A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday. In addition to striking Tehran, Israel hit the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, while Iran .
As the spirals, U.S. Senate Republicans rejected a war powers measure demanding before further attacks. A twin House bill faces the same long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, and Trump would almost certainly veto it anyway.
The war has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, more than 50 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. The United Nations says 100,000 people fled the Iranian capital in the war鈥檚 first two days alone.
U.S. after stopped spiking and reports gave encouraging updates on the American economy.
Here is the latest:
Saudi Arabia destroys drone
The Saudi Defense Ministry said it destroyed a drone in the kingdom鈥檚 al-Jawf province, which borders Jordan.
Israeli strike targets Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon鈥檚 north, killing 2
The Israeli military struck a building in the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp in the coastal city of Tripoli, killing two people, Lebanon鈥檚 Health Ministry said.
The strike, which hit the area without prior warning and marked the northernmost strike so far, wounded another individual, the Health Ministry said.
The Israeli military did not immediately say who it targeted in the strike.
Located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) north of Beirut and more than 180 kilometers (112 miles) from the Lebanese鈥揑sraeli border, Beddawi was targeted during the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024, the Israeli military said in July it struck a Hamas figure in the camp.
Israeli strike kills 3 in southern Lebanon
An overnight Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle on a coastal highway in southern Lebanon, killing three people, Lebanon鈥檚 state news agency said.
The highway connects the city of Tyre to Naqoura, a border town near Israel.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military warned residents to move north of the Litani River, which serves as a key buffer line with villages south of it lying closest to the Israeli border.
The number of people killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon in the four days since the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reignited has risen to more than 70, with over 430 people wounded, Lebanon鈥檚 Health Ministry said Wednesday.
It is not clear how many of those killed in Lebanon were civilians, but the Health Ministry said Tuesday that they included seven children.
Officials with Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group were also killed.
New attacks target Israel and U.S. bases, Iranian state TV says
Iranian state television said there was a new wave of attacks Thursday morning targeting Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.
Sirens sound in Jerusalem, booms heard
Sirens sounded in Jerusalem and loud booms were heard.
Israel says Iran launched third overnight missile salvo
For the third time in the early hours of Thursday, Israel鈥檚 military said Iran had launched missiles at the country and its defense systems were working to intercept them.
No casualties were reported in the first two incidents.
South Korean president activates $68.5 billion emergency financial package
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called on officials to activate an emergency financial package worth 100 trillion won ($68.5 billion) aimed at calming market volatility.
Lee鈥檚 comments came a day after the country鈥檚 benchmark stock index, the Kospi, recorded its biggest single-day drop since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, as concerns grew over how the spiraling conflict in the Middle East would affect the country鈥檚 economy, which is heavily dependent on trade and imported fuel.
Stocks rebounded Thursday as investors sought bargains, triggering temporary trading halts.
During a Cabinet meeting, Lee also instructed officials to use all possible transport means, including military aircraft and chartered flights, to speed up the evacuation of South Korean nationals in war-affected areas of the Middle East.
South Korean officials have so far evacuated 24 citizens from Iran to Turkmenistan, and 62 from Israel to Egypt by bus.
Before the evacuations, officials said about 60 South Korean nationals were in Iran and about 600 in Israel.
Pentagon releases remaining two names of soldiers killed in Kuwait attack
The Pentagon on Wednesday night released the last two names of the six U.S. soldiers killed in a .
The soldiers identified were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento and Maj. Jeffrey O鈥橞rien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa.
The Pentagon said Marzan was at the scene when a drone strike hit the command center in Kuwait and is 鈥渂elieved to be the individual who perished at the scene,鈥� according to a statement. A medical examiner will confirm identification, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon listed O鈥橞rien鈥檚 home address as Indianola but his listed address is in Waukee. Both are suburbs of Des Moines. Four soldiers were previously identified by the Pentagon on Tuesday.
They died Sunday when a drone hit a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, just a day after the U.S. and Israel launched its . Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.
New Zealand to deploy military planes to evacuate its citizens from Middle East
New Zealand鈥檚 government will deploy two military planes to the Middle East so that New Zealanders can be evacuated when conditions permit, officials said Thursday.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defense Minister Judith Collins said in a statement that the government was also speaking to commercial airlines, including to discuss charter flight options. Commercial services from Dubai to Auckland, New Zealand, are not currently operating.
There are about 3,000 New Zealanders known to be living in the Middle East, officials said.
鈥淲e cannot be sure when and how any civilian evacuation operations might be possible, but we want to be ready if and when conditions on the ground make them possible,鈥� Peters said.
US begins charter flights for stranded American citizens wanting to leave the Middle East
The State Department says that charter flights for American citizens stranded in the Middle East since the start of military operations against Iran have begun.
The department said Wednesday that one plane has left the Middle East to bring Americans home.
It did not say where the flight originated from or where it was going, although the department has said it is arranging charter aircraft from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
It has said Americans wanting to leave those countries should register online at mytravel.state.gov/s/crisis-intake or contact the State Department鈥檚 24/7 Task Force at +1-202-501-4444.
New attack reported off coast of Kuwait
A new attack early Thursday off the coast of Kuwait appeared to expand the area where commercial shipping was in danger.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, run by the British military, said the attack happened off the coast of Kuwait in the northern Persian Gulf.
An explosion rocked the area, the UKMTO said, adding that a tanker apparently came under attack and a small vessel left the area afterward.
The UKMTO did not offer a cause, but Iran has used limpet mines in the past attached to ships to attack them.
So far, attacks have happened in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.
Qatar evacuates residents near U.S. embassy as precaution
Qatar鈥檚 Interior Ministry said Thursday that authorities were evacuating residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha as a temporary precaution.
No further details or threats were immediately reported.
Since the start of the U.S.鈥揑srael war with Iran, American diplomatic missions across the Middle East have faced heightened threats, closures and evacuations as Iranian missiles and drones have targeted or prompted alerts at U.S. embassies and consulates.
Israeli military says it launched strikes on Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs
The Israeli military says it has launched at least two strikes on Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs after issuing an evacuation warning for a building in the Haret Hreik area.
No casualties were immediately reported.
Senate Republicans reject war powers resolution
Senate Republicans voted down an effort Wednesday to halt the Trump administration鈥檚 war against Iran, demonstrating early support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear U.S. exit strategy.
The legislation, known as a , failed on a 47-53 vote tally. The vote fell mostly along party lines, though Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against.
The war powers resolution gave lawmakers an opportunity to demand congressional approval before any further attacks are carried out. The vote forced them to take a stand on a war shaping the fate of U.S. military members, countless other lives and the future of the region.
Israeli strikes on a Beirut highway kill 3
Two near-simultaneous drone strikes hit vehicles traveling in opposite directions along Beirut鈥檚 coastal Airport Road on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding six, Lebanon鈥檚 health ministry said.
The Israeli military said it targeted a Hezbollah member. The cars burst into flames, with video from the scene showing one wounded man lying on the pavement as bystanders gathered nearby.
Lebanese officials say more than 70 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the latest escalation with Hezbollah began three days ago. Those include at least one Hezbollah intelligence official and a senior Palestinian militant.
GOP鈥檚 Massie says Congress should be forced to vote on Iran war
鈥淚f Congress wants war, then the speaker should hold a vote to declare it,鈥� said Rep. Thomas Massie, an outlier in the Republican Party.
He joined with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to push forward a war powers resolution in the House that would halt Trump鈥檚 ability to wage war on Iran without approval from Congress.
Khanna during a floor speech called it 鈥渁 profoundly moral vote.鈥�
GOP lawmakers maintain that Trump is well with his authority to send the U.S. military into combat.
Israel to ease some public restrictions starting Thursday
Israel鈥檚 Home Front Command said workplaces may reopen and gatherings of up to 50 people will be allowed if there is nearby shelter starting Thursday at noon, although schools will remain closed.
The nationwide shutdown, imposed when the war began Saturday, is being loosened as the Israeli military says incoming missile fire has dropped in recent days.
However, Israelis are still 鈥渟pending a lot of time in shelters,鈥� acknowledged Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, a military spokesperson.
At a Pentagon briefing Wednesday, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen. Dan Caine, said that the number of ballistic missiles fired off by Iran is down by 86% from the first day of the war, and that there鈥檚 been a 23% drop in the last 24 hours.
Rubio assures Turkey of US support after Iranian missile incident
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan that attacks on Turkey鈥檚 territory are unacceptable and pledged full U.S. support after an Iranian missile headed toward the country was shot down, the State Department said Wednesday.
Civilians in northern Iraq feel caught in the crossfire
Ibrahim Jawdat woke around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday when a drone exploded beside his family鈥檚 home in Irbil, shattering windows and spraying glass across his bed.
Neighbor Hawkar Hadi鈥檚 house was also damaged, with broken windows and shrapnel lodged in walls and furniture.
鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to be a victim of a war that we鈥檙e not part of,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e paying the cost of things we didn鈥檛 do.鈥�
Iran and allied Iraqi militias have fired missiles and drones at U.S. bases and the U.S. consulate in Irbil, the capital of the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Most have been intercepted, though some have fallen in residential areas.
There have been more than 100 attacks on Irbil since the war began, Gov. Omed Khoshnaw told reporters Wednesday, and he urged Baghdad to compensate residents for damage.
South Africa advises citizens to leave the Middle East as more 鈥榟eavy attacks鈥� expected
More than 6,400 South Africans have registered on a system opened for citizens to advise the government of their location, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The ministry said it was urging its citizens to depart on the limited number of commercial flights that have resumed.
UN says Israel and Hezbollah are violating Lebanon鈥檚 ceasefire
United Nations peacekeepers said Wednesday they observed rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel and Israeli military activity and airstrikes near several villages.
Both sides are in violation of a 2006 U.N. Security Council ceasefire, according to the peacekeeping force, while Israel is also breaching Lebanon鈥檚 sovereignty. The 7,500-strong force said it remains on the ground in southern Lebanon.
Israeli air force hits missile launchers in Iran
Israel鈥檚 military said Wednesday that its air force had destroyed Iranian ballistic missile sites in the west and central parts of the country, hitting the infrastructure being used to launch projectiles toward Israeli territory.
Iran鈥檚 barrages of ballistic missiles toward Israel have slowed and been mostly intercepted, however some have gotten through Israel鈥檚 defenses, causing damage and killing around a dozen people. Some experts say Iran may be holding its weapons in reserve to prolong the conflict.
Trump says he gives the US a 15/10 grade for Iran war
The president opened his remarks at an unrelated White House event on artificial intelligence that the U.S. is 鈥渄oing very well on the war front, to put it mildly.鈥�
Trump said someone asked him to rate on a scale of 10 how well he thought the U.S. was doing and said, 鈥渁bout a 15.鈥�
Arab League tells Iran to halt attacks on Gulf nations
The ongoing strikes deepen an 鈥渦nprecedented state of hostility鈥� with Iran’s neighbors in the Gulf, said Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit in a statement Wednesday.
He demanded Tehran stop the attacks, which he called a 鈥渟trategic mistake,鈥� saying 鈥淚ran must come to its senses.鈥�
The Arab League, made up of 22 member states, promotes regional cooperation. However, it is widely seen as toothless and has long struggled to help solve conflicts.
Hezbollah leader vows to keep fighting Israel
In his first public address since joining the war, Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said the Lebanese militant group rejects the government鈥檚 plan to disarm its fighters.
鈥淎s long as the (Israeli) occupation is present, then the resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right,鈥� Kassem said.
Lebanon鈥檚 leaders say Hezbollah鈥檚 rocket fire into Israel is illegal and urged the Lebanese army to crack down on groups possessing weapons outside state control.
Lebanon鈥檚 cash-strapped military, backed by the U.S. and other governments, has been deploying in recent months across southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong military presence. However, it鈥檚 unclear if the army is able or willing to disarm Hezbollah by directly confronting them.
UN says 100,000 people fled Tehran in the war鈥檚 first 2 days
The U.N. refugee agency, basing its estimates on Iranian officials, also said around 1,000 to 2,000 vehicles per day were reported leaving the capital, mostly toward the north.
Geneva-based UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the latest reports on Wednesday indicated no increase in cross-border movements linked to the recent conflict 鈥渂ut the situation remains fluid.鈥�
Spain鈥檚 government denies cooperating with US operations in Mideast, contradicting the White House
Spanish Foreign Minister Jos茅 Manuel Albares on Wednesday denied that the government had changed its position on supporting the U.S. military operations against Iran, contradicting a White House spokesperson.
鈥淚 can refute (the White House spokesperson),鈥� Albares told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. 鈥淭he position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.鈥�
Albares spoke in Madrid shortly after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said that Spain had changed its position and 鈥渢hey鈥檝e agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military.鈥�
First Israeli combat casualties of the war are reported as 2 soldiers wounded in Lebanon
The Israeli military said the two were wounded Wednesday by anti-tank fire while operating in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah says its fighters attacked Israeli troops advancing toward the village of Khiyam and released video showing a missile striking a tank.
Israel said Tuesday its forces were moving deeper into Lebanon to establish 鈥渇orward defensive positions鈥� to protect northern Israel.
White House defends evacuation plans for Americans
The president鈥檚 top spokeswoman pushed back against criticisms that the administration didn鈥檛 do enough to ensure Americans could leave the Middle East following the U.S. war in Iran.
Leavitt insisted that 鈥渢here have been plans in place鈥� and that the State Department has been clear to those in the region to leave immediately.
鈥淲e will help every single American who wants to come home if they鈥檙e making that request of the State Department,鈥� she said.
Leavitt also said a State Department hotline that told callers not to rely on help from the U.S. government to leave the region has been corrected.
White House says Trump thinks the US public supports war with Iran
Asked if Trump thinks that Americans support the Israel-U.S. war in Iran 鈥� even though Trump hasn鈥檛 given a national address to personally make the case 鈥� Leavitt said, 鈥淚 think he does.鈥�
鈥淭his was a rogue terrorist regime that has been threatening the United States, our allies and our people for 47 years,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd the American people are smart enough to know that, and they鈥檙e smart enough to listen to the president himself 鈥� not just over the past year, in the second term, but during his first term as president.鈥�
Recent polling that, prior to the U.S.-Israel strikes that started last weekend, 61% of Americans said Iran was an 鈥渆nemy鈥� of the U.S., but only about 3 in 10 Americans said they had 鈥渁 great deal鈥� or 鈥渜uite a bit鈥� of trust in Trump.
White House claims that Spain has agreed to cooperate with US operations in Mideast
The White House on Wednesday said Spain has agreed to cooperate with U.S. operations in the Mideast after Trump had threatened to cut off trade with Madrid.
鈥淲ith respect to Spain, I think they heard the president鈥檚 message yesterday loud and clear,鈥� White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 my understanding over the past several hours, they鈥檝e agreed to cooperate with the US military. And so I know that the US military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.鈥�
Trump on Tuesday said he was going to the day after Foreign Minister Jos茅 Manuel Albares said his country would not allow the U.S. to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the United Nations鈥� charter.
White House says US ground troops in Iran 鈥榥ot part of the plan for this operation at this time鈥�
Leavitt said she would not take away military options on behalf of the president by ruling it out, saying that leaders in the past take options off the table 鈥渨ithout having a full understanding of how things could develop.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not part of the current plan, but I鈥檓 not going to remove an option for the president that is on the table,鈥� Leavitt said.
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