Explosions echoed across Tehran on Wednesday as the conflict between Iran, the US and Israel entered a fifth day, after initial strikes on an Iranian nuclear site and subsequent retaliatory attacks across the Gulf. Iran’s state television reported dawn blasts around the capital; Israel said its air defences had been activated to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and explosions were heard near Jerusalem. Nearly 800 people were reported killed in Iran, and US and Israeli strikes also hit Lebanon, where at least four people died in an Israeli strike on a residential complex in Baalbeck.
Submarine attack off Sri Lanka
A reported submarine attack on an Iranian vessel off the coast of Sri Lanka left at least 101 people missing, one dead and dozens injured, Sri Lankan navy and defence ministry sources told Reuters. The ship reportedly sank. Sri Lanka’s navy spokesman disputed the 101 missing figure, saying 32 injured people had been rescued and were in hospital. The foreign minister told parliament the navy responded to a distress call and launched rescue operations at 0600 local time (1230 GMT). An unnamed navy source said 79 people were rescued and taken to hospital, one seriously injured; one of those later died.
Key developments
– West Asia oil trade: An industry expert warned the war could push India’s imports of Russian crude up to about 1.5 million barrels per day, returning to peaks seen in 2024–25 as Moscow looks to meet rising demand for its oil from India for refining.
– US staff withdrawals in Pakistan: The United States ordered non-emergency staff and family members to leave its consulates in Karachi and Lahore over security concerns after protests attempted to storm diplomatic posts following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
– Targeting Iran’s next leader: Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on X that whoever is chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader “will be a target for elimination,” calling regime-appointed leaders threats to Israel, the US and the region.
– Strikes near Beirut: Overnight Israeli strikes on towns south of Beirut killed at least six people, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. Targets included Aramoun and Saadiyat near the airport and a hotel in Hazmieh.
– Loud explosions in Tehran: State television reported fresh explosions around Tehran as the bombardment intensified following earlier strikes on a nuclear facility.
– Khamenei farewell: Iran planned a three-day farewell ceremony for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini prayer ground, with funeral procession details to be announced.
– Saudi interception: Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed a drone over the Eastern Province; origin and casualty details were not immediately released.
– Satellite imagery: Before-and-after images published by Vantor showed the domed roof of Iran’s presidential complex destroyed, matching Israel’s claim of an overnight strike on a heavily secured site in Tehran; Iranian officials had not acknowledged the damage.
– Venezuelan solidarity march: Supporters of Venezuela’s government marched in Caracas in solidarity with Iran and in mourning for Khamenei, wearing T-shirts showing former president Nicolás Maduro, who was said to have been captured by US forces in a separate operation two months earlier.
– UAE intercept statistics: The UAE Defence Ministry reported it had been targeted by more than 1,000 Iranian drones and missiles so far, saying most were intercepted: 57 drone strikes struck within UAE territory out of more than 800 detected, one of 186 ballistic missiles hit, and all eight cruise missiles were intercepted. Independent verification was not available.
– Repatriation flight for Australians: Australia’s foreign minister said a commercial flight from Dubai to Sydney was planned to begin repatriating some of the estimated 24,000 Australians stranded in the UAE, calling it an unprecedented consular crisis.
– US troop casualties: The Pentagon released the names of four of six US service members killed in the conflict; the service members died in a drone strike in Kuwait.
– Bombardment of Tehran: Additional US and Israeli airstrikes rattled Tehran, and satellite images showed damage to the presidential complex; Iranian authorities had not reported casualties from that strike.
– Red Crescent casualty figures: Iran’s Red Crescent Society reported that US-Israeli strikes have killed at least 787 people in Iran. In Lebanon, officials reported about 50 deaths, including seven children; smaller casualty totals were reported in the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. The US military confirmed six American service members killed in the fighting.
– Attacks on US diplomatic sites: Iranian drone strikes struck the US Embassy in Riyadh and a parking lot outside the US consulate in Dubai, causing limited fires. The US withdrew staff from Riyadh and urged Americans to avoid the compound, while saying all embassy personnel in Dubai were accounted for.
– US comments on Iranian leadership: President Donald Trump said some people in Iran he had considered potential successors are now dead after the strikes and cautioned that equally hostile successors remain a concern.
– Lebanon toll: Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported 50 dead and 335 wounded over two days of Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut suburbs after Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel.
Note: Reports are continuing to develop and figures and accounts vary between official statements and source reports.
