Iran launches another attack wave on Israel and Gulf cities
Loud explosions were reported across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Doha, and Manama, as well as in Jerusalem on Monday, as Tehran continued its third consecutive day of strikes against Israel and Gulf neighbors in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported multiple loud blasts heard in the capitals of Qatar and Bahrain, as well as in Dubai, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates.
The Israeli Air Force announced that missiles had been launched from Iran toward Israel and that defense systems were actively intercepting them.
The Israeli military also directed the public in affected areas via mobile phone alerts to seek shelter in "protected spaces" and remain there until further notice.
US embassy in Kuwait warns of attack threat and urges people to take cover
The US embassy in Kuwait City issued warnings urging people to avoid the embassy premises and to take cover due to ongoing threats of missile and drone attacks over Kuwait.
This alert followed reports of smoke rising from the US embassy and additional strikes launched by Iran against Gulf states and Israel.
Sirens were heard earlier over Kuwait City, signaling heightened alertness.
An AFP correspondent confirmed smoke emanating from the US embassy in Kuwait City.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill 31 – report
Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have resulted in 31 fatalities and 149 injuries, according to a Lebanese ministry cited by AFP.
Explosions were also heard over Jerusalem following an Iranian missile alert.
Blasts were reported in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Doha in Qatar, and Manama in Bahrain, according to news agencies.
Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.
Israeli general says strikes on Lebanon will intensify
A senior Israeli general stated on Monday that military operations against Lebanon would intensify after strikes were launched in response to rocket fire attributed to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
"Hezbollah chose the Iranian regime over the State of Lebanon and initiated an attack on our civilians ... they will pay a heavy price," said Rafi Milo, head of the Israeli military’s northern command.
"The strikes continue, their intensity will increase," AFP quoted him as saying in a military statement.
The suspected drone attack on the UK’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus occurred just hours after Britain authorized strikes on Iranian missile sites.
While the UK has not directly participated in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated in a recorded message on Sunday evening that Iran’s increasingly reckless actions endangered British lives, prompting the decision to permit the US to use two British military bases.
The suspected drone strike caused limited damage and no casualties, according to Cypriot authorities and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
A security alert issued to residents near Akrotiri by the British base administration advised sheltering in place until further notice following the impact.
"Our armed forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time. Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people."
Britain retains sovereignty over two military bases on Cyprus, a member of the European Union. RAF Akrotiri is located on a large peninsula on the southern tip of the eastern Mediterranean island. The last direct attack on the base was by Libyan militants in the mid-1980s.
Kuwait has intercepted drones approaching its territory, with no injuries reported, according to the official Kuwait News Agency citing the civil defence chief.
Brigadier General Mohammad Al-Mansouri stated that the audible explosions heard in some residential areas were due to the interception of drones at dawn on Monday.
He reassured the public that "the situation in the country remains stable" and that there was no cause for concern as authorities continue to monitor regional developments.
Iran's security chief says it 'won't negotiate' with US
Iran’s security chief declared,
"We will not negotiate with the United States."This statement from Ali Larijani, a close loyalist and adviser to the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded to reports suggesting Iran was attempting to revive negotiations with Washington.
Earlier, former US President Donald Trump said Iran’s new leadership sought to engage in talks with him and that he had agreed, in an interview with The Atlantic.
"They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them," the US president said. "They should have done it sooner."
At least 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut – report
Israeli strikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut have resulted in at least 10 deaths, according to a medical source cited by .
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that rocket attacks on Israel on Monday undermined his government’s efforts to prevent Lebanon from becoming embroiled in a regional war.
"The launching of missiles from Lebanese territory this morning targets all the efforts and endeavours made by the Lebanese state to keep Lebanon away from the dangerous military confrontations taking place in the region," Aoun said in a statement cited by AFP.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah earlier claimed responsibility for launching rocket and drone attacks on Israel on Monday in retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday morning regarding the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, marking the first briefing by a senior Trump administration official since the strikes began on Saturday.
The press conference is set for 8 a.m. local time (1300 GMT), with Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also participating.
Hegseth will visit Congress on Tuesday alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio to update lawmakers on the military operation’s progress, according to the White House.
Democrats in opposition have criticized the lack of consultation prior to the operation’s commencement.
ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl reported that Donald Trump told him the US had identified potential candidates to assume leadership in Iran, but they were killed in the initial attack.
"The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates … It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead."
Trump previously told Fox News that 48 Iranian leaders had been killed in the first two days of bombing. Israel’s Channel 12 cited officials stating that the Israeli Air Force killed 30 high-ranking Iranian officials within the first 30 seconds of the attack.
