Israel kills Iran´s Intel chief, Iran targets Israel, Kuwait, Saudi

The Israeli military said on Friday that its air force killed Esmail Ahmadi, head of intelligence for Iran's Basij volunteer force, in a strike earlier this week, reported Xinhua.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Ahmadi was killed in a strike on Tuesday in central Tehran that also killed Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani and several other senior officials.

The IDF said Ahmadi played a central role in planning and carrying out operations by Basij forces and was responsible for enforcing public order on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

It added that the killings dealt "a significant blow" to Iran's security command-and-control structures.

There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it carried out strikes on multiple targets across Israel, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, reported ANI, quoting Al Jazeera.

In a statement carried by state media, the IRGC said it targeted cities including Tel Aviv, Acre and Haifa Bay, along with Kuwait's Ali al-Salem Air Base and Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base located southeast of Riyadh.

According to Press TV, Khorramshahr-4, Ghadr multi-warhead missiles were fired at 25 sites in Haifa, Tel Aviv in Israel, quoting the IRGC.

Trump says considering "winding down" strikes on Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering "winding down" the U.S. military strikes against Iran, claiming the United States is "getting very close to" meeting its objectives, reported Xinhua.

"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East" with respect to Iran, Trump said on Truth Social.

The objectives Trump outlined include degrading Iran's missile capabilities, destroying its defense industrial base, eliminating its navy and air force, preventing it from ever approaching nuclear capability and protecting U.S. allies across the region.

Also on Friday afternoon, Trump said that he does not want a ceasefire with Iran.

"We can have dialogue, but you know, I don't want to do a ceasefire," Trump told reporters before he departed the White House for Florida. "You don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side."

"From a military standpoint, they're finished," Trump claimed. "They don't have a Navy. They don't have an Air Force. They don't have any equipment. They don't have any spotters. They don't have anti-aircraft. They don't have radar. And their leaders have all been killed at every level."

"U.S. government says one thing, reality says another," Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday on X, questioning White House's repeated claims that Iran's air defenses and Navy have been destroyed.

Trump on Truth Social also said that the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy waterway, should be secured by the countries that rely on it and Washington would assist if asked.

"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it -- The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn't be necessary once Iran's threat is eradicated," Trump added.

Earlier, Trump slammed NATO allies as "cowards" over their reluctance to help escort.

"Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!" Trump said in a previous post on Truth Social. "COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!"

"Europe has no interest in an open-ended war," Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, said of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Monday. "This is not Europe's war, but Europe's interests are directly at stake."

The United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, disrupting global shipping, sending oil prices soaring and shaking the global economy.

NATO mission temporarily withdraws from Iraq amid tensions

The NATO mission in Iraq has commenced the temporary withdrawal of its personnel from the country due to security concerns, a high-ranking security source told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) on Friday, reported Xinhua.

The source described the move as a temporary measure prompted by the ongoing conflict and concerns over the safety of mission members, adding that they will return as soon as the war ends and the security situation in Iraq stabilizes, according to INA.

The NATO Mission Iraq, a non-combat advisory one, was established in 2018 at the request of the Iraqi government to strengthen its security sector.

The temporary exit occurs amid heightened tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East.

Pentagon sends more warships, troops to Middle East

The Pentagon is sending three more warships and roughly 2,200 to 2,500 more Marines to the Middle East, marking the second deployment of Marines to the region within a week as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran escalates, multiple U.S. media outlets reported on Friday.

U.S. officials confirmed Friday that the USS Boxer and two other amphibious assault ships, along with Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, have deployed from their home port of San Diego, California, and are heading to the Middle East, said the reports.

The United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, disrupting global shipping, sending oil prices soaring and negatively affecting the global economy.

UK allows U.S. use of bases for Hormuz-related strikes

Britain has agreed to allow the United States to use British bases to carry out "operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz," according to a Downing Street statement released on Friday.

Britain is working with international partners to develop "a viable plan to safeguard international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," said the statement.

Despite the move, the statement stressed that the UK is committed to "not getting drawn into the wider conflict."

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned his British counterpart Friday against providing any assistance to the U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran, cautioning that such support would fuel further escalation.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets across the Middle East.

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon kill 20

At least 20 people were killed and 57 others injured in Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon over the past 24 hours, according to official figures released on Friday.

The latest casualties bring the cumulative death toll to 1,021, with a total of 2,641 people wounded since the escalation of hostilities on March 2.

Meanwhile, displacement continues to rise sharply as ongoing strikes force more residents to flee their homes. A total of 134,616 displaced people are currently sheltering in 644 centers across the country, the figures show.

Efforts to accommodate displaced populations remain under strain as the humanitarian situation deteriorates amid continued airstrikes.

Hezbollah entered the confrontation on March 2 by launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire on Nov. 27, 2024, prompting Israel to carry out an intensified military campaign targeting multiple areas across the country.

UAE intercepts missiles, drones, dismantles Hezbollah network

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on Friday its air defense systems intercepted four ballistic missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran, while its security department dismantled a network related to Hezbollah and Iran.

The Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems had dealt with 338 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,740 drones targeting the UAE, since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

Earlier on Friday, the UAE State Security Department said it had dismantled a network "funded and directed" by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran, with its members arrested.

Authorities alleged the group had operated under the cover of a fictitious commercial front, and sought to infiltrate the country's economy and carry out external agendas that threatened financial stability.

Hezbollah has rejected the UAE accusation, calling the claims "fabricated" and baseless.

Egypt, for its part, condemned the "terrorist schemes" targeting the security and stability of the Gulf states, the most recent of which targeted Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday met with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Both sides discussed the ongoing military escalation in the region and its serious implications for regional and international security and stability, underscoring the need to halt the escalation and prioritize dialogue and diplomacy to prevent further tensions and crises, the Emirates News Agency reported.

Iran not behind recent attacks on Oman, Türkiye

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Friday stressed that the recent attacks on parts of Türkiye and Oman were not carried out by the Iranian armed forces or its allies.

He made the remarks in a message to extend congratulations on the arrival of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and Nowruz, the beginning of the Iranian new year that falls on March 21, according to a statement published on his website.

Khamenei said Iran has appropriate relations with both Türkiye and Oman, warning about Israel's "deception" of resorting to "false flag" operations to cause division between Iran and its neighbors.

He added such operations may be carried out in other countries too.

He highlighted the importance the country attaches to its relations with neighbors, and called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to establish better relations with each other, voicing his readiness to take the necessary measures to that end.

The Iranian leader also emphasized the need to enhance citizens' living standards and the nation's infrastructure, with focus on welfare and wealth creation for the public, while declaring the new year as the "year of resistance economy in light of national unity."

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then-supreme leader, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East.

Trump rebukes NATO again for reluctance to help

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday lashed out at North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, calling them "cowards" for their reluctance to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy corridor bordered by Iran to the north.

"Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!" Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

"Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don't want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk," Trump wrote.

"COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!" he added.

Trump admitted on Tuesday his escort demand has been rejected by most NATO members and U.S. allies, saying he is "disappointed" in NATO's decision while asserting the United States does "not need the help of anyone."

"We no longer 'need,' or desire, the NATO Countries' assistance -- WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea," Trump wrote in a post on Tuesday.

"Europe has no interest in an open-ended war," Kaja Kallas, the European Union's (EU's) top diplomat, said of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran in Brussels on Monday. "This is not Europe's war, but Europe's interests are directly at stake."

Israeli reservist accused of spying for Iran

An Israeli reservist was charged with security offenses linked to Iran on Friday after being arrested earlier this month, the Israel Police said in a statement.

Raz Cohen, a 26-year-old Jerusalem resident who served in the Iron Dome air defense missile interception system unit, was arrested on March 1, a day after the joint U.S.-Israel offensive against Iran began.

Cohen was indicted for having been in contact for months with Iranian intelligence officials who asked him to carry out a variety of security missions, including transmitting sensitive security information to which he was exposed in the course of his service.

The investigation revealed that he was aware the contact was managed by Iranian officials and, in return, received money from them, according to the statement.

Qatar condemns Israeli strike on military sites in Syria

Qatar has strongly condemned an Israeli attack targeting military facilities in southern Syria, calling it a violation of sovereignty and international law, reported ANI.

In a statement issued on Friday, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on X that the strike on the Syrian Arab Republic constituted "a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a clear breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations."

The ministry warned that continuing such actions without accountability threatens regional stability. "The continuation of such practices in the region without deterrence reflects a serious disregard for international law and undermines the foundations of regional security and stability," the statement said.

It further pointed to the role of the international community, stating that "the international community's inability to curb and put an end to these violations has contributed to the worsening of the crisis facing the region."

Reiterating its position, Qatar expressed solidarity with Syria. The ministry said it stands "alongside the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic," affirming its support for efforts aimed at preserving the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This comes after Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday said that its overnight strikes in southern Syria targeted a command centre and combat equipment at the military camps in response to the attack on Druze civilians in As-Suwayda region.

Sharing the details in a post on X, the IDF said that it would not tolerate harm to the Druze people in Syria and act for their protection. IDF further said that it continues to monitor the developments in southern Syria and would thus act in accordance with the directions from the political leadership.

The post read, "In response to attacks against the Druze population in the As-Suwayda area: IDF strikes Syrian regime infrastructure in southern Syria. The IDF struck overnight a command center and combat equipment in Syrian regime military camps in the southern Syria area. This was in response to yesterday's events in which Druze civilians were attacked in the As-Suwayda area. The IDF will not tolerate harm to Druze in Syria and will continue to act for their protection. The IDF continues to monitor developments in southern Syria and will act in accordance with the directives of the political echelon."