555 killed in Iran since start of war, Iran Red Crescent says

A British sovereign base in Cyprus was being evacuated on Monday after sirens sounded, an AFP correspondent said.

About 70 cars were seen leaving the Akrotiri base area on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island, the correspondent said, adding that most of them bore civilian license plates.

Iran's president appointed on Monday Revolutionary Guards general Majid Ebnelreza as acting defence minister after his predecessor was killed in Israeli-US strikes.

"By order of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Revolutionary Guards general Majid Ebnelreza has been appointed as acting defence minister," said deputy for presidential communications Mehdi Tabatabaei in a post on X. [AFP]

Kuwait's air defences mistakenly shot down three US F-15 fighter jets during active combat on Monday, US Central Command said on Monday, describing it as an apparent friendly‐fire incident during the conflict with Iran.

All six crew members ejected from the aircraft safely, were recovered and are in stable condition, CENTCOM said.

"During active combat - that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones - the US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences," CENTCOM said.

It said that Kuwait had acknowledged the incident and that an investigation was underway. [Reuters]

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Lebanon will ban Hezbollah's military activities after Israel said it struck Hezbollah-linked sites in response to the group's missile and drone attacks following the reported killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. [Reuters]

Donald Trump said he was "very disappointed" with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not allowing the US to use the Diego Garcia air base to carry out strikes on Iran, the Daily Telegraph quoted the US president as saying in an interview.

Britain had initially denied the US permission to conduct air strikes from its bases, but on Sunday evening Starmer said he was accepting a request for their use in any "defensive strikes" the US wanted to make against Iranian targets.

Trump told the British newspaper on Monday that it took "too long" for Starmer to change his mind.

"That's probably never happened between our countries before," he told The Telegraph, adding: "It sounds like he was worried about the legality." [Reuters]

Army spokesperson Effie Defrin has said Israel has mobilised some 100,000 reservists, dozens of battalions, brigades, divisions, who are ready for “all possibilities, both defence and offence”.

“All options are on the table,” he said. (Al Jazeera)

Saudi state television says authorities temporarily ahve shut down the Ras Tanura refinery near Dammam after drone attack.

As we reported earlier, the Saudi Defence Ministry said a fire broke out at the oil facility due to debris falling from two drones that had been intercepted.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi say they are responding to incidents of debris falling on a warehouse in ICAD and a commercial facility in the Mussafah area after air defence systems intercepted drones.

“The incident resulted in no injuries and minor building damage,” the Abu Dhabi media office said in a statement. (Al Jazeera)

France is "ready" to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against Iran if necessary, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday.

Iran has launched a series of missile and drone strikes on several Gulf countries, saying it is targeting US bases, after being hit by US-Israeli missiles from Saturday that had killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"To allied countries that have been deliberately targeted by the missiles and drones of the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards and dragged into a war they did not choose -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan -- France expresses its full support and complete solidarity," he said. (AFP)

A Bangladeshi expatriate from Sandwip has been killed in a missile strike in Bahrain, reportedly launched from Iran amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The victim, Md Tarek (48), was a resident of Azimpur Pahar area of Sandwip. He was killed on Monday morning while on duty at a shipyard in Bahrain when the missile attack occurred.

Iran has reportedly targeted Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery, operated by Saudi Aramco, amid sharply escalating tensions across the Gulf following joint US-Israeli strikes that began on Saturday.

The retaliatory action comes after Iranian authorities blamed the United States and Israel for attacks that allegedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian officials. Tehran has described its latest military operations as an act of revenge.

According to international media reports, a drone struck the Ras Tanura refining facility on Monday, triggering a small and isolated fire. The blaze was later brought under control, and the facility was temporarily shut down as a precaution. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Delegates at the United Nations' nuclear agency began meeting on Monday for an extraordinary session on Iran in the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.

Russia, a key ally of Tehran, requested the meeting on Saturday at the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following the same request by Iran.

The extraordinary meeting precedes an already scheduled regular session of the IAEA's board of governors, which represents 35 countries.

Following the strikes, the IAEA -- which monitors Iran's nuclear programme -- said on Saturday that it was "closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, and urges restraint to avoid any nuclear safety risks to people in the region". (AFP)

European gas prices soared more than 20 percent Monday on fears that the Iran war will cut supplies in the Gulf region, notably exports from Qatar.

The Dutch TTF natural gas contract, considered the European benchmark, rocketed to 38.885 euros, having earlier gained more than 22 percent.

Despite the surge, the price was below the level it reached in January during the northern hemisphere winter.

The UAE said on Sunday it was closing its embassy in Tehran and recalling the Emirati ambassador after Iran's retaliatory missile and drone campaign in the Gulf killed four people and wounded dozens more.

The move marks the strongest condemnation yet by a Gulf state since Tehran began targeting the region with a barrage of strikes after the US and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran that killed its supreme leader and other top officials.

"These hostile attacks against civilian sites, including residential areas, airports, ports, and service facilities, endangered innocent civilians in a serious and irresponsible escalation," the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.

The death toll from Pakistan's violent weekend protests over the killing of Iran's supreme leader has reached at least 25, according to an AFP tally on Monday.

Demonstrations erupted in several major cities in Pakistan, including the southern megacity of Karachi where some protesters attempted to storm American diplomatic buildings.

The president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, says she has spoken with the government of Cyprus about the attack on the UK military base at Akrotiri.

“While the Republic of Cyprus was not the target, let me be clear: we stand collectively, firmly and unequivocally with our Member States in the face of any threat,” she wrote.

Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir said fighting against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which began early Monday, could take "many" more days.

"We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah," Zamir said in a video shared by the military on Monday, hours after rocket fire claimed by Hezbollah prompted a wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon. "We must be prepared for several days of fighting, many." (AFP)

The US embassy in Kuwait said Monday that people should not come to the facility, as an AFP correspondent saw smoke rising from the diplomatic mission on Iran's third day of retaliatory Gulf attacks.

"There is a continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks over Kuwait. Do not come to the Embassy. Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside," the embassy said in a statement.

"U.S. Embassy personnel are sheltering in place," it added. (AFP)

Loud bangs were heard Monday near Iraq's Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops, an AFP journalist said.

Earlier Monday, an AFP photographer said that air defence systems downed drones near the airport.

Since the start of the US-Israel campaign against Iran, drones have repeatedly been intercepted over Erbil, which is also home to a major US consulate complex. (AFP)

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least 31 people and wounded 149, the Lebanese health ministry said on Monday, as Israel's military threatened to intensify its attacks following Hezbollah rocket fire.

The ministry said in a statement that "Israeli enemy raids" on Beirut's southern suburbs and southern Lebanon "have resulted, in an initial count, in the killing of 31 citizens and the wounding of 149 citizens". (AFP)

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, who was also an adviser to the country's former Supreme Leader, said in a post on X on Monday that Tehran will not negotiate with the US, in response to a report that Iran is trying to revive negotiations with Washington.

A senior Israeli general said on Monday the military would intensify its attacks on Lebanon, after launching strikes in response to rocket fire claimed by 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," he was quoted as saying in a military statement. (AFP)

Israel has issued displacement orders, forcing hundreds of thousands to leave their homes, including in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburbs.

Residents are packing what they can and seeking safer areas amid ongoing strikes.

The chaos comes during Ramadan, as people who should be having their final meal before fasting are instead searching for shelter.

Source: Al Jazeera

Israel has told residents of more than 50 towns and villages in Lebanon to evacuate immediately, warning of potential attacks.

Residents are instructed to move at least 1km away from their homes to open areas. 

Authorities said anyone near Hezbollah members, facilities, or military assets is putting their life at risk.

The villages listed are: Sarifa, Maaroub, Selaa (Tyre), Debaal, Bafliyeh, Barish, Arzoun, Qlayleh, Al-Shahabiya (Tayr Zibna), Dardghaya, Bastiyat, Arab Salim, Housh al-Rafqa, Yahmar (West Bekaa), Maydoun, Dalafi, Ain Qana, Knisseh, Mansouri (Tyre), Majdal Zoun, Mazraat Buyout al-Sayyad, Jabal al-Butm, Zibqin, Al-Samaya, Aytit, Qana, Al-Bayyada (Tyre), Deir Aames, Aita al-Jabal (al-Zout), Hanine (Bint Jbeil), Haris, Haddatha, Mahrouna, Beit Lif, Yater (Bint Jbeil), Shaqra, Houla, Baraachit, Bint Jbeil, Jmaijmeh, Aitaroun, Safad al-Battikh, Al-Bazourieh, Aaynata, Hanawiya, Jannata, Burj al-Shamali, Maarakeh, Siddiqine, Al-Majadel, Wadi Jilo, Drouiss (Baalbek), and Mais al-Jabal.

Source: BBC

The Israeli attack on the girls’ school in Minab on Sunday has killed “about 180 young children”, according to Hossein Kermanpour, the head of public relations at Iran’s Health Ministry.

He added that the “same type” of missile was used to attack the Gandhi Hospital in Tehran hours ago.

Source: Al Jazeera

Fears of US and Israeli attacks on Iran push crude oil higher and weigh on global markets.

In Asia, Brent crude jumped 13 percent on Monday, later stabilising at $76.48 per barrel -- up nearly 5 percent internationally.

Asian stocks fell: Hong Kong’s Hang Seng down 2 percent, Japan’s Nikkei 225 down 1.5 percent.

US after-hours futures also dipped, signalling a volatile session ahead; the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell about 0.7 percent.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence has said that a suspected drone has hit its military base at Akrotiri in Cyprus.

It said there were no casualties and that the strike occurred at around midnight.

The base at Aktokiri is the UK’s main military facility for its operations in the Middle East, and the raid comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country had agreed to a US request to use the UK’s bases for attacks on Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council decrying the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli strikes.

The letter decried Khamenei’s killing as a “cowardly act of terror” and a “dangerous and unprecedented escalation that strikes at the most fundamental norms of statehood and civilized conduct among nations”. [Read more]

France, Germany and the UK said Sunday they were ready to defend their interests and those of its allies in the Gulf if necessary by taking "defensive action" against Iran.

The three countries' leaders were "appalled by the indiscriminate and disproportionate missile attacks launched by Iran against countries in the region, including those who were not involved in initial US and Israeli military operations", said the joint statement. [AFP]

The EU is to reinforce its naval mission in the Red Sea with additional vessels as Iran's retaliation to US-Israeli strikes threatens maritime traffic, a European diplomat said Sunday.

Two new French ships will join the EU's Aspides mission, bringing to five the number of warships taking part, the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity, after foreign ministers from the bloc's 27 nations held talks on Iran. [AFP]

The EU warned Sunday against a prolonged war in the Middle East, saying further escalation could threaten Europe and beyond, as it urged Iran to refrain from indiscriminate retaliation after US-Israeli strikes.

Foreign ministers from the bloc's 27 nations -- most of which are NATO members -- held extraordinary talks via video link on day two of an assault that killed Iran's supreme leader, as EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called for a "credible transition" in the country. [AFP]

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Iranians to rise up to topple the Islamic republic a day after a joint US-Israeli attack killed the supreme leader.

"I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment to be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country. America is with you," Trump said in a video address. [AFP]

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran's security forces to surrender or be killed, after the US military said it destroyed the headquarters of the elite Revolutionary Guards.

"I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military and police to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death. It will be certain death. It won't be pretty," Trump said in a video address. [AFP]

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday he had agreed to let the United States use UK bases to fire "defensive" strikes aimed at destroying Iranian missiles and their launchers.

But in a video address posted to social media, he added: "We were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and we will not join offensive action now." [AFP]

US President Donald Trump vowed Sunday to avenge the deaths of three US troops in a war he launched on Iran as he acknowledged more casualties were likely.

"Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends," Trump said in a video address. "But America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization." [AFP]

A series of loud blasts have been heard above West Jerusalem following air raid sirens after the Israeli military said it detected missiles launched from Iran.

“A short while ago, the Israeli military identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel,” the army said in a statement. [Al Jazeera]

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned that combat operations in Iran would continue until all objectives are achieved, as he confirmed in a video posted on Truth Social that three US service members had been killed and said there would likely be more American casualties. [Reuters]

The EU’s 27 member states have called for “maximum restraint, protection of civilians and full respect of international law,” in a statement issued by the Bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

On Saturday, Kallas said it is “essential that the war does not spread any further.” The EU’s top diplomat hosted an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Sunday. [Al Jazeera]

Seven Iranian military commanders have been killed in air raids, reports Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.

The list of names includes Basij Major General Shahid Mohammad Shirazi, Head of the Office of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The report also claims that Raider General Shahid Saleh Asadi, Deputy for Intelligence of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, was killed in the strikes.

The US military announced that it has destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard force.

“America has the most powerful military on earth, and the IRGC no longer has a headquarters,” the US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said in a post on social media. [Al Jazeera]

At least 17 people were killed Sunday across Pakistan as protesters outraged over the death of Iran's supreme leader took to the streets, with some attempting to storm US diplomatic buildings.

In the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, an AFP journalist witnessed hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters trying to enter the US consulate, prompting clashes with police. [AFP]

The Israeli military said it had dealt a "severe blow" to Iran's command and control centres on Sunday after a fresh wave of strikes on military targets in the Islamic republic.

The military "struck dozens of the regime's military command centres, including headquarters belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), intelligence headquarters, IRGC Air Force command centres, and internal security headquarters" in the Tehran area, the military said in a statement. [AFP]

US President Donald Trump spoke on Sunday with the leaders of Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. [Reuters]

The United Arab Emirates is closing its embassy in Iran and recalling its ambassador following the barrage of Iranian attacks on its soil, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

“The UAE announces closure of its embassy in Tehran and withdrawal of its ambassador and all members of its diplomatic mission, and condemns the Iranian missile attacks,” read a statement posted by Afra Al Hameli, the foreign ministry’s director of strategic communications, on social media. [Al Jazeera]

The US broadcaster NBC reports that the three US soldiers who have died so far in the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran were based in Kuwait.

Kuwait is one of a series of Gulf countries that host US bases and that have come under attack from Iranian missiles since the US and Israel launched their bombing campaign against Iran on Saturday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “saddened to the learn of the passing of Iran’s Supreme Leader”, in a post on X on Sunday.

Erdogan also extended his “sympathies” to the people of Iran. On Saturday, the Turkish leader said that the US-Israeli attacks violated Iran’s sovereignty and targeted the peace of Iranian people. [Al Jazeera]

Angry Iraqi protesters have squared off with security forces near the US embassy in the capital Baghdad.

Protesters tried to storm Baghdad’s Green Zone where the US embassy is located, but security forces fired tear gas to disperse them. It was their second attempt today to enter the area. [Al Jazeera]

An Iranian missile attack on Sunday in the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh killed at least nine people and left 11 missing, police said, in the deadliest strike in the country since the war began.

"So far, more than 45 injured people in varying degrees of severity have been evacuated, and the bodies of nine fatalities have been recovered," police said in a statement. [AFP]

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said the United States has “destroyed and sunk” nine Iranian naval ships with some “relatively large and important”.

The president also said the US military has “largely destroyed” Iran’s naval headquarters. Trump said the US is now going after the rest of the Iranian naval fleet. “They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea,” he added. [Al Jazeera]

The UK Defence Ministry said a Royal Air Force Typhoon took out an Iranian drone that was heading towards Qatar on Sunday.

The incident marks the first involvement of UK forces since the US-Israel joint strikes on Iran. [Al Jazeera]

Two further powerful explosions rocked Tehran on Sunday, rattling the apartment windows of two AFP journalists living several kilometres apart, on the second day of US-Israeli strikes against Iran.

The explosions, which were of considerable force, came around 9:00 pm local time (1730 GMT), the same time that state television said it was being attacked. It was not immediately clear what the target was. [AFP]

Iranian state television said it has been targeted by strikes after a series of powerful blasts rattled Tehran, though it was not knocked off the air.

“The technical team is assessing the damage,” said the broadcaster, which was also targeted during the US-Israel 12-day war on Iran in June. [Al Jazeera]

Israel has flown its official government aircraft to Germany and parked it for safety at Berlin's airport, German government sources said, after US and Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunged the region into conflict.

Media reports citing data from the Flightradar24 flight tracking service said the aircraft departed Israel early on Saturday afternoon and circled over the Mediterranean before flying to Germany in the evening. [Reuters]

The US military on Sunday said three service members have been killed and five seriously wounded in the operation against Iran -- the first casualties of any kind announced on the US side.

The United States and Israel launched massive bombardments against Iran and killed its supreme leader Saturday, with attacks ongoing Sunday. [AFP]

NATO's top commander in Europe is "closely" following developments in Iran and the Middle East and adjusting forces as needed to defend against "potential threats", the alliance said Sunday.

The commander, US General Alexus Grynkewich, "has and will continue to adjust NATO's very strong force posture to ensure the security of its 32 member nations and to defend the Alliance from potential threats," said a NATO statement posted on X. [AFP]

New explosions were heard Sunday evening in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdistan region which hosts US bases.

Lound bangs shook the city, which is home to a US consulate and American troops, an AFP journalist said. [AFP]

A wave of cyber-enabled operations took place early Saturday morning alongside the joint US-Israeli attack on targets across Iran, according to cybersecurity experts and observers.

The operations included the hacking of multiple news websites to display various messages and the hack of BadeSaba, a religious calendar app with more than 5 million downloads, which displayed messages telling users “It’s time for reckoning” and urging armed forces to give up weapons and join the people. [Reuters ]

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would "be talking" to Iranian leaders but was vague on the timing and noted that much of the country's leadership was dead.

"They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner," Trump was quoted as saying by The Atlantic, as US and Israeli forces press a war against Iran for a second day.

Asked when such talks might take place, Trump said "I can't tell you." [AFP]

Iranian media reported that 43 members of the security forces were killed in an attack on the headquarters of a border regiment in the western city of Mehran near Iraq on Sunday.

"This attack, which was accompanied by bombing, unfortunately resulted in the martyrdom of 43 security personnel, most of them border guards, and parts of nearby buildings were also seriously damaged," the Mehr news agency said.

"According to initial reports, this hostile act was carried out by agents of the United States and the Zionist regime." [AFP]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to intensify air strikes on Tehran in the coming days, declaring that the military had mobilised its "full strength" in the campaign against Iran.

"I have issued instructions for the continuation of the campaign... Our forces are now striking at the heart of Tehran with intense power, and this will only escalate in the days ahead," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

"We are engaged in a campaign in which the IDF (military) is deploying its full strength as never before, to ensure our existence and our future." [AFP]

President Donald Trump said Sunday that 48 Iranian leaders have been killed in the ongoing US-Israeli bombardments of the country.

"Nobody can believe the success we're having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it's moving along rapidly," Trump was quoted as saying in an interview by Fox News. [AFP]

The Pentagon on Sunday denied Iran's claim to have struck the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles in the Gulf.

"The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn't even come close," US Central Command said on X. [AFP]

The US military said on Sunday it has sunk an Iranian warship and called on Iranian forces to lay down their arms and leave their posts.

The US Central Command, which is overseeing ongoing US attacks on Iran, said it sunk an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette in the Gulf of Oman at a Chah Bahar pier.

"As the President said, members of Iran's armed forces, IRGC and police 'must lay down your weapons.' Abandon ship," Central Command said in a post on X, referring to remarks on Saturday by President Donald Trump. [Reuters]

Three US service members have been killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran, the US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday.

Five others were seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, it said. [Reuters]

We are now getting reports that nine people in Israel have been killed by an Iranian ballistic missile impact in Beit Shemesh, the Magen David Adom ambulance says. [Al Jazeera English]

The US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was targeted with four ballistic missiles on Sunday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp said in a statement reported by state media.

The USS Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers deployed to the region in recent weeks and the only one relatively close to Iranian shores. [Reuters]