the information we have about you, even parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations anywhere in the world will no longer be safe for you,” Shekarchi said in a statement published online by Iranian state television.
Israelis give opposing views on the war
Some Israelis in Haifa worry there might not be a strategy in place to end the war with Iran.
“We just don’t see the end, we don’t see where this is leading,” said Harry Goldstein, a resident of the coastal city.
While some Israelis feel relatively safe, even among a barrage of attacks launched from Iran toward the country, others worry that even shrapnel and debris falling onto their cities may cause extensive damage.
Some Israelis say they believe their country and the U.S. should press on until they bring an end to Iran’s theocracy.
“Dear Trump, I really hope something comes out of this war, that it topples the regime, finishes them off, and truly, there’s no one like you,” said Vered Turgeman from Haifa.
Israel’s Defense Minister says strikes on Syria were to protect Druze minority
Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned the Syrian government against using the Middle East war as a cover to harm Syria’s Druze community, after Israel’s military said Friday it has struck sites in the Sweida area in response to what it said were attacks against the Druze.
There was no immediate word on casualties and Syrian state media has not commented or reported on the Israeli strikes. It wasn’t immediately clear when the strikes took place.
“We will strike with even greater force,” Katz said.
Activist groups in the Druze majority province said that skirmishes have taken place between armed Druze groups and Syrian government forces in the past two days.
Iran-linked facilities close in Dubai
Iranian-linked facilities in Dubai have been closed as the Iran war has seen the United Arab Emirates repeatedly targeted by Iranian fire.
The Iranian Hospital, opened in 1972 under the shah in Dubai, stood closed Friday. Its website was down and its phone number disconnected.
The hospital, while providing affordable medical care for decades, also had been linked to Iranian intelligence operations in the past, including an incident in which a Dubai police officer allegedly spied for cheaper health care for his daughter.
The Emirati government acknowledged the closures in a statement.
“Certain institutions directly linked to the Iranian regime and (Revolutionary Guard) will be closed under targeted measures after being found to have been misused to advance agendas that do not serve the Iranian people, and in violation of UAE laws,” it said.
The Iranian Club in Bur Dubai earlier wrote on Instagram it would close “due to the current circumstances.”
Al Aqsa Mosque closed for Eid prayers
Al Aqsa Mosque compound has closed for Eid prayers for the first time in decades.
The compound in Jerusalem will be closed to worshippers for Friday’s Eid al-Fitr, the holiday on which Muslims mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
The full closure of the holy site marks the first since the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured east Jerusalem and the Old City.
The mosque sits on a hilltop compound that is sacred to Muslims and Jews, who believe it was the site of biblical temples. Access has been a flashpoint and historically sparked tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel has kept holy sites in the Old City closed to worshippers of all faiths throughout the Iran war citing security, though the restrictions have had the broadest effect on Muslims, tens of thousands who normally come for Friday prayer at Al Aqsa.
Revolutionary Guard spokesman killed in airstrike
The spokesman for paramilitary Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been killed in an airstrike early Friday, Iranian state television reported.
Before his death, Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini issued a statement insisting Tehran was still able to build missiles despite the attacks coming from Israel and the United States.
Iran supreme leader calls for ‘security’ to be taken from enemies
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, his latest message to the public.
Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf to President Masoud Pezeshkian after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.
Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.
There have been growing comments from American and Israeli officials that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it is still making missiles
The spokesman for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard insisted Friday that Tehran was still building missiles, seeking to counter a claim by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it no longer could.
Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini made the comments in a report quoted by Iran’s state-run IRAN newspaper.
Referencing how Iranian schools consider a 20 as a perfect score, the general said: “Our missile industry score is 20 and there is no concern in this regard because we are producing missiles even during war conditions, which is amazing, and there is no particular problem in stockpiling.”
He also said the war would go on.
“These people expect the war to continue until the enemy is completely exhausted,” the general said of the Iranian public. “This war must end when the shadow of war is lifted from the country.
Kuwait says drone hit Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery again
Fire crews in Kuwait were working to contain a blaze early Friday in one of Mina Al-Ahmadi’s oil refinery units.
The fires resulted from an Iranian drone attack, thee Kuwait fire force said.
There was no immediate information about the extent of damage.
This was the second attack on the refinery by Iranian drones Friday morning.
Israel says it struck Syrian military post after attacks on Druze
Israel’s military said Friday it struck sites in Syria in response to attacks against the Druze.
The army said it struck infrastructure belonging to Syria in response to attacks on Druze population in Sweida in southern Syria.
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency did not immediately acknowledge the attack, which marks the first Israeli attack on Syria as its war with the United States targeting Iran continues.
Israel has a significant Druze population. Israel previously has intervened in defense of the Druze in Syria, launching dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and even striking the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus.
Kuwait says refinery hit by Iranian drones, sparking fires
Kuwait said Friday its Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery again came under attack by Iranian drones. Firefighters were trying to control blazes at several of its units, and there were no immediate reports of injuries.
Iranian state television acknowledged the attack Friday without claiming responsibility. It came as Kuwait celebrated Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Iran has increasingly targeted energy sites in Gulf Arab states since Israel bombed Iran’s massive South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf.
Mina Al-Ahmadi can process some 730,000 barrels of oil per day. It is one of three oil refineries in Kuwait, a tiny, oil-rich nation on the Persian Gulf. The Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said it shut down the affected units. Kuwait has been unable to export its oil because it relies on sending it out by sea through the Strait of Hormuz, a target of Iranian attacks.
Shrapnel sparks fire in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia destroys drones
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry reported a fire erupted Friday morning after shrapnel fell on a warehouse in the island kingdom. Firefighters worked to control the blaze, it said.
Saudi Arabia reported shooting down multiple Iranian drones Friday morning targeting its oil-rich Eastern Province.
Explosions shake Dubai
Heavy explosions shook Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday as air defenses intercepted incoming fire over the city. A missile alert sounded prior to the strike.
The Dubai Media Office, the sheikhdom’s government communication’s arm, said, “Authorities in Dubai confirm the success of all air interception operations, with no injuries reported.”
It came during Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, as mosques in the UAE made the day’s first call to prayers.
Iranians mark Nowruz under early morning airstrikes
Iranians marked Nowruz, or the Persian New Year, early Friday morning as airstrikes began.
Israel’s military said very early Friday it had begun to strike Tehran.
Activists reported hearing strikes around Tehran after Israel’s announcement of a new wave of attacks.
The announcement came after an intense day of Iranian missile strikes targeting Israel, with more than a dozen launches on Thursday alone, according to Israel’s military.
