Tehran faces fresh attacks, Iran attacks Israeli chemical facility

Several areas in the Iranian capital Tehran and the neighboring Alborz province came under U.S. and Israeli attacks on Sunday night, which led to blackouts in a number of neighborhoods, reported Xinhua, quoting the semi-official Fars news agency.

In Tehran, the strikes targeted five districts of the city and hit some residential units, the report added.

According to Fars, the power outage in parts of Tehran and Alborz was due to the bombs' shrapnel that damaged electricity facilities and installations, including a high-voltage transmission tower in Alborz and a substation in Tehran.

Fars later reported that electricity supply in all affected areas has been resumed and is stable.

On Sunday night, the Israeli military said in a statement that it is striking targets across Tehran.

Meanwhile, a missile attack from Iran sparked a blaze at a factory in an industrial chemical complex in southern Israel on Sunday, reported Xinhua, quoting authorities.

Footage from the scene showed a thick cloud of black smoke rising above the facility in Neot Hovav, a major industrial zone in southern Israel for chemical production and hazardous waste treatment.

Fire and Rescue Services dispatched specialized units to the scene to assess the danger level. The Home Front Command also issued an alert to area residents over concerns of a possible hazardous materials leak.

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday it has completely destroyed a U.S. E-3 Sentry aircraft equipped with an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) in a recent missile and drone operation against the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said the operation was conducted by its Aerospace Division.

Other nearby aircraft also sustained serious damage during the strike, it added.

On Friday, the IRGC attacked the Prince Sultan Air Base, located some 96km (60 miles) southeast of the Saudi capital Riyadh, damaging several KC-135 aerial refueling tankers and destroying one completely.

Meanwhile, Iran's army said on Sunday its air defense systems shot down an invading MQ-9 Reaper drone east of the Strait of Hormuz, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The country's air defense forces have brought down 138 drones since the beginning of the war, according to the report.

US, Israel attack university in central Iran

The Isfahan University of Technology in central Iran was attacked by the United States and Israel on Sunday for the second time in recent days, reported Xinhua, quoting the official news agency IRNA.

The university was targeted in "brutal" strikes by U.S. and Israeli fighter jets across parts of Isfahan province, including the provincial capital as well as the cities of Shahin Shahr and Najafabad, IRNA quoted Akbar Salehi, the province's deputy governor for security and law enforcement affairs, as saying.

He added that the university was first targeted on Thursday, noting that investigations are underway to determine potential casualties and the extent of the damage.

Early Saturday, the University of Science and Technology in Tehran was also attacked by Israel and the United States.

In response to the attacks on universities, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned Sunday that it now considers all Israeli and U.S. universities in West Asia "legitimate targets."

It said all Israeli and U.S. universities will remain legitimate targets until Iran strikes two of them in retaliation, warning staff, students and residents near the universities to stay at least 1 km away to avoid harm.

The IRGC demanded Washington issue an official condemnation of the attacks on Iranian universities by 12:00 p.m. local time Monday (0830 GMT) if it wishes to protect its regional universities from attack.

The developments came amid a U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict starting from Feb. 28, with heavy fighting continuing between the relevant parties and no breakthrough on a ceasefire as it entered its 30th day on Sunday.

Iranian drones, rockets strike US bases in northeastern Syria

Suspected Iranian drones and rockets targeted bases hosting U.S. forces in northeastern Syria on Sunday, causing material damage but no casualties, a war monitor said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a rocket struck the Qasrak base in Hasakah province, followed by drone attacks around midnight and at dawn. U.S. air defenses intercepted several drones, while other projectiles hit the site, causing damage, it said.

The monitor said the Kharab al-Jir base near Rmeilan was also hit by multiple rockets early Sunday, some intercepted and others reaching their targets, with no immediate reports of casualties. Two additional drones were shot down near residential areas in Hasakah, it added. The attacks prompted heightened alert and increased aerial activity.

10 Kuwaiti troops injured following projectile impact on military camp

Kuwait said on Sunday that its air defense systems successfully intercepted multiple aerial threats over the past 24 hours, while a projectile strike on a military camp left 10 troops injured, according to an official military statement.

According to the statement released on the social media platform X, defense units detected and shot down 14 hostile ballistic missiles and 12 drones. Despite the interceptions, one military camp was struck by several projectiles, resulting in injuries to 10 armed forces personnel.

The injured have been transferred to medical facilities and are currently receiving treatment, the statement said. The attack also caused material damage at the site, according to the statement.

Warehouses belonging to a private logistics company were also targeted in the attacks, resulting in property damage but no reported casualties.

Authorities reaffirmed that Kuwait's air defense systems remain on high alert and are fully prepared to respond to further threats. They also urged the public to rely on official sources for accurate information and to adhere to safety instructions issued by relevant authorities.

No further details were immediately available regarding the origin of the attacks.

Israeli shelling hits UN peacekeepers' Indonesian unit HQ in Lebanon

Israeli artillery shelling targeted the headquarters of the Indonesian unit serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the southern village of Adshit al-Qusayr on Sunday, according to Lebanon's National News Agency and local media reports.

Preliminary reports said there were injuries among UNIFIL personnel, while UNIFIL helicopters were seen heading to the targeted site following the shelling, the media reported.

The attack comes amid continued exchanges of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border and rising tensions in southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL has not yet issued an official statement on the incident.

Iran vows to strike Abraham Lincoln when in range to avenge IRIS Dena

The Iranian Navy vowed to strike US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln once it is within range of coastal missiles to avenge the sinking of Iranian warship IRIS Dena, reported ANI, quoting Iranian State Media Press TV.

According to Press TV, Iran's Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, said that Iran is closely monitoring the movement of the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in real time.

"Once the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group enters its range, it will be targeted with coastal missiles to avenge the Dena martyrs. All movements and positions of the strike group, as well as its requests to regional countries, are being monitored in real time," he said.

"The eastern Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman--the gateway to the Strait and the Persian Gulf--are fully under Iranian naval control," he added.

IRIS Dena sank south of Sri Lanka on March 4 after being struck by a US submarine torpedo approximately 20 nautical miles west of Galle.

Of the estimated 180 crew members on board IRIS Dena, over 80 sailors are reported dead, while other survivors were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy and admitted to hospitals in Galle.

Death toll in Lebanon reaches 1,238 since start of Israeli attacks

A total of 49 people were killed and 116 injured on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 1,238 and the number of wounded to 3,543 since the escalation of hostilities on March 2, Lebanon's Disaster Risk Management Unit at the prime minister's office said, reported Xinhua.

In its daily report on Sunday, the unit said the number of hostile incidents recorded so far has reached 4,401, with 663 shelters across the country housing 136,147 displaced people and 35,170 families.

It is continuing to monitor the humanitarian situation and coordinate with relevant agencies as displacement and casualty figures keep rising, the unit said.

Israeli warplanes continued airstrikes on several areas in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army issued a warning threatening to target the Dahieh area and urging residents to evacuate Beirut's southern suburbs.

Cross-border fighting has continued since March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire agreed on Nov. 27, 2024, triggering intensified Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon.

Israeli PM orders expansion of Lebanon "buffer zone"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military on Sunday to widen what Israel refers to as a "security buffer zone" in southern Lebanon, as Israeli forces expanded their ground offensive.

"We are determined to change the situation in the north fundamentally," Netanyahu said in a video statement from the Northern Command base near the Lebanese border.

Israel uses the term to describe an area seized by its troops inside Lebanese territory, a designation not recognized internationally or by Lebanon.

Since fighting with Hezbollah began in October 2023, Israel has established at least five positions in southern Lebanon. It has not withdrawn from them even after a ceasefire was announced in November 2024. After hostilities resumed in early March amid the war with Iran, Israeli ground forces entered southern Lebanon and have been advancing toward the Litani River.

Netanyahu said the move was part of a broader effort to establish three "buffer zones" around Israel: in Syria, where Israeli forces have seized territory from the top of Mount Hermon to the Yarmouk; in Gaza, where, he said, troops have converted "more than half" of the Palestinian enclave into a "buffer zone"; and in Lebanon, where he said he had instructed to expand the existing zone to thwart infiltration by Hezbollah.

All three are not internationally recognized.

"I said we will change the face of the Middle East, and we did," he said. "We initiate; we attack."

Quadrilateral FMs meeting backs Pakistan's initiative to host US-Iran talks

Foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt here on Sunday expressed full support for Pakistan's initiative to host peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, reported Xinhua.

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a televised message that participants agreed that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to achieving lasting peace and emphasized the need to prevent further military escalation in the Middle East.

Dar said he had briefed the visiting foreign ministers on the prospects of potential talks between the United States and Iran, noting that both sides have expressed confidence in Pakistan's role as a facilitator.

Dar said that the meeting also decided to establish a committee comprising senior officials from the four foreign ministries to enhance coordination and explore avenues for deeper cooperation among the participating countries.

The meeting focused on the evolving regional situation and efforts to de-escalate tensions and end ongoing conflicts, said Dar, adding that the initiative received strong backing from all participating countries.

The ministers voiced concern over the humanitarian and economic impact of ongoing conflicts, saying the continuation of hostilities would only lead to further destruction and instability, said Dar.

Visiting foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to supporting efforts aimed at creating conditions for structured negotiations between relevant parties, said the Pakistani foreign minister who hosted the meeting.

Israeli protesters rally for peace amid continuing conflict

Israeli citizens took to streets on Saturday night to protest the ongoing U.S.-Israeli-Iran conflict, expressing exhaustion and demanding peace amid recent escalations.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv's Habima Square, holding photos of children and memorial candles, and mourning young lives lost in recent violence.

Among them was Yael, who said many children in the region have lost their lives since Feb. 28 when the war began.

"In Iran, in Palestine, in Israel, in Lebanon, over the past month, these children died from war and violence," Yael told Xinhua. "We say clearly: children are the victims of war. We demand that the war stop, that the killing stop."

Protesters held signs reading "They Were. Now They Are Gone," and chanted slogans demanding peace and an immediate halt to military operations.

For many of them, the exhaustion of living under wartime conditions has become unbearable.

"The Israeli government's policy is clear: They bomb Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran; They occupy and attack the West Bank; They spill blood and set the whole region on fire, dragging their own people into an endless war," one protester said.

"Exhaustion" was the word many Israelis mentioned to Xinhua. Galit Mass-Ader, a member of the civil society group Standing Together, noted that normal daily life has disappeared, with many families constantly moving between their homes and bomb shelters, and some even sleeping in shelters.

"It's not the way they want to keep on living," she said.

Mass-Ader argued that the government should not keep choosing war when it already knows the cost.

"I've seen it happening in Gaza, and I don't want it for Lebanon. I don't want it for anybody in the world," she said.

Shortly after the rally began, Israeli police charged into the crowd and began dispersing the protesters. Some demonstrators were seen pushed to the ground, others dragged away and detained. Police said the gathering violated "emergency-situation guidelines and regulations prohibiting assemblies due to the security situation."

"If the government really cared about security, it would stop the war, not stop a peaceful protest," one protester told Xinhua at the scene.

As police dispersed the crowd, reports emerged that the Israeli military launched new strikes against targets in Iran and Lebanon.

"An alternative for this endless war is simply peace and to make agreements," said Mass-Ader. "Every war at the end of it there are agreements, why not this time?"