Iran has retaliated with strikes on US and Israeli military bases across the Middle East, after cities including Tehran were struck on Saturday morning.
Explosions have been heard in Bahrain, where the US Navy’s 5th fleet is based, as well as in the UAE, Jordan and Qatar.
One person has been killed as a result of falling debris in Abu Dhabi, while sirens are sounding across Israel with citizens warned to take shelter.
It comes after Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launched co-ordinated strikes across Iran in a “preventative attack”.
President Donald Trump confirmed a “major combat operation” in an eight-minute speech, stating Iran could never have a nuclear weapon and adding: "It's been mass terror, and we're not going to take it any longer."
Witnesses said they heard the blasts in the Iranian capital, while footage appears to show columns of smoke rising above the city.
Iran and Israel have closed their airspace, while officials in Tehran said their supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been transferred to a secure location.
The development comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme – its long-running effort to enrich uranium, which Western powers fear could be used to produce nuclear weapons.
Four people killed in Syria after an Iranian missile falls on building, state media reports
Four people were killed and several others wounded when an Iranian missile struck a building in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Saturday, the state news agency ANA said.
Other missile debris fell in the city of Quneitra and the Yarmouk Basin in Daraa province in southern Syria, according to Reuters witnesses and videos shared by residents.
The sounds of warplanes were heard repeatedly in the skies over Syria on Saturday, after the United States and Israel announced a military operation against Iran.
Dozens of interceptor missiles were seen in the skies over Damascus, according to two witnesses,
40 girls killed in Israeli strike on school, Iranian media claims
Iranian state media has reported that 40 students had been killed as a result of the Israeli strikes on a school in Minab County.
According to the semi-official Fars news agency, the number of victims in Minab Girls' Primary School has reached 40, with 48 students also injured.
Iran’s Mehr news agency is also reporting that at least two students have been killed by an attack that hit a school east of the capital Tehran.
Dubai: flights cease to and from the world's busiest international airport
Dubai International Airport, the biggest global hub, has suspended flights.
On a typical day, around a quarter of a million passengers fly in and out of “DXB”.
The main airline, Emirates, said: “Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai.
“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused, and we are assisting them with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”
Other airlines are affected. British Airways passenger Mike Boreham was aboard flight BA108, preparing to depart from Dubai to Heathrow, when the captain announced airspace had closed.
“We were all boarded,” he told The Independent. “The flight is completely full. About 10 minutes after the ‘boarding complete’ announcement we were told airspace is closed.”
After the closure was announced, many flights heading for Dubai returned to their starting points, including Emirates from Dublin, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and LOT to Warsaw – which was also the landing place for the Emirates inbound flight from Seattle.
MANY MORE REPORTS AT LINK BELOW
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-israel-strikes-trump-live-updates-b2929362.htm
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