As Iran retaliates, largest US military base in Middle East hit by ballistic missile, Qatar says

No one was injured, according to the Qatari Ministry of Defense.

ByJon Haworth, Jack Moore, Nadine El-Bawab, David Brennan, Kevin Shalvey, Meredith Deliso, and Leah Sarnoff
Last Updated: March 3, 2026, 10:02 PM EST

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Saturday, with daytime strikes in the joint U.S.-Israel attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

On Sunday, Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on Saturday.

Iran is responding to the U.S.-Israeli operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and Gulf nations. American diplomatic facilities have also been attacked.

In Lebanon, Israel is intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iranian-aligned Hezbollah militia.

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Mar 03, 2026, 4:54 AM EST

US Embassy in Riyadh closed on Tuesday after drone strikes

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said in a statement that it will be closed on Tuesday following an attack on the facility by Iranian drone strikes overnight.

A security vehicle patrols in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 3, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters

The embassy said in an update that a shelter-in-place order remained in effect for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran. It urged Americans throughout Saudi Arabia to stay inside.

Tens of thousands of Americans live in Saudi Arabia, according to recent estimates.

-ABC News' Marcus Moore, Dada Jovanovic and Colm O'Molloy

Mar 03, 2026, 4:09 AM EST

Iran attack designed to help Iranians 'remove' regime, Katz says

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post to X on Tuesday that the "combined Israeli-American attack on Iran" is intended -- in part -- to "create the conditions for the Iranian people to act and remove" the government in Tehran.

Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions in Tehran early on March 3, 2026.
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

"We have severed the head of the Iranian octopus and we are now working to crush and sever the octopus's tentacles," Katz wrote.

The Israeli-U.S. campaign, he said, "is unprecedented in its scope, precision, and power -- and it aims to crush the regime's capabilities, protect Israel's home front and U.S. military forces in the region, prevent Iran from returning to the path of nuclear weapons production and mass missile production," and help Iranians topple the regime.

The operation, Katz said, "will continue with full force for as long as required."

Mar 03, 2026, 3:55 AM EST

CENTCOM says it hit IRGC command and control, air defense

U.S. Central Command -- CENTCOM -- said in a post to X on Tuesday morning that it had "destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields."

"We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime," CENTCOM added.

Mar 03, 2026, 3:51 AM EST

Beirut rocked by another wave of IDF strikes

The Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday morning that it launched a new "wave of strikes" against what it called "key Hezbollah centers of gravity" in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

This frame grab from AFPTV video footage taken on March 3, 2026 shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs.
Str/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

The IDF said that among its targets were Hezbollah command centers, weapons storage facilities and satellite communication components.

The strikes targeted the Dahiyeh area in the south of the city, which is known as a Hezbollah stronghold.

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