US-Israel Iran War Live Updates

Despite President Trump’s latest warnings of potential military action against Iran, stock exchanges in Japan and South Korea have kicked off the day on a positive note.

As of 00:45 GMT, the Nikkei 225 index in Japan has shown a modest increase of 0.45 percent, while the KOSPI in South Korea has risen by approximately 1.8 percent.
In stark contrast, China’s key stock market indicators have taken a downturn. The SSE Composite Index in Shanghai and the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong have each declined by 1 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.

Reports from Al Jazeera Arabic indicate a mounting death toll in Beirut’s Jnah and Ain Saadeh neighborhoods following Israeli airstrikes, with eight fatalities and 55 individuals injured. The assault on Jnah resulted in the loss of five lives, including a 15-year-old girl, and left 52 others wounded, including eight minors. The Ain Saadeh hills in the Matn district witnessed three fatalities, comprising two women, and three wounded women. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, no fewer than 1,461 people have lost their lives in Israeli attacks since March 2, while 4,430 others have sustained injuries.

A devastating assault by US-Israeli forces on a residential complex in Qom, Iran, has resulted in the loss of at least five lives, as confirmed by Morteza Heydari, the deputy to the governor of Qom responsible for security and politics.

Rescue operations are currently underway in the port city of Haifa, Israel, where a single Iranian missile struck a strategic location on Sunday evening, prompting an all-night search for survivors amidst the rubble.
Haifa, a critical transportation and industrial hub, has been repeatedly targeted by Iranian missiles since the conflict began, due in part to its proximity to the Lebanese border, putting it within range of Hezbollah rockets.
According to authorities, a single missile with a substantial warhead breached Israel’s missile defence system, resulting in the destruction of a building and the potential for unexploded warhead fragments to remain in the rubble.
This has necessitated the assistance of Israel’s national special rescue unit in the rescue operation, which is now focused on locating four individuals who are still unaccounted for and believed to have been residing in one of the most severely damaged apartments.

Graphic footage captured by Al Jazeera confirms a devastating drone assault on the city of Sulaimaniyah in Iraq’s Kurdish region, with flames and smoke billowing across the sky. The aerial bombardment occurred mere moments after a preceding drone attack had ravaged a nearby structure. As the situation unfolds, authorities remain tight-lipped about the perpetrators and the intended targets of the strikes. The conflict-ridden landscape of Iraq has become increasingly entangled in the US-Israeli-Iranian conflict, with US forces and Iranian-backed militias engaging in a cycle of retaliatory strikes.

Iran’s top advisor to the Supreme Leader has sounded a dire warning, cautioning that critical global shipping lanes beyond the Strait of Hormuz could be vulnerable to attack if the US and Israel intensify their military actions. According to Iran’s state-run Press TV, Ali Akbar Velayati, a trusted advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emphasized that a single miscalculation by either country could have severe repercussions for the global energy supply and international trade. Velayati noted that the “unified command of the resistance” considers the Bab el-Mandab Strait, off the coast of Yemen, to be equally strategic as the Strait of Hormuz, given its pivotal role in connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. This waterway serves as a crucial chokepoint for shipping bound for the Suez Canal. The warning comes in response to Trump’s threat to unleash a devastating response on Iran if it fails to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday. Velayati also observed that while the US has learned some valuable lessons from Iran’s history, it still lacks a deep understanding of the geography of power. The Houthi rebels, aligned with Tehran, have previously warned that they stand ready to strike the Bab el-Mandab Strait in solidarity with Iran, a move that could further disrupt international trade. The group’s past attacks on Red Sea shipping during Israel’s conflict with Gaza caused widespread disruption to global commerce.

Visuals captured by Al Jazeera confirm a flurry of flames and smoke engulfing the skies above Sulaymaniyah, a city in Iraq’s Kurdish region, in the aftermath of a drone assault. The aerial bombardment occurred mere moments after a preceding drone strike had left a separate structure in the city badly damaged. As yet, no entity has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and the intended targets of the strikes remain shrouded in mystery. Iraq has become increasingly entangled in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, with US military personnel and Tehran-backed militias locked in a cycle of retaliatory strikes that shows no signs of abating.

A senior Iranian government official has revealed that numerous universities, educational institutions, and research centers suffered significant damage as a result of recent US-Israeli air strikes. According to Fatemeh Mohajerani, as reported by Press TV, the cumulative impact of these attacks has resulted in over 100,000 civilian sites being affected across the country since the conflict escalated on February 28.

US Representative Jim McGovern, the senior Democrat on the House Rules Committee, has sounded the alarm over the US military’s actions in Iran, warning that they are putting Americans at greater risk. McGovern expressed deep concern about the US’s disregard for international humanitarian law, stating that it invites other nations to follow suit and compromise global safety.

In a recent statement on X, McGovern highlighted the growing unease among international human rights experts, who are raising red flags about the US’s conduct in the conflict. These experts point to serious breaches of the Geneva Conventions and international law, which could potentially amount to war crimes.

Separately, McGovern sharply criticized Trump’s recent inflammatory remarks, labeling them “totally unhinged and extremely perilous.” McGovern’s stark assessment of the situation was that Trump’s behavior is “psychotic” and that the President needs urgent support to address his apparent crisis.

In the aftermath of a recent assault on Israel, rescue teams have been tirelessly combing through the debris in Haifa since Sunday evening, their efforts continuing unabated into the night and beyond.
Located in the northern region of Israel, Haifa is a critical transportation and industrial hub, with the added significance of being the country’s primary oil refining center.
As a result, the city has become a repeated target for Iranian missile strikes, dating back to the commencement of the conflict.
Furthermore, its proximity to the Lebanese border puts it within striking distance of Hezbollah rockets.
According to authorities, the latest attack was precipitated by a single missile, boasting a substantial warhead, which managed to evade Israel’s missile defense system.
The presence of unexploded warhead fragments in the rubble poses a significant threat, necessitating the assistance of Israel’s national special rescue unit in the ongoing rescue operation.
The warhead struck the lower section of the building, causing the adjacent apartment to collapse, leaving four individuals unaccounted for, who were believed to be residing in one of the most severely damaged apartments.