Israel, Iran continue missile attacks against each other

The Israeli military said Thursday that its air force had completed a wave of attacks on Iranian ballistic missile sites, reported Xinhua.

In a statement, the military said warplanes struck an underground ballistic missile storage site, storage facilities for missiles intended for use against aircraft, and launch sites for long-range ballistic missiles in Iran.

It did not elaborate on the number or the specific locations of the targeted sites.

In the late morning, missile attacks from Iran resumed. Air raid warning sirens sounded across central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as millions sought shelter just as new wartime guidelines came into effect, lifting some restrictions and allowing Israelis to reopen workplaces where they could quickly reach a shelter.

Police reported that a missile fragment fell in the central region. Video footage circulating on social media showed the impact created a large crater in the backyard of a residential home.

Paramedics reported no injuries.

On Saturday morning, Israel and the United States launched massive airstrikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes by Iran against Israeli targets and U.S. assets in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Iran launched fresh missile attacks toward Israel late Thursday, the military said, as the police reported damage in several locations in central Israel.

Videos circulating on local media showed that a fire broke out at one location. In the Jerusalem area, a building was also damaged.

The missiles triggered sirens across central Israel, and residents reported that loud explosions were heard.

The police and Magen David Adom rescue service said their teams were operating at scenes where fragments of a missile had fallen. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported the first missile landed in the sea. Citing a security source, it said a second appeared to be a cluster missile. Kan aired video footage from the Jerusalem area that showed the projectile splitting into multiple parts in the sky.

The attacks came shortly after the military announced it had begun a new wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in Beirut's southern suburb.

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Thursday its air defense has shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet near the country's southeastern border.

In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said the American fighter jet was brought down early Wednesday by "modern" air defense systems of its Aerospace Division.

However, the U.S. Central Command soon denied Iran's claim, calling it "baseless and not true."

In another statement, the IRGC said it launched on early Thursday "heavy" Khorramshahr-4 missiles belonging to its Aerospace Division towards Tel Aviv as well as the Ben Gurion Airport and the 27th Squadron of the Israeli Air Force located inside it.

It said the launched missiles carried 1-tonne warheads, adding that it also hit 20 U.S. military targets in the West Asia region as well as the countries of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Tehran has dubbed the Khorramshahr-4 "one of the largest warhead configurations developed within Iran," describing it as one of the country's advanced medium- to long-range ballistic missiles, with an estimated range of about 2,000 km.

Earlier, the Israeli military said on Thursday it has destroyed more than 300 ballistic missile launchers and air defense systems in western and central Iran since fighting began last weekend.

The military released footage of the strikes, saying the attacks aimed to "further expand aerial superiority over Iran and minimize as much as possible the scale of launches toward the State of Israel."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged on Thursday to maintain close military coordination following the launch of their joint operation against Iran, which has triggered a wider regional conflict and killed hundreds.

In an overnight phone call, the two defense chiefs discussed next steps in their campaign against Tehran, according to a statement from Katz's office.

"The two agreed to continue their close coordination and remain in continuous contact," the statement said.

Hegseth praised the effectiveness of bilateral defense against Iranian missile threats, telling Katz: "Keep going to the end -- we are with you," according to the Israeli statement.

The exchange followed massive joint strikes launched by Israel and the United States on Saturday, which prompted retaliatory Iranian missile and drone attacks against Israeli territory and U.S. assets in the Middle East. Hezbollah also fired rockets at Israel, which Israel responded with airstrikes in Beirut and other areas and ground incursions into Lebanon.

On Thursday, the Israeli army issued an unprecedented order for residents in Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate immediately, marking the first full evacuation of the area. Soon after, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly warned that the area will face devastation similar to Gaza.

The recent hostilities have killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, according to Iranian media, while Lebanon's Health Ministry reported at least 102 deaths. In Israel, rescue services said 10 people were killed by Iranian missile fire.

Meanwhile, British Ambassador to Bahrain Alastair Long said on Thursday that Royal Air Force aircraft are conducting sorties across the region to intercept airborne threats, Bahrain's Al Ayam newspaper reported.

He said one sortie has shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle between Qatar and Bahrain as part of Britain's defensive support for its allies.

Long also said Britain has allowed the United States to use some of its military bases in the region under specific conditions limited to defensive operations.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who told parliament on Monday his government "does not believe in regime change from the skies," initially refused any role in Washington's conflict with Iran, drawing criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Starmer later backed down and agreed to a U.S. request to use two British military bases for what he described as a "specific and limited defensive purpose."

Meanwhile, IRGC said on Thursday it had hit a U.S. oil tanker north of the Gulf with missiles, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The American tanker was targeted by the IRGC's navy early Thursday and was reported to be burning, it said.

According to Fars, the IRGC had earlier announced that, based on international rules and resolutions, Iran has full authority over vessel movements in the Strait of Hormuz during wartime, and all must comply.

It added that Iran had also warned that commercial and military vessels belonging to the United States, Israel, European states and their supporters would not be allowed to pass through the strait.

The development came as on Wednesday, the U.S. military sank Iran's IRIS Dena frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka in international waters, killing over 80 of its 130 crew members.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Thursday on social media that "the U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," adding that Washington will "come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set."

Earlier, the Iranian army said Thursday its forces have carried out drone attacks against U.S. bases in Kuwait and Iraq as well as a number of Israeli targets.

The army made the announcement in statements published on its official website, adding that the attacks, which were launched mainly on Thursday, inflicted "significant and serious" damages on the targets.

The army said its ground force attacked the U.S. troops' base in Erbil in northern Iraq with its combat drones and caused "significant" damage, stressing that its navy's drone units targeted the U.S. forces' camp in Kuwait. It added that its air force launched attacks toward targets in Israel, including those in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, the army said in another statement that the country's air defense systems shot down seven invading Israeli and U.S. drones earlier in the day. It identified them as Israel's Hermes and U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, adding the drones were brought down in western and southwestern Iran.

On Saturday, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as well as members of his family, high-ranking military commanders, and civilians, according to Iranian officials. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets across the Middle East.

Death toll of U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reaches 1,230

Iran said on Thursday that 1,230 people have been killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country since fighting began on Saturday, reported Xinhua.

The death toll was announced by Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in a statement on its website.

On Wednesday, Iran's Health Ministry said that 6,186 people had been wounded in the strikes.

Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry's Public Relations and Information Center, said in a post on social media platform X that 2,054 people were hospitalized, 3,545 were treated and discharged, and 552 received medical care at the scene.

On Saturday, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as well as members of his family, high-ranking military commanders, and civilians, according to Iranian officials. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets across the Middle East.

8 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon

Eight people were killed and an unspecified number wounded on Thursday morning in multiple Israeli airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, reported Xinhua, quoting Lebanon's official media.

According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), three people were killed when an Israeli drone struck a car at dawn near the municipality of Al-Qlailah in southern Lebanon. Two others were killed in another drone strike targeting a car on the Zahle road in eastern Lebanon.

The agency reported that three more people were killed and several others wounded when the area between the towns of Zawtar and Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon was hit by three airstrikes.

A security source from the Lebanese Army told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes and drones carried out 76 airstrikes in eastern and southern Lebanon as well as Beirut's southern suburbs in the early morning hours. The source added that 19 artillery strikes were also recorded on Lebanon's border towns.

Hezbollah on Monday fired missiles and drones toward Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike and for repeated Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Israel has responded with massive airstrikes on Hezbollah targets and deployed ground forces into southern Lebanon.

Blasts heard in Abu Dhabi

Blasts were heard in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Thursday evening as residents received mobile phone alerts warning of potential missile threats, reported Xinhua.

Similar alerts were issued across other emirates, including Dubai and Fujairah, by the UAE Ministry of Interior, urging residents and visitors to seek immediate shelter in the nearest secure building and to stay away from windows, doors, and open areas.

The UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said in a post on social media platform X that a missile threat was being neutralized.

Britain sending additional Typhoon jets to Qatar: PM

Britain is sending four more Typhoon fighter jets to join its squadron in Qatar to strengthen defensive operations in the country and across the Middle East region, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

Starmer said Britain's Wildcat helicopters equipped with anti-drone capabilities are set to arrive in Cyprus on Friday. The country's defense secretary is currently in Cyprus to coordinate operations, and the HMS Dragon warship is being deployed to the Mediterranean.

Britain had already deployed additional military capabilities to the Middle East well before the military strikes against Iran launched by the United States and Israel, Starmer said.

According to the prime minister, Britain moved defensive assets, including fighter jets, air defense missiles, advanced radar and counter-drone systems, to Cyprus and Qatar throughout January and February.

He added that the British government is working with airlines, travel companies and foreign governments to bring back British nationals.

More than 4,000 people have returned to the United Kingdom on commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with seven additional flights scheduled to depart the UAE for Britain on Thursday. Meanwhile, the first charter flight from Oman departed early Thursday afternoon, and more charter flights are expected in the coming days, according to Starmer.

France to provide armored transport vehicles to Lebanon: Macron

France will strengthen its cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces and provide them with armored transport vehicles as well as operational and logistical support, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

In a post on social media platform X, Macron said he held talks with Lebanese authorities to establish a plan aimed at putting an end to the military operations currently conducted by Hezbollah and Israel on both sides of the border.

"Israel must renounce any ground intervention or large-scale operation on Lebanese territory," Macron said, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to expand the war in Lebanon.

The French detachment within the United Nations Force in Lebanon is also continuing its mission in the south of the country, he added.

Earlier Thursday, the Lebanese presidency said on X that President Joseph Aoun had asked Macron to intervene to prevent the targeting of southern Beirut following threats issued by the Israeli army.

The death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon since early Monday has risen to 102, with 638 others wounded, Lebanon's authorities said Thursday.

France authorizes temporary presence of US aircraft on its ME bases

France has authorized U.S. aircraft to make "temporary" use of French military bases in the Middle East, French media reported on Thursday.

French news channel BFMTV, citing a spokesperson for the French military's general staff, said the aircraft contribute to the protection of France's partners in the Gulf as the conflict launched by the United States and Israel against Iran continues in the region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday that French Rafale fighter jets had "neutralized" Iranian drones targeting French military bases in the United Arab Emirates.

Azerbaijan armed forces placed at highest level following drone attack

Azerbaijan's armed forces have been placed at the "highest level" of combat readiness following the Iranian drone attack on the Nakhchivan region, reported Xinhua.

Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Thursday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the strike targeted civilian infrastructure, including the terminal building at Nakhchivan International Airport and a local school.

Aliyev said Baku has consistently maintained a policy of not allowing its territory to be used for operations against neighboring countries, stressing the country will not participate in any operations against Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran rejected accusations from neighboring Azerbaijan that it had launched drone strikes targeting its territory, while suggesting that Israel may be behind the attacks.

The General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces said that Iranian forces had not launched any drones toward Azerbaijan, emphasizing that Iran respects the sovereignty of all nations, particularly neighboring and Muslim countries, the official news agency IRNA reported. It added that Israel has a history of carrying out such operations to sow discord among Muslim nations, asserting that investigations indicate the strikes were carried out by Israel to frame Iran.

Earlier on Thursday, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry accused Iran of launching drone attacks on the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic from Iranian territory. The ministry said the strikes, which occurred around midday, hit the terminal building of Nakhchivan International Airport, injuring two civilians and causing structural damage. Another drone reportedly fell near a school in the village of Shakarabad.

Azerbaijan strongly condemned the attacks as "in violation of the norms and principles of international law," warning that the actions could escalate regional tensions. The ministry also summoned the Iranian envoy in Baku to lodge a "strong protest" over the incident.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said it is "preparing the necessary retaliatory measures," adding that the attacks "will not go unanswered."

The incident comes amid heightened regional hostilities following joint strikes launched since Saturday by Israel and the United States on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran has responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli and U.S. assets in the Middle East.