US Israel Attacks Iran: IRGC Threatens ‘Complete Destruction,' Israel Struck Iranian Military Complex Near Tehran

The top US military commander in the Middle East has stated that American forces have struck nearly 2,000 targets in Iran since the operation started. Adm. Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, made the comments in a video posted on X on Tuesday.

He said the US military has “severely degraded Iran’s air defenses” and taken out hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. The video included footage of missiles and jets launching from US ships, along with targets exploding on the ground.

Cooper noted that Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones in response. He added that the US is “hunting” Iran’s last remaining mobile ballistic missile launchers to eliminate their “lingering launch capability.”

The operation has involved more than 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers and bombers, with “more capability is on the way.” Cooper concluded by saying, “We’ve just begun.”

US House Speaker Mike Johnson has stated that no one can yet determine with any degree of certainty how the conflict with Iran will end. The Republican leader, speaking after an all-member briefing at the Capitol, described himself as a close ally of President Trump.

He said it is up to the Iranian people to “seize this moment of opportunity” for their country, and not necessarily depend on the US. Johnson added, “We have no ability to get into the nation-building business,” and concluded, “America has enough trouble of our own.”

The U.S. State Department said early Wednesday it had authorized non-emergency American government personnel and family members to evacuate Oman should they choose due to the war.

Oman, long an intermediary between the West and Iran, has repeatedly come under attack by Iran.

Asian stock markets have declined for a third consecutive day, while energy prices have moved higher.

South Korea's Kospi index opened as low as 7% down and is now trading around 6% lower. Japan's Nikkei 225 is down by 3%. Australia's ASX 200 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index are also lower.

At the same time, US-traded oil and Brent crude are up by 1.2% on Wednesday morning. Tankers remain at a standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, and fresh strikes continue across the Middle East.

An 11-year-old girl has died after shrapnel fell on her in a residential area of Kuwait, according to a spokesperson for the country's Ministry of Health.

"She passed away as a result of her injuries despite resuscitation attempts," the spokesperson, Dr Abdullah Al-Sund, said.

Four members of her family, including her mother, have been taken to hospital, Al-Sund added.

The New York Times reports that the Kuwait Army said it had destroyed incoming aerial targets, causing debris to fall on a residential building.

Israel has warned residents of more than a dozen villages and towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of planned attacks targeting Hezbollah.

The warning, issued by Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee, instructed people to move at least 1km away from the specified areas.

It stated: "Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, facilities, and weapons is putting their life at risk."

Lebanon has reported that six people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south of the country.

The evacuation warnings apply to the following locations: Rabaa Thalathin, Hawla, Qalaat Dibba, Qabrikha, Touline Khirba, Shaqra, Sawana, Majdal Selm, Tamriya, Tayri, Talousa, Safad, Batikh, Jmeijmeh, Bani Hayyan.

Iranian state television has reported loud explosions around the capital, Tehran, as dawn broke on Wednesday.

Israel's military has stated that Hezbollah also targeted the country with fire on Wednesday, and that much of it was intercepted.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, that Israeli strikes on the towns of Aramoun and Saadiyat, south of Beirut, killed six people and wounded eight.

In a statement, the Ministry described the attacks as coming from “the Israeli enemy” on the areas of Aramoun and Saadiyat.

It gave a preliminary toll of six killed and eight wounded.

Both Aramoun and Saadiyat lie outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds in southern Lebanon.

-AFP

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) has reported that an "unknown projectile" struck a ship off the coast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

UKMTO, a Royal Navy-led organisation that coordinates between merchant shipping and military forces for maritime security, said the strike damaged the vessel's steel plating.

There has been no fire or water intake as a result.

The crew are reported safe, and authorities are investigating the incident.

At least four people were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a residential complex in the Lebanese city of Baalbeck, according to the state-run media.

The strike, which occurred early on Wednesday, also wounded six others, the National News Agency reported.

The UK government has chartered a commercial flight to help British nationals who wish to leave Oman amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The flight is due to depart from Muscat on 4 March at 23:00 local time (19:00 GMT). Priority will be given to the most vulnerable people.

The Foreign Office has stated that British nationals registered as present in the UAE but currently in Oman should urgently complete the relevant form if they want a seat.

It has advised people not to head to the airport unless contacted directly by the Foreign Office.

The government added that it will keep working with airlines to arrange additional routes for British nationals to return to the UK.

An Iranian drone strike on Sunday killed six American soldiers at a US operations centre located in Kuwait’s Port Shuaiba, a civilian seaport more than 10 miles from the main Army base.

According to satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press and confirmation from a US official speaking anonymously, the targeted hub was a shipping container-style building with no defences.

Joey Amor, husband of Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor—one of the soldiers killed—told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the facility lacked any protective measures.

A satellite image taken on Monday shows the main building in the complex destroyed, with a trail of black smoke rising from it. The location is in Port Shuaiba, south of Kuwait City.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the “secure facility was fortified with 6-foot walls.”

The incident was first reported by CNN and CBS News.

The US State Department announced early on Wednesday that it has authorised non-emergency American government personnel and their family members to evacuate Saudi Arabia if they choose to do so, due to the ongoing war.

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has come under attack by Iran during the conflict.

The Israeli military has stated in the past hour that it identified several projectiles launched from Lebanese territory.

Most of the projectiles were intercepted, with one falling in an open area.

The announcement came minutes after the military reported that Iran had also launched missiles towards Israeli territory.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry has stated that it intercepted two cruise missiles south of the capital, Riyadh, according to Reuters and AFP.

Separately, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that nine drones were also intercepted.

Saudi officials have not specified the origin of the missiles or drones.

Israel’s military has stated that Iran launched missiles toward the country early on Wednesday, marking the second wave in less than two hours.

Israeli air defences are working to intercept the incoming missiles.

No injuries were reported from the first wave.

Explosions have been heard across the skies of Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Asian stock markets have fallen sharply on Wednesday, with South Korea’s benchmark index dropping as much as 11%. Oil prices have continued to rise amid the widening conflict involving Iran.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 3.4% to 54,346.73.

Japan and South Korea both rely heavily on oil and natural gas imports from the Middle East, supplies that are now stranded in the Persian Gulf.

US benchmark crude oil rose 1.2% to $75.46 per barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, gained 1.5% to $82.61 per barrel.

Investors are concerned that higher oil prices could fuel inflation, slow the global economy and reduce corporate profits.

An Israeli airstrike has hit a hotel outside Beirut, according to Lebanon’s state-run news agency.

The strike took place in Hazmieh, about 5 kilometres (3 miles) southeast of downtown Beirut.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that ambulances had been dispatched to the scene.

The agency provided no further details in its brief report.

Sirens have sounded across Jordan on Wednesday morning, according to the kingdom’s state television.

The death toll from an Israeli strike on a residential complex in Baalbeck, Lebanon, has risen to five, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

Fifteen others were wounded in the attack, and three people remain missing, the agency reported.

US and Israeli airstrikes have continued into Wednesday, with attacks reported in multiple locations across Iran.

Iranian state television broadcast images of ruined buildings in central Tehran. Interviewees said the strikes damaged their homes overnight.

Witnesses reported intense airstrikes in western Tehran and in the nearby city of Karaj.

Strikes have also been reported in Qom, the holy Shiite seminary city, as well as in Behbahan, Kermanshah, Khorramabad, Shiraz and Tabriz.

State television has started referring to the conflict as the “Ramadan war.”

This appears to reflect that the fighting is taking place during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, while also signalling to the public that the war may continue for some time.

Strict restrictions remained in place across many parts of Kashmir on Wednesday, for the third consecutive day.

The measures follow large protests in the valley against the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Officials said that as a precaution, educational institutions have been closed until Saturday, 7 March 2026.

Mobile internet speeds also continued to be throttled.

“Restrictions on the movement and assembly of the people continued in many parts of Kashmir on Wednesday,” the officials said.

-PTI

A drone was shot down near Baghdad’s international airport on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, according to two Iraqi security sources speaking to AFP.

The incident occurred a day after a similar attack on the facility.

“A drone was downed near Baghdad airport, with no casualties or material damage reported,” one Iraqi security source said.

Another security source in Baghdad confirmed the event.

The airport complex includes a military base that hosts a US diplomatic facility and previously accommodated US-led coalition troops.

-AFP

SpiceJet will operate eight special flights from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, to bring back passengers stranded due to the crisis in West Asia.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the airline said it would run four services to Delhi, three to Mumbai and one to Kochi, all departing from Fujairah.

On Tuesday, 3 March 2026, SpiceJet operated four special flights from Fujairah to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi.

The escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran has caused major disruptions to flight operations across the region.

-PTI

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have stated that they now have complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that is critical for global oil and gas shipments.

A Guards Navy official, Mohammad Akbarzadeh, said in a statement carried by Fars news agency: “Currently, the Strait of Hormuz is under the complete control of the Islamic Republic’s Navy.”

He added that any vessels attempting to pass through the strait face the risk of damage from missiles or stray drones.

Separately, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US Navy stands ready to escort oil tankers through the key Gulf shipping route.

-France24

The US military says it has struck more than 2,000 targets in Iran since the joint bombing campaign with Israel began. Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones, according to the US.

The US and Israel continue intensive strikes on Iran. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said in a video statement that the opening 24 hours of the operation were nearly double the scale of the initial “shock and awe” phase of the 2003 Iraq War.

The mission involves more than 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers and bombers. Admiral Cooper described it as “the largest build-up by the US in the Middle East in a generation”.

He said US forces had sunk 17 Iranian ships, destroying the entire Iranian navy. The current priority, he added, is “on shooting all the things that can shoot at us”.

The US and Israel say they have targeted Iran’s air defences and hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers and drones.

In recent hours, Israel reported carrying out “a broad wave of strikes” on Iran while also hitting Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel said its air defences intercepted more missiles fired from Iran and Lebanon.

Beirut residents woke to the sound of drones flying overhead this morning after overnight Israeli strikes hit several towns in Lebanon and a hotel in a suburb next to the capital.

The Israeli military issued a warning to people in a southern suburb of Beirut to leave the area ahead of a planned morning airstrike.

More people displaced by the conflict continue to arrive in the capital looking for shelter.

Flight prices between Asia and Europe have risen sharply following the closure of major West Asian airport hubs.

The closures are linked to the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran.

Airline websites show that tickets on many popular routes are fully booked for several days ahead.

The UN Security Council has been unable to adopt its monthly programme of work during the current US presidency.

Russia and China objected to elements related to Iran, preventing agreement on the schedule.

This reflects the ongoing divisions within the council on the issue.

Iranian state television has reported that the Revolutionary Guard launched 40 ballistic missiles in the latest attack of the war.

The targets included sites associated with the US military in the Middle East.

According to the report, the missiles were aimed at Irbil in Iraq, two military bases in Kuwait, and two US warships.

Public mourning for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will start on Wednesday with three nights of ceremonies in Tehran.

Iranian state television reported that the casket containing the body of the late 86-year-old leader will be placed at the Grand Mosalla of Tehran for the mourning period.

The US State Department has ordered non-emergency staff and their families at the consulates in Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan because of safety concerns.

The order does not affect staff at the US embassy in Islamabad.

Pakistan shares a long western border with Iran and has a large Shiite Muslim minority.

At least 10 people were killed in Karachi on Sunday when protesters tried to storm the US consulate in the country’s largest city.

Israel’s military has announced that it has begun new airstrikes in Beirut.

The strikes were reported by the Israeli military.

Israel’s defence minister has threatened that whoever Iran selects as its next supreme leader will become “a target for elimination”.

Israel Katz made the statement on X on Wednesday.

“Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be a target for elimination,” he wrote.

Israel struck a building linked to Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Tuesday. The assembly is the body responsible for choosing the new supreme leader.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was 86, was killed in an Israeli strike on Saturday, which began the current war.

Israel has carried out strikes on dozens of military targets in Tehran, according to the Israel Defense Forces' Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee.

The targets included Basij headquarters – a paramilitary force linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards – as well as missile launch pads, defence systems, and the supply and logistics directorate affiliated with the regime's ground forces.

Adraee said the IDF would continue to "intensify their strikes" on the Iranian regime's infrastructure.

Supporters of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will gather at the prayer hall of the Grand Mosalla of Tehran tonight at 10pm local time (18:30 GMT).

The gathering marks the start of a three-day commemoration ceremony, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Details for Khamenei’s funeral are still being finalised and will be announced soon, the report said.

-Al Jazeera

The Sri Lankan navy and air force have been deployed to rescue sailors from an Iranian ship that began sinking near the island.

Sri Lankan authorities said a distress call came from the vessel "IRIS Dena" at dawn.

Foreign minister Vijitha Herath told parliament there were reportedly 180 people on board.

He said 30 injured sailors had been taken to a hospital in the port of Galle.

The cause of the sinking is not known.

An opposition MP asked in parliament whether the ship had been bombed as part of the US-Israeli attacks against Iran. There has been no official response.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday (March 4, 2026) that the Israeli-US strikes on Iran appear to be inconsistent with international law.

“It would appear, prima facie, not to be consistent or to be inconsistent with international law,” Mr. Carney told a gathering at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

-AFP

More than 470 Chinese citizens have been evacuated from Iran since the conflict began, according to Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.

The evacuations were reported to journalists on Wednesday.

-France24

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday he held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the fast-changing situation in the Middle East and its effects on global security.

Sybiha expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and condemned what he called Iran’s aggression, saying it threatens stability in the region.

The two ministers discussed the dangers of further escalation and the importance of finding diplomatic solutions, with Sybiha stressing that protecting civilians must stay a priority.

He pointed out that Ukraine has direct experience of missile and drone attacks, including daily strikes using Shahed drones.

Sybiha said Kyiv is prepared to share its knowledge with partners dealing with similar threats.

Earlier on Tuesday, he spoke with his Kuwaiti counterpart, H.E. Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Sabah.

“For Ukraine, this threat is not abstract. We face daily missile and drone attacks, including Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia against our cities and civilians,” Sybiha wrote on X.

Israel has resumed airstrikes in Lebanon, targeting sites linked to the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

New pictures are emerging from the areas hit.

The Israeli military issued another warning this morning for civilians in southern parts of Beirut to evacuate ahead of the strikes.

Local health officials report that dozens of people have been killed in Lebanon since the Israeli attacks started.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has criticised US President Donald Trump amid the ongoing US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran.

Araghchi said that “Trump betrayed diplomacy and Americans who elected him.”

“When complex nuclear negotiations are treated like a real estate transaction, and when big lies cloud realities, unrealistic expectations can never be met,” Araghchi wrote on X. “The outcome? Bombing the negotiation table out of spite.”

The comments come as the war continues. It began on Saturday after an Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The US and Iran had held three rounds of nuclear talks before the conflict started, but no agreement was reached.

Loud explosions were heard across Beirut last night.

In the capital, a hotel in Hazmieh took a direct hit. The area is away from Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs, where previous Israeli airstrikes had mostly been focused.

In the eastern Bekaa Valley, at least four people were killed when buildings in Baalbek were struck. Local rescue services said many others were injured.

In southern Lebanon, along the border with Israel, thousands of people are fleeing their homes after Israel issued urgent evacuation orders for dozens of towns and villages.

These are areas from which Hezbollah says it has been launching rockets towards northern Israel, targeting an Israeli naval base in Haifa.

French fighter jets have neutralised Iranian drones that were targeting the United Arab Emirates, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

Barrot made the statement on Wednesday.

He added that France is organising several repatriation flights for French nationals in the Middle East.

“One will depart from the United Arab Emirates, another from Egypt… and one from Israel,” he said.

The Israeli military says one of its F-35 stealth fighter jets shot down a piloted Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter over Tehran on Wednesday.

Israel described the incident as the first air-to-air combat kill of a piloted aircraft by an F-35.

The British government has announced a chartered flight will depart from Oman late on Wednesday to bring back some of the thousands of UK nationals in the Gulf region.

It says the most vulnerable people will be given priority on this first flight, with more expected to follow.

The Foreign Office reports that over 130,000 British nationals in the Middle East have registered their presence with the government since the US-Israel-Iran conflict began, although not all are seeking to leave.

Iran’s judiciary chief has warned that anyone who says or does anything in support of the US-Israeli airstrike campaign against Iran will face severe consequences.

Gholam Hosseini Mohseni Ejehei’s comments, made on state television, suggested that those involved could face death-penalty charges for cooperating with the enemy during wartime.

He said: “Those who say or do anything in line with the will of America and the Zionist regime are on the enemy’s side and must be dealt with on revolutionary, Islamic principles and in accordance with the time of war.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has responded to threats from Donald Trump to cut trade ties with Spain over Madrid’s opposition to the bombing of Iran.

In a televised address on Wednesday morning, Sánchez said the government’s position could be summarised with the words “no to war”.

He called for the “errors of the past” not to be repeated, referring to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which he said had not achieved its goals, created insecurity and made life worse for many people.

Sánchez said the attacks on Iran could have a similar economic impact for millions of ordinary people, and the government is looking at measures to counter this.

On Tuesday, Trump pledged to “cut off all ties” with Spain and described the country as “terrible” after Sánchez refused to allow the US to use its military bases to attack Iran.

Madrid had described the attacks as an “unjustified and dangerous military intervention”.

Iran has no intention of negotiating with the United States and is prepared to continue the war in West Asia for as long as necessary, according to Mohammad Mokhber, a senior adviser to the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He told state television that Iran had “no trust in the Americans and we have no basis for any negotiations with them”, adding that: “We can continue the war as long as we want.”

-AFP

Greek F-16 fighter jets took off from a base in Cyprus earlier on Wednesday to intercept a suspect object detected close to the island’s airspace.

Two security sources told Reuters about the incident.

-Reuters

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday that India’s silence on the US-Israel aggression against Iran was incomprehensible to her.

She pointed out that only Tehran had stood by New Delhi when sanctions were imposed on India for its nuclear tests.

“I fail to understand that we are a democratic country, but neither has our country’s leadership condemned it or expressed condolences with the people there [Iran], nor has the leadership here [in Jammu and Kashmir],” the former chief minister told reporters.

-PTI

Iranian sources have told Reuters that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has survived the US-Israeli assault on Iran.

Mojtaba Khamenei is viewed within the establishment as a potential next supreme leader.

At least 101 people are missing and 78 are injured following a submarine attack on an Iranian ship off Sri Lanka’s coast.

The Sri Lanka Navy and defence ministry sources reported the figures.

Kuwait’s military said a new wave of Iranian missiles and drone was targeting the tiny Mideast nation.

32 people have been admitted to a hospital after being rescued from a sinking Iranian naval ship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, according to a senior official.

Dr. Anil Jasinghe, a top health ministry official, says one of them is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment and others are treated for minor injuries.


Sri Lanka's navy was informed that the ship IRIS Dena, carrying 180 people, was in distress, and the island nation despatched ships and air force aircraft on a rescue effort, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament.

Details on the ship's damage and the injuries sustained by the sailors were not immediately available.

Israel has struck more than 250 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past 48 hours, an Israeli army spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Effie Defrin said in a recorded statement that the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had been launching rockets at Israel overnight.

Defrin said Israel would continue to target Hezbollah until “the threat is removed.”

“I emphasize: We have no issue with the people of Lebanon. The people of Lebanon are paying the price for the Iranian regime,” he said.

-AP

The Israeli military is directing residents of numerous communities along the Israeli border in southern Lebanon to leave and relocate "immediately" north of the Litani River.

The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson warned people on X that if they decide to move south of the river they will be endangering their lives.

The majority of the region south of the Litani River is bordered by Israel. According to the Lebanese government, Hezbollah's military presence has been removed from the region in recent months.

Iranian state television on Wednesday afternoon said the mourning ceremony for Khamenei had been postponed and would be held later after intense strikes targeted Tehran.

-AP

The guard says it is prepared for the “complete destruction of the region’s military and economic infrastructure.” The statement came via Iranian state television.

“The continued mischief and deception by the United States in the region will come at the cost of the complete destruction of the region’s military and economic infrastructure,” it says.

It alleges, without offering evidence, that the U.S. military was using “civilian facilities ... as cover.”

NATO defense systems have intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran as it headed toward Turkey’s airspace, the Turkish defense ministry said.

A ministry statement said the missile was detected after crossing the Iraqi and Syrian airspace and was intercepted by NATO units stationed in the eastern Mediterranean.

Debris from the missile fell into a district of Hatay province, near the border with Syria. There were no casualties.

“Every step taken to defend our territory and airspace will be taken resolutely and without hesitation,” the defense ministry said. “We remind all parties that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions against our country.”

According to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a U.K. military department, the ship's engine room caught fire. It claims that an unidentified projectile struck the ship as it was travelling east through the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. defense secretary says the Tuesday night strike on the warship is the first such attack on an enemy since World War II.

“The Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf,” Hegeth said.

Hegesth asserts that the U.S. is winning its military operation against Iran “decisively, devastatingly and without mercy.”

He says more forces including jet fighters and bombers soon will arrive in the region. He adds that the U.S. “will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.”

The defense secretary says the timeline could go further than previously speculated. “You can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three,” he says. “Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo.”

Tanker traffic through Strait of Hormuz is down by about 90%. The disruption is costly for the global oil trade. A fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait.

Major shipping firms have routed vessels away from the area over security concerns.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is promising to send a special envoy for mediation to the Middle East.

The pledge comes after separate phone calls between Wang and his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab ⁠Emirates, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Wang told Saudi’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah he appreciated Riyadh’s “restraint” and attempts to resolve differences through peaceful means.

Israel’s army says it carried out a large-scale strike on what it described as a major Iranian military complex east of Tehran.

In a statement posted on X by Arabic-language military spokesperson Avichay Adraee, he said fighter jets targeted an area that housed “command centres” used by several branches of Iran’s security establishment.

The Israeli military said the site included headquarters linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Quds Force, the Basij, military intelligence and other security units, claiming that Iranian personnel were present at the complex at the time.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has asked the US ambassador to the country to urge Washington to intervene to stop Israeli attacks, according to a statement from the presidency.

Aoun made the request during a meeting earlier with US Ambassador Michael Issa where they discussed the current situation in Lebanon and the Middle East.

- AL Jazeera