Qatar Evacuates Area Around US Embassy
Qatari authorities on March 5 said the area around the US Embassy in the small Gulf nation has been evacuated for safety reasons as Iran continues to launch drones and missiles in retaliation for a joint US-Israeli air campaign against the country.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry said residents of nearby buildings were temporarily moved to safety as a precaution and that suitable accommodation had been provided for them.
Further details were not provided and it was not clear if authorities expected an imminent attack.
Qatar has been a regular recipient of Iranian missiles and drones since the February 28 launching of the US and Israeli air strikes on Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the air strikes were aimed only at "US interests in Qatar," although local authorities said projectiles have also hit civilian and residential areas.
Qatari Foreign Minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani "categorically rejected" that assertion and called for an immediate halt to Iran’s attacks.
Qatar's top diplomat said his country would confront any aggression and would assert its "right to self-defense."
Officials in Qatar said an Iranian ballistic missile hit the US military base at Al-Udeid near Doha on March 3 without causing casualties. The facility is the largest US base in the Middle East and houses some 10,000 American service members.
Iranian drones hit a power plant and energy facility in Qatar on March 2, leading one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas to stop production.
With reporting by Reuters and dpa
Pentagon Identifies Fifth US Soldier Killed In Kuwait During Iran War
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon announced the identify of an officer killed during the US war against Iran, the fifth of six US service members killed in action to be named.
The service member was identified as Major Jeffrey R. O'Brien, 45, of Iowa. He died on March 1 in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during an unmanned aircraft system attack, a Pentagon statement said.
The soldier was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa.
Full details of the incident in which six US soldiers were killed have not been disclosed. The Pentagon said the incident is still being investigated.
US President Donald Trump on the first day of the US attack on Iran -- February 28 -- warned that casualties were possible.
"Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends," he said later after the first deaths were reported.
Rescued Iranian Sailors Recover In Sri Lanka Hospital; 60 Still Missing
The 32 rescued Iranian sailors who survived a US submarine strike in the Indian Ocean were recovering at a hospital in Sri Lanka, authorities said on March 5.
Officials at the hospital in the port city of Galle said the survivors were being treated for minor injuries and could be released later in the day.
Sri Lankan officials said 87 bodies had been recovered by military rescuers who had responded to a distress call from the IRIS Dena on March 4. Some 60 sailors remain unaccounted for and the search mission was continuing, officials added.
US defense chief Pete Hegseth confirmed that a US submarine sank the Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka.
"An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," Hegseth told a news briefing.
A Pentagon video purporting to depict the attack showed the warship being hit by a huge explosion, blowing apart the rear of the vessel and causing it to sink.
Fox News reported that a $4.2 million torpedo detonated under the Iranian warship in a nighttime submarine strike.
Fox identified the weapon as a Mark 48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) torpedo and quoted a former US submarine commander as saying the action signaled to Tehran that "the gloves really are off."
The attack -- hundreds of kilometers away from the Persian Gulf -- dramatically widened the geographic scope of the war.
US and Israeli forces launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28, and Tehran has retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf countries that host US military bases.
With reporting by Reuters and Fox News
Thousands Of Americans Leave Middle East Amid Conflict
A US government charter flight carrying American citizens departed the Middle East on March 4 as part of ongoing efforts to help Americans return home, according to a US State Department statement.
The agency did not provide any details regarding the number of passengers on the flight, the countries they were leaving, or the flight's departure and arrival times.
The State Department has opened a crisis intake form for Americans in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
Since February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched initial strikes on Iran, more than 17,500 Americans have returned safely to the United States from the Middle East -- including about 8,500 on March 3 alone -- while many others have departed the region for countries in Europe and Asia, the department said.
With reporting from Reuters
'Most Sleepless Night' Of War In Israel
- By Ray Furlong
TEL AVIV -- Sirens sounded three times in Tel Aviv overnight, in what one resident told RFE/RL was "the most sleepless night since the beginning of the war."
From my hotel bomb shelter, loud explosions could be heard overhead as incoming missiles were intercepted by air defense. People from neighboring houses sheltering in the bunker said the interceptions were occurring nearby.
Israeli media, citing intelligence sources, said Israel and its Lebanon-based proxy, Hezbollah, coordinated attacks for the first time since the start of the war.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The attacks came amid some signs of wartime strictures easing here. The main airport, Ben Gurion, reopened after five days with a repatriation flight bringing home Israelis from Athens. Gatherings of up to 50 people are now permitted, provided there is a protected space that can be reached quickly, and likewise workplaces can reopen if they have shelters.
Schools remain closed, however, and buses are continuing to evacuate foreign nationals from Israel.
The Israeli Defense Force has just announced details of some of its overnight strikes on Iran, including an "armed ballistic missile launcher" near Qom and air defense in Isfahan.
Zelenskyy: Ukraine Ready To Help Counter Iranian Drones
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Iranian regime threatens regional and global stability, adding that Ukraine is ready to deploy experts to counter Iranian drones and missiles.
"The Iranian regime, which is striving to survive at any cost, poses clear threats to all states in the region and to global stability. No country close to Iran can feel secure," he wrote in a post on X.
Zelenskyy said that the attack drones Iran launched in the Middle East are the same Shahed drones that have attacked Ukrainian cities, villages, and infrastructure throughout Russia's full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year.
"Ukraine can contribute to protecting lives and stabilizing the situation. Partners are reaching out to us," he stated.
"Our military possesses the necessary capabilities. Ukrainian experts will operate on-site, and teams are already coordinating these efforts. And we are ready to help protect lives, defend civilians, and support real efforts to stabilize the situation and, in particular, restore safe navigation in the region," Zelenskyy added.
Iranian Proxy Commander Killed In Southern Iraq
Kataib Hezbollah, one of Iran's main and most powerful proxy groups in the region, announced on March 5 the killing of one of its commanders in southern Iraq.
The group confirmed in a statement that Ali Hussein al-Freiji, who joined the group two decades ago, was killed in a bombing raid by American and Israeli forces on March 4.
The AFP news agency, citing two sources close to the group, reported that a vehicle carrying three members of Kataib Hezbollah was targeted near the group's main base in southern Iraq.
Last week, two days before the start of the US and Israeli military operation against Iran, Kataib Hezbollah announced to its members that they should prepare for a long and attritional war "in the event of an attack" on Iran.
The group also announced that in the event of a US attack, Kataib would "most likely" also enter the war in defense of the Islamic republic.
The Kataib Hezbollah base in Jurf al-Nasr, 60 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, was the "first target" reportedly hit by the US and Israel, according to AFP. Several locations in Baghdad and Erbil were then targeted on March 4.
Strikes On Iran Continue As IRGC Claims Attack On Oil Tanker
On March 5, there were reports of continuing attacks on Iranian locations, including Tehran and Alborz. This comes as the Israeli Army carried out a wave of air strikes on Iranian government infrastructure "all over Tehran" overnight.
Iranian news agencies confirmed attacks on areas in Tehran, including "the Mehrabad airport area, several points west of Azadi Square, Tehransar, and Chitgar," as well as a military garrison near Qom.
Images posted on social media showed strikes occurring in the cities of Marivan and Saqqez.
Targets in Yazd were also attacked on the evening of March 4, and according to unofficial reports these targets include a "missile site near Yazd Mountain Park."
Iranian state media does not publish reports on attacks on its territory. At the same time, the national Internet blackout -- enforced as part of the crackdown on widespread protests in January -- has made it difficult to obtain accurate and detailed information.
Iran retaliated early on March 5 fired several missiles at various areas of Israel, including Jerusalem.
According to the British Maritime Safety Agency, an oil tanker in waters near Kuwait also witnessed a "large explosion" on March 5.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attack. The IRGC’s public relations department released a statement saying that a missile had been fired at an oil tanker in the Gulf.
The IRGC called the tanker "American" and announced that the IRGC Navy targeted it on March 4.
The official IRNA news agency, citing the IRGC, wrote that the tanker "is currently burning."
The United States has yet to comment on the attack.
Drones Hit Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Region Near Iranian Border
Drones launched from neighboring Iran have struck Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan autonomous region, injuring two people, according to Azerbaijan's Foreign Affairs Ministry. One drone struck Nakhchivan Airport on March 5, damaging the facility. A second drone landed near a school building in the Shekerabad area, the ministry said.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, saying it would only increase tensions in the region linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States Iran's ambassador to Azerbaijan has been summoned to the ministry in Baku to explain the incident.
"Azerbaijan reserves the right to respond," the ministry said.
Azerbaijan is one of the main oil suppliers to Israel, while Israel has been a key defense partner for Baku for years. Many in Azerbaijan see Israel as a reliable ally that supplied critical military equipment during the country's campaign to regain control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenia.
To read the full report, click here.
Italy To Send Air Defense Aid To Gulf Countries
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced her country's intention to send air defense assistance to Persian Gulf countries to counter Iranian air attacks.
Meloni said on March 5 said that Italy -- like Britain, France, and Germany -- "intends to send aid to the Persian Gulf countries, especially in the field of defense, and specifically air defense."
"This is not only because they are friendly countries, but above all because tens of thousands of Italians live in the region and around 2,000 Italian military personnel are stationed there," she said.