The US and Israel on Feb 28 launched what they described as a “pre-emptive” joint strike against Iranian targets, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, has called for the “urgent” need for de-escalation, the Foreign Office (FO) says.
FO, in a statement on X, said that the two leaders “discussed the evolving regional situation and expressed serious concern over the rising tensions”.
“DPM/FM underscored the urgent need for de-escalation and emphasised that constructive dialogue and diplomacy remain the only effective means to resolve issues and promote peace and stability in the region,” it added.
On Tuesday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on television to announce the assassination of Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and a close confidant of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran’s Fars news agency and Larijani’s own X account also confirmed the development in the early hours of Wednesday. The assassination of the commander of Iran’s internal Basij militia, Gholamreza Soleimani was also confirmed by Iran’s state media, the same day. Here is a look at the top Iranian leaders who have been killed in US-Israeli strikes.
A US-Israeli attack has hit residential, civilian and densely populated areas of Dorud city, killing seven people and injuring 56, according to the province’s deputy governor for security, Al Jazeera reports, citing Tasnim news agency.
Earlier, Tasnim reported that four people were killed by a US-Israeli attack on rural areas in the Chegeni region, also in Lorestan province.
At least four explosions were heard in the city of Erbil in the autonomous Kurdistan region, AFP journalists reports.
It was not immediately clear what the target was. From a suburb of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, AFP journalists saw interceptions of projectiles over the city, which is home to a major US consulate complex, while its airport houses US-led coalition troops.
Iran will hold funerals today for its security chief Ali Larijani as well as Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force, who were both killed in Israeli air strikes, Al Jazeera reports.
The Australian defence ministry has issued a statement on the Iranian strike on the Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE, saying that no injuries were reported.
“No ADF personnel were injured in the incident, and all ADF personnel deployed to the Middle East are safe and accounted for,” the statement on X said.
The ministry added that the strike resulted in “minor damage” to an accommodation block and medical facility in the Australian section of the base.
“Defence’s focus is on ensuring the safety and security of our people, and we will continue to revise force protection measures as the situation in the Middle East evolves,” it said.
The US Embassy in Riyadh says it is monitoring the situation in the Middle East closely and to allow citizens to “make decisions about (their) safety”.
“If you want to leave the Middle East, the US government is ready to assist by providing you the latest information about the departure options available,” the embassy said in a post on X.
It added that “President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, and the Department of State have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens”.
It also encouraged US citizens to depart Saudi Arabia via commercial flights “if you can do so safely”.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a meeting in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh today to discuss regional developments, the foreign ministry says according to Reuters, after having announced he would hold a regional tour to seek an end to the Iran war.
Iranian strikes near Gulf countries’ urban areas are due to US forces relocating out of military bases into hotels inside cities, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told Al Jazeera, in remarks carried by Reuters.
“Wherever there were American forces gathering, wherever there were facilities belonging to them, they were targeted. It is possible some of these places were near urban areas,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
Araghchi acknowledged that regional countries are “upset and their people have been harmed or bothered” by Iranian strikes, but added that the blame lay entirely with the US for starting the war on February 28.
Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026. — AFP
The deputy security chief of Lorestan Province says four people have been killed and eight wounded by a US-Israeli attack on rural areas in the Cheghani region, Al Jazeera reports.
A new Israeli strike has hit central Beirut’s Zuqaq al-Blat neighbourhood, state media reported, the second on the densely populated area since the early morning without prior warning, according to AFP.
A blast was heard throughout the capital, and AFPTV’s live broadcast showed plumes of smoke rising from the area as Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue.
A building in Bashoura, also in central Beirut, was struck earlier following an Israeli warning.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry says another drone has been shot down as it “attempted to approach the Embassies District” in Riyadh.
Saudi forces have downed a number of drones in recent hours, as well as a ballistic missile, which saw debris falling near the Prince Sultan Air Base but did not cause any damage.
During his interview with Al Jazeera, FM Abbas Araghchi pointed to the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, noting that despite the huge national loss, “the system continued”.
“We have not had anyone more important than the leader himself, and even the leader was martyred, yet the system continued to work and immediately provided a replacement,” the foreign minister said.
“If anyone else is martyred, it will be the same,” he added.
“If the foreign minister were ever to be martyred, there would ultimately be someone else to take the position.”
Asked if Araghchi was afraid that he would be targeted, the top diplomat replied, “Anyone could become a target.”
Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi speaks during an interview with Al Jazeera, which was aired on March 18, 2026. — screengrab via Al Jazeera
Israel’s military claims it struck Iranian command centres, missile sites and other infrastructure during its air raids on Tehran yesterday.
In a post on X, it said the air strikes had hit the command center of the Revolutionary Guards’ security unit, responsible for handling protests and public order disturbances in Iran, and the “maintenance centre” of the Supply and General Support Division of the Internal Security Forces.
A missile defence command centre and air defence systems were also targeted, the military said.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has expressed a sincere “desire to participate to de-escalate the situation” in Iran and to prevent further instability during an interview with Al Jazeera.
Because of these longstanding ties, he said, Pakistan has remained ready to step in and help wherever possible.
Tarar emphasised his country’s pivotal role as a regional partner with a deep commitment to diplomatic stability in the Middle East.
“Pakistan is involved in talking with various partners, and we have always wanted for this balance in relations to remain, and I think we are able to play a mediation role with the countries in the region”, he added.
At least four people have been killed in an Israeli attack that targeted four houses in the town of Sahmar in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, reports Al Jazeera.
Israeli attacks have killed 912 people in Lebanon and wounded 2,221 more since March 2, the Health Ministry says.
Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi has said Israel’s killing of Ali Larijani will not deal a fatal blow to Iran’s leadership.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said the US and Israel had yet to realise that Iran’s government does not rely on a single individual.
“I do not know why the Americans and the Israelis still have not understood this point: The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic and social institutions,” Araghchi said.
“The presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure,” he asserted.
“Of course, individuals are influential, and each person plays their role – some better, some worse, some less – but what matters is that the political system in Iran is a very solid structure.”
Iranian FM, Abbas Araghchi, commented on veteran politician Ali Larijani's killing on Tuesday in an interview with Al Jazeera. Talking about how US and Israeli forces have still not been able to understand that Iran has a strong political institution with established political, economic and social institutions, Araghchi stated: "The presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure." Video via Al Jazeera English DawnToday
An Iraqi security source has told Al Jazeera that air defences intercepted a drone in the vicinity of the logistics support centre near Baghdad airport.
