Fresh missile attacks were reported from eastern Tehran on Thursday after the Israel Defense Forces warned residents to evacuate parts of the area.
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation said it was closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in West Asia, adding that 281 flights scheduled to be operated by Indian domestic carriers on March 5 had been cancelled.
Iran’s army said it carried out drone strikes on Israeli targets, including a radar site. The strikes reportedly hit locations in Tel Aviv and the Meron radar base in northern Israel.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan accused Iran of launching two drones into its territory, injuring two people. According to the Azerbaijani foreign ministry, one drone struck an airport in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic while another landed near a school. Baku said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador and demanded an explanation, warning it reserved the right to take “appropriate response measures”.
Israeli officials said the military plans to continue operations against Iran for at least one to two more weeks. The extensive air campaign has already seen the Israeli Air Force drop more than 5,000 bombs on targets across Iran since the conflict began, according to reports.
Massive explosions were also reported in Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas, near Bandar-e Bahonar in the First Naval Zone of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps close to the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran reported a fresh wave of overnight strikes across the country, with explosions heard in eastern Tehran and in Kurdish cities including Sanandaj, Saqqez and Bukan. Iranian authorities say more than 150 cities have been attacked since the conflict escalated last weekend.
The Revolutionary Guards said they had launched the 19th wave of retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and US bases in the region. Iran also fired a new round of missiles toward Israel on Thursday, triggering air raid alerts in several areas including Tel Aviv, though no immediate casualties were reported.
US President Donald Trump described Iran as “out of control”, saying the pre-emptive strikes were intended to stop Tehran from attacking Israel first. US officials also claimed that more than 20 Iranian naval vessels, including a major submarine, had been destroyed in the strikes.
Iranian state media reported that more than 1,000 people have been killed in Israeli and US attacks that began last weekend. Among those killed was Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with members of his family and several senior leaders, after diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran collapsed.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran had sought diplomacy but was forced to defend itself following what he described as “American-Zionist military aggression”.
A member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts said the process of selecting a successor to Khamenei was nearing completion. Cleric Ahmad Khatami said the new supreme leader would be identified soon despite the wartime situation.
The conflict also expanded into Lebanon, where an Israeli air strike targeted the stronghold of Hezbollah in south Beirut after evacuation warnings were issued. Lebanese authorities said the latest strikes killed three people and displaced thousands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the United States had achieved “historic gains” in the war and justified the latest strikes by claiming Iran was rebuilding its nuclear weapons programme in new underground bunkers.
Regional tensions also spilled into Turkey, which said its air defence systems intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran that was heading toward Turkish airspace via Iraq and Syria.
Meanwhile, global shipping was disrupted as Danish shipping giant Maersk suspended new bookings in the Gulf after halting routes through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz due to security risks.
Oman’s navy said it rescued 24 crew members from a container ship hit by missiles in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian forces later claimed they had taken “complete control” of the strategic waterway as the conflict continued to widen across the region.
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