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Live: US and Israel attack Iran as Trump declares “major combat operations”

Live updates and fact checks on the US–Israel–Iran conflict. We’re tracking official statements, verified reporting, and claims circulating online — separating confirmed developments from misinformation, and adding context where it’s needed.

Live: US and Israel attack Iran as Trump declares “major combat operations”
BREAKING
07 Apr 15:06
New headline: IRGC warns any US strike on civilian sites would trigger wider retaliation

Iranian state-linked media is carrying a new statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which says it would answer in kind if the US attacks civilian facilities in Iran.

The warning follows remarks from the US president, who says American forces will target Iranian power plants and bridges within hours unless Tehran agrees to open the Strait of Hormuz.

In the statement, as reported by those outlets, the Guard says it would hit “the infrastructure of America and its partners” in a way that would, it claims, deny them and their allies access to the region’s oil and gas for years.

The same statement says US leaders are failing to calculate how many “critical assets” are allegedly within range of Iranian forces if Washington attacks Iranian infrastructure.

It adds that if the US military crosses what it describes as Iran’s “red lines”, Tehran’s response would not be confined to the region.

BREAKING
07 Apr 15:05
Fresh escalation: Trump issues stark new Iran warning as Hormuz deadline nears

Donald Trump steps up his language on Iran again, saying on Truth Social that “a whole civilisation will die tonight”.

The US president says he does not want that outcome, but adds that it “probably will” happen. He makes the remark as a deadline he has referenced over the Strait of Hormuz approaches.

In the same post, Trump claims there has been “complete and total regime change” in Iran. He says “different, smarter, and less radicalized minds” could now take over.

He also tells followers that “who knows?” what happens next, and calls tonight one of the most important moments in the “long and complex history of the World”.

Trump goes on to say that 47 years of “extortion, corruption, and death” could finally end. He closes the message by saying: “God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

BREAKING
04 Apr 16:50
Kuwait says military tracks missiles and drones crossing its airspace

Kuwait’s Defence Ministry says the armed forces have detected and responded to a significant number of projectiles entering the country’s airspace in the past 24 hours.

According to the ministry, the military has monitored and “dealt with” eight ballistic missiles and 19 drones over that period.

The Kuwaiti military says there have been no deaths, injuries or damage to property linked to the incidents.

04 Apr 14:53
Qom official says two strikes hit outskirts of city with no reported casualties

Iran’s ISNA news agency says two strikes are reported just outside the city of Qom, south of Tehran.

According to ISNA, the deputy governor of Qom province says the strikes hit areas on the edge of the provincial capital, which is also called Qom.

The same official says there are no casualties reported so far.

04 Apr 14:52
Moscow condemns Bushehr strike as Rosatom pulls staff from site

Russia is issuing a fierce response to the attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant, and says any strikes on nuclear facilities must stop immediately.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Moscow “strongly condemns” what she calls an “evil deed”, adding that the strike has caused loss of life.

Zakharova says attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, including Bushehr, must end at once.

Her remarks follow the strike earlier today, which Russia is describing as a US-Israeli attack on the facility.

Separately, Russia’s state nuclear firm Rosatom says it has begun evacuating 198 members of staff from Bushehr after the strike.

BREAKING
04 Apr 14:41
Fresh reports of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

Al Jazeera Arabic reports that Israeli air strikes are hitting a number of towns and villages in southern Lebanon.

According to the broadcaster, raids have been reported in Kfardounine, Bint Jbeil and Burj Qallawiyeh.

It also says a drone strike has targeted Siddiqine, in the Tyre district.

04 Apr 14:40
Pilot’s chances may rest on SERE training, injuries and what he carries

All US Air Force aircrew are trained to “survive, evade, resist and escape”, according to Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London.

Speaking to Al Jazeera by videolink from Munich, Miron says the downed pilot is likely to try to blend into the landscape and stay alive until a rescue team reaches him.

She says that presents an obvious problem for any recovery operation. The better he hides, Miron says, the harder it may be for rescuers to locate him.

Miron also points to Iran’s announcement of a reward for civilians who find the pilot.

She says the pilot’s situation will also depend on what supplies he has and whether he has been injured. Miron says it is not known whether he can walk, what condition he is in, or whether he has enough food to cope with difficult terrain.

04 Apr 14:38
Rosatom starts latest Bushehr staff evacuation as strike reported near plant

Russia’s state nuclear company Rosatom says almost 200 of its workers are being evacuated from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev says the “main wave” of the latest staff departures begins today, with 198 employees leaving the site.

TASS reports that Rosatom has already been withdrawing personnel since the war in Iran began, and says this latest operation is part of plans prepared in advance.

Separately, Iranian state media reports that a projectile hits a building close to the Bushehr plant this morning.

Iranian media says one member of the site’s security staff is killed in that incident.

The same reports describe it as the fourth time Bushehr has come under attack since the conflict started.

TASS also cites Likhachev as saying Rosatom has updated Russian President Vladimir Putin on developments at the plant.

04 Apr 14:37
Iranian outlets send mixed signals as search continues for missing US service member

CNN reports, citing three sources, that one crew member is rescued after a US F-15E Strike Eagle is brought down over Iran yesterday. The broadcaster says search-and-rescue efforts are still under way for the second US service member.

It is still not clear exactly where in Iran the aircraft comes down.

Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency says attempts to find any missing crew have, “so far”, failed. Separately, an anchor on the state-linked Fars News says a reward is being offered for anyone who captures an “enemy pilot or pilots”.

Iranian state media also pushes back on claims about the missing American’s whereabouts. According to those reports, the service member has not been captured or detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Semi-official Mehr News carries a statement from the governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, who dismisses reports that the US has recovered the missing crew member. He describes that claim as “a tactic of the enemy”, according to Mehr.

BREAKING
04 Apr 14:36
Fresh alert as Israel says another Iranian missile salvo is inbound

The Israeli military says it has picked up a further wave of missiles launched from Iran and heading towards Israel.

According to the military, this is the second alert of its kind in under two hours. It does not immediately give further details on the size of the salvo or the areas most likely to be affected.

BREAKING
04 Apr 14:35
Tehran says fresh air defence battery is now active

Iran’s military command says it deploys a new air defence system on Saturday, presenting the move as part of its response to US aircraft after what it claims are American jet shootdowns on Friday.

The command says Tehran will “definitely achieve full control” of Iranian airspace. The statement signals an attempt to challenge the US and Israeli advantage in the skies after more than a month of aerial dominance during the war.

BREAKING
03 Apr 17:30
New image adds to indications of possible F-15 loss over Iran

A photograph carried by Iranian state media appears to show a damaged fighter jet ejection seat on the ground.

CNN says its analysis of the image indicates the seat is consistent with a model used in the F-15E strike fighter. The broadcaster reports that part of the seat’s rear structure appears to be missing, suggesting significant damage.

The picture surfaces after three US sources told CNN that a fighter jet had been shot down over Iran.

CNN also says this is not the first piece of visual evidence to point towards an F-15. In an earlier review of state media images, the network said debris seen at the scene appeared to match archive pictures of a US Air Force F-15.

03 Apr 17:29
Karaj bridge survivors recount debris and chaos after Thursday’s strike

People hurt in the strike on the B1 bridge outside Tehran are describing scenes of falling rock and shrapnel, according to interviews published by Iran’s WANA news agency.

Iranian local media report that at least eight people are dead and 95 are injured. Semi-official Fars, citing a local security official, says several strikes hit the suspension bridge and cut a key new route being built between Tehran and Karaj.

Speaking from a hospital bed, Mohammad Yasaee tells WANA that his leg is broken but says he does not know whether the injury was caused by stone or missile fragments.

Yasaee says multiple blasts were followed by debris coming down from the mountainside. He tells WANA that rocks fell “like rain” onto people below.

Another injured man, Omran Safizadeh, tells WANA he hears a “very loud explosion” which throws his car forward. He says he gets out because he fears the windows will shatter, runs towards a nearby park and then falls.

Safizadeh tells WANA he realises he is “covered in blood” and cannot feel his left leg. He also says a woman nearby is hit by shrapnel.

A US defence official tells CNN the strike destroys what the US describes as a planned military supply route for Iran’s ballistic missile and attack drone forces.

Images from Karaj on Friday show casualties being treated at Imam Ali Hospital, while separate photographs show heavy damage to the bridge a day after the strike.

BREAKING
03 Apr 17:18
Hezbollah reports fresh strikes on Israeli positions in the north

Hezbollah says it has launched a new wave of attacks on Israeli targets in northern Israel.

In a statement, the group claims it fires rockets several times at what it describes as Israeli military infrastructure in Safed. It also says it targets sites in nearby Rosh Pina.

Hezbollah further says that, a day earlier, its fighters carry out a sniper attack on Israeli soldiers in Rashaf.

The claims come from Hezbollah and have not been independently verified.

BREAKING
03 Apr 17:16
Beirut warning as US tells citizens to leave Lebanon

The US embassy in Beirut is urging American citizens to leave Lebanon, saying they should depart “while commercial flight options remain available”.

In a security alert, the embassy says Iran and armed groups aligned with it “may intend to target universities in Lebanon”.

The message follows a warning issued by Iran last week, when it said it would strike US and Israeli universities in the region in retaliation for attacks on its own institutions.

BREAKING
03 Apr 17:08
Fresh blow to metals market as Abu Dhabi smelter stays offline

Emirates Global Aluminium says Iranian attacks have forced the closure of its Al Taweelah site in Abu Dhabi, with a full recovery potentially taking up to 12 months.

The company says it had already identified “significant damage” at the facility last month. That damage led to operations being halted at Al Taweelah, which is one of the largest aluminium smelters in the region.

The prolonged outage removes output from a plant that plays a major role in aluminium supply. That is likely to be felt more widely across production networks and supply chains if the shutdown continues.

BREAKING
03 Apr 17:04
Iranian force says latest barrage targets sites in northern Israel

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has hit what it describes as Israeli “combat support centres” in western Galilee, Haifa and Kafr Kanna.

The claim is carried by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency and has not been independently verified.

According to the IRGC statement reported by Tasnim, the latest wave is part of what it calls a joint operation with the “Islamic Resistance”.

The force says the attack involves a mix of solid-fuel and liquid-fuel missiles, as well as long-range guided missiles and what it describes as “destructive drones”.

03 Apr 16:27
Fresh setback for Washington as reports say US F-15 is shot down

Reports from the conflict say a US F-15 warplane has been brought down, in a new blow for Washington.

The reported loss comes after Donald Trump repeatedly says Iran’s military has been beaten. It also follows his threat to bomb the country “back to the Stone Age”.

US Central Command says 13 American service personnel have been killed so far in the fighting. It adds that more than 300 have been wounded.

The same command says no US troops have been captured by Iran.

Despite Mr Trump’s public claims, US intelligence assessments indicate Iran still has significant missile and drone capability.

According to sources cited by Reuters, the US could only confirm with certainty by last week that roughly one-third of Iran’s missile stockpile had been destroyed.

Reuters’ sources say the position of about another third is less certain. They say US bombing is likely to have damaged or destroyed some of those weapons, or trapped them inside underground tunnels and bunkers.

03 Apr 16:22
Abu Dhabi says intercepted missile debris leaves 12 injured

Officials in Abu Dhabi say 12 people are injured after debris from an Iranian missile intercepted earlier this morning falls in the emirate.

In a statement, the authorities say one person of Nepali origin suffers a “major injury”.

They add that six other Nepalese nationals are hurt, with injuries described as minor to moderate. The same statement says five Indian nationals are also injured.

Abu Dhabi officials also report that falling debris hits the Habshan gas facilities during the morning attack, sparking a fire.

They say no-one is injured in the blaze.

03 Apr 16:16
Qatar says Iranian drones are brought down before reaching targets

Qatar’s Defence Ministry says the country has been hit by “a number of drones” launched from Iran.

In a statement, the ministry says all of the drones are “successfully intercepted and neutralised”.

The Qatari authorities do not, in the statement, give any immediate detail on where the drones were headed or whether there is any damage on the ground.