Mojtaba Khamenei chosen as Iran's next supreme leader, Iranian state media reports
He is the son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His successor is yet to be named.
Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
(Read previous Iran live updates here.)
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Key Headlines
- Iran’s near-total internet blackout continues, tracker says
- Israel warns of strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs
- Israel says its working to intercept Iranian missiles
- Iranian missiles, drones targeting UAE, ministry says
- US orders evacuation of non-emergency government employees from Saudi Arabia
- More missile and drone attacks reported in the region
UAE reports strikes by 1 Iranian missile, 6 drones
The United Arab Emirates' Defense Ministry said in a post to X that one Iranian missile and six drones landed inside the country during attacks on Thursday.
The ministry said six ballistic missiles and 125 drones were intercepted during the latest wave of Iranian attacks.
Since Saturday, the UAE has reported three deaths and 94 injuries related to Iranian attacks.
Italy to join France, Spain in sending naval assets to Cyprus, minister says
Italy will join France and Spain in sending naval assets to help protect Cyprus, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the Italian parliament on Thursday.
Crosetto spoke of deploying Italian "naval assets" to defend Cyprus, as quoted by the ANSA news agency.
The Mediterranean island, which hosts British military bases, has been targeted by drones since the start of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.
British bases in Cyprus have traditionally served as hubs for U.K. and allied military activity across the Middle East.
-ABC News' Camilla Alcini
77 killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon, Health Ministry says
At least 77 people have been killed and 527 others have been wounded by Israeli attacks in Lebanon since dawn on Monday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Thursday.
-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz and Morgan Winsor
6 injured by falling debris in UAE, officials say
Authorities in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, said on Thursday that six foreign nationals were injured by falling debris after the "successful interception of drones by air defence systems."
Debris fell in two locations in the ICAD 2 area to the south of Abu Dhabi city. "The incident resulted in minor and moderate injuries to six Pakistani and Nepali nationals," the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.
-ABC News Zoe Magee and Morgan Winsor