Summary

  1. Watch: Fire burns on Tehran street after Israel strikes oil depotpublished at 08:08 GMT 8 March

    The BBC has verified this footage, captured on the streets of Tehran, where a fire has spilled onto the Koohsar Boulevard following an Israeli strike on the Shahran oil depot in the north-west of the capital.

    In the video, a man can be heard saying "shops and people's homes are on fire".

    Media caption,

    Tehran street burns after oil depot strike

  2. Israeli military warns it will 'pursue every successor' of Iran's Khameneipublished at 08:03 GMT 8 March

    Israel's military has issued a warning to Iran that it will continue pursuing every successor of the country's deceased supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

    In a post on X, the IDF's Farsi-language account said: "Iran's Assembly of Experts, which has not convened for decades, will soon gather in the city of Qom.

    "We want to tell you that the hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor.

    "We warn all those who intend to participate in the successor selection meeting that we will not hesitate to target you either. This is a warning!"

  3. IDF issues new evacuation orders to villages in southern Lebanonpublished at 07:34 GMT 8 March

    The Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders to people living in southern Lebanon.

    In a statement shared on X by the IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee, he addresses "the residents of southern Lebanon in the following villages: Arnoun, Yahmar, Zoutar al-Sharqiya, Zoutar al-Gharbiya".

    "For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of Nabatieh," he says.

    Adraee says this is because Hezbollah's activities are "forcing the Israel Defense Forces to take strong action against it."

  4. Three injured after missile fragments strike Bahrain university buildingpublished at 07:26 GMT 8 March

    Three people have been injured in Bahrain after missile fragments fell on a university building in the Muharraq area, the country's Ministry of Interior says.

    Posting separately on X, the ministry adds: "Iranian aggression indiscriminately attacked civilian targets and caused material damage to a water desalination plant following a drone attack."

    The statement comes a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US had attacked a desalination facility on Qeshm Island, describing it as setting a “precedent”.

    There has been no statement from Iran yet after Bahrain’s statement.

    Much of the Gulf relies heavily on desalinated water for drinking supplies, making such facilities critical infrastructure across the region.

  5. Morning sky in Tehran dark after strikes on oil depotspublished at 07:18 GMT 8 March

    Ghoncheh Habibiazad
    Senior reporter, BBC Persian

    I’ve been hearing from some residents in Iran's capital that the sky turned grey in the morning following last night’s strikes on oil depots in both Tehran and Alborz provinces.

    The CEO of Iran's oil products distribution has said that four tanker truck drivers working at the facilities were killed following the strikes on the provinces, and although fuel has been "stored in sufficient quantities in oil depots", urged people to go to petrol stations "only if necessary".

    The weather is cloudy in Tehran today, but a woman in her 20s that spoke to the BBC says that “it is as if the sun has completely disappeared”.

    She said the photo was taken at 09:30 local time (06:00 GMT) this morning.

    “It was so scary when I woke up. It was as if it had completely turned into night. I can smell burnt fuel in the air,” another woman in her 40s says.

    It is still very difficult to contact people inside Iran amid the internet outage, but some have been able to connect momentarily. The BBC is not naming the two women due to concerns for their safety in Iran.

    A photo showing the sky blanketed in grey with some rooftops in the bottom left corner.Image source, Supplied
  6. Bahrain says three injured following Iranian attackpublished at 07:10 GMT 8 March

    Sameer Hashmi
    Middle East business correspondent, reporting from Riyadh

    Bahrain's Interior Ministry says at least three people have been injured and a university building in the city of Muharraq has been damaged following an Iranian attack.

    The casualties were caused by falling missile debris, it said in a post on X.

    Muharraq is Bahrain’s third most populous city.

    The Ministry said in a separate post that an Iranian drone attack also caused material damage to a water desalination plant in the country. The location of the plant was not disclosed.

    The statement comes a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US had attacked a freshwater desalination facility on Qeshm Island, describing it as setting a “precedent”.

    There has been no response from Iran yet following Bahrain’s statement.

    Much of the Gulf relies heavily on desalinated water for drinking supplies, making such facilities critical infrastructure across the region.

  7. Not the time for 'political games', Starmer sayspublished at 07:00 GMT 8 March

    Keir Starmer has yet to respond to Trump's swipe at the UK's initial response to the US-Israel joint attack on Iran, but the prime minister has taken aim at opposition leader Kemi Badenoch.

    Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Starmer accuses the Conservative leader of playing "political games" and attempting to "undermine Britain on the world stage".

    On Friday, Badenoch had criticised the government's response, telling the BBC "you can't always wait for people to attack you", and adding: "what else are our jets doing, just hanging around there?"

    In response, Stamer writes: "At moments like this the country needs seriousness, not political games."

  8. UN humanitarian affairs chief warns of 'moment of grave peril'published at 06:52 GMT 8 March

    Laura Kuenssberg
    Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

    The UN has told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that this is "moment of grave peril" and that we're now seeing a "massive impact on civilians [with] hundreds of thousands displaced".

    Tom Fletcher, the UN's humanitarian affairs lead, says that there are also "secondary impacts" in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, "where needs were already great and where more people are being displaced."

    Fletcher adds he is worried that other crises, such as in Sudan and Ukraine, are slipping further down the list.

    Calling for "cool heads to prevail", he adds: "We've got to step back from the brink right now."

    Fletcher's full interview will be aired at on BBC One on today's Sunday with Laura Kunessberg - we'll bring you some of his remarks, and other key lines from the show, in this page.

    Media caption,

    'This is a moment of grave peril' - UN humanitarian chief

  9. Trump brushes off 'pay the price' remarks from top Iranian security officialpublished at 06:45 GMT 8 March

    US President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on a ratepayer protection pledge in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The US and Presidenial flag lay behind himImage source, Getty Images

    Also in Saturday's phone interview with the BBC's news partner CBS, Trump brushed off threats from Iran's top national-security official, Ali Larijani, who earlier posted on social media that Washington must "pay the price" for the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

    "I have no idea what he's talking about, who he is. I couldn't care less. I couldn't care less," Trump told CBS News. "He's already been defeated."

    Trump also asserted his confidence about the US strategy so far in this war and his administration's policy in the Middle East. "It's been incredible, the job we've done. The missiles are blown to smithereens," Trump continued.

    "The factories are being blown up as we speak. The Navy is gone, it's at the bottom of the sea. Forty-two ships, 42, in six days, 42 ships. The navy is gone. The air force is gone. Every single element of their military is gone. Their leadership is gone. There's not a thing that's not gone.

    "We're winning at levels never seen before and quickly."

  10. 'A little bit late' for allies to send ships - Trumppublished at 06:32 GMT 8 March

    Speaking to the BBC's US news partner CBS, US President Donald Trump has said he "couldn't care less" about whether allies could do more to assist in the war on Iran.

    "They can do whatever they want. The loyal ones are already in," the president said.

    Trump was pressed on the possibility of the UK had readied aircraft carriers for possible deployment to the Middle East - something the president earlier said would not be needed.

    In Saturday evening's interview Trump added: "It's a little bit late to be sending ships, right? A little bit late."

  11. Here's what you need to knowpublished at 06:12 GMT 8 March

    In Iran

    The IDF says it has launched a fresh wave of attacks targeting Iran's infrastructure, after oil depots in Tehran were hit overnight.

    Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran’s “openness to de-escalation” has been “almost immediately killed” by President Trump’s “misinterpretation” of Iran’s capabilities and intent.

    In the Gulf

    The Kuwait army says it has been dealing "with a wave of hostile drones", including an attack on fuel tankers at the Kuwait International Airport. Elsewhere, a huge fire engulfed a tower.

    A resident of Dubai was killed after shrapnel from an “aerial interception” fell on a vehicle in the Al Barsha area, the Dubai Media Office said.

    In Israel

    Opposition politician Yair Lapid urged the government to "destroy all of Iran's oil fields" to cripple its economy.

    The IDF reported that it was working to intercept missiles launched from Iran and said it had carried out a strike on the Quds Force in Lebanon, the overseas operation arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

    In Lebanon

    Lebanese officials reported multiple strikes overnight, including one which they said was an Israeli airstrike on a hotel - it killed four people.

    They said nearly half a million have been displaced by the fighting so far.

    In the US

    President Trump hit out at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a Truth Social post saying “we don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won”. This was after the BBC learned that UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has been placed on advanced readiness.

  12. What did Trump say about UK PM Keir Starmer?published at 05:48 GMT 8 March

    Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight from Delaware to Florida on 7 March as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth watches on from behind him.Image source, Reuters

    The US president took to his social media platform Truth Social to say the US did not need the UK's two aircraft carriers in the Middle East.

    "The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!"

    This comes after Starmer refused to let the US use UK bases in the initial strikes on Iran. Trump later said "he has not been helpful".

    “I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK," he told the Sun newspaper.

    For context: The UK government has not joined offensive operations or given any commitment to do so. Earlier, the BBC reported one aircraft carrier had been put on an advanced state of readiness in case it needed to be deployed to the region. The UK has allowed the US to use its bases for defensive operations.

  13. Strikes hit Beirut overnightpublished at 05:46 GMT 8 March

    Overnight, the Lebanese Health Ministry announced that four people had died and another 10 were injured in an Israeli strike on a hotel in Beirut.

    Photos from a Ramada hotel show its walls blackened and damaged.

    Eight people were also killed in strikes on more than 20 towns and villages, AFP news agency reported, citing the health ministry.

    The Israeli military said it had carried out a "precise strike" in Beirut on members of the Quds Force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas operations arm. It did not say who had been targeted or where the strike hit.

    Earlier in the night, it said it was striking "Hezbollah infrastructure in the Dahiyeh area in Beirut".

    The Ramada hotel has blackened and damaged walls.Image source, AFP via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    The walls of the hotel appear blackened and damaged after the strike

  14. Israeli military announces new wave of strikes against Iranpublished at 05:18 GMT 8 March

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on X that they have just "launched another wave of attacks across Iran", adding that they are targeting infrastructure throughout the country.

    The announcement came at around 08:30 in Tehran (around 05:00 GMT), as the capital woke up after a night of strikes on its oil refineries.

    About half an hour earlier, the IDF had said it was working to intercept missiles from Iran.

  15. Fire lines boulevard in Tehran after Israel strikes oil depotspublished at 04:54 GMT 8 March

    Media caption,

    Watch: Huge flames in Tehran after Israeli strikes on oil refineries

    Overnight, Israeli strikes targeted oil refineries in Tehran sending plumes of smoke into the sky.

    One resident told the BBC, "it was as if night had turned into day".

    The flames have spilled into the nearby Koohsar Boulevard, where an onlooker said they were burning homes and shops.

  16. Israeli strike on Beirut hotel kills four people and wounds 10, Lebanese authorities saypublished at 04:48 GMT 8 March

    Overnight in Lebanon, the health ministry said that an Israeli strike on a hotel in central Beirut killed four people, and injured 10 others.

    The hotel was housing people displaced by the fighting in Southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, according to Reuters news agency.

    Some had been seen leaving the building for fear of further strikes.

    Return to the latest post
  17. IDF says it carried out strike on Iranian forces in Beirutpublished at 04:39 GMT 8 March

    As we had been reporting earlier, the IDF said in a post on Telegram that they carried out a "precise strike" which targeted "key commanders in the IRGC's Quds Force's Lebanon Corps who operated in Beirut".

    The Quds Force is the overseas operations arm of the IRGC or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IDF said earlier this week that they had killed the temporary commander of the Lebanon Corps, Daoud Alizadeh.

    In the statement about tonight's strike the IDF accused the Quds Force of having "operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians" and said they will "continue to precisely eliminate the commanders of the Iranian terror regime wherever they operate."

    The statement did not specify the exact location of the strike. Iranian officials do not appear to have commented on the strike so far.

    Several hours earlier, the IDF had said they had begun "an additional wave of strikes in Beirut" on "Hezbollah infrastructure in the Dahiyeh area".

  18. Civilian facilities damaged from drone interceptions, Kuwait army sayspublished at 04:12 GMT 8 March

    Civilian facilities in Kuwait have been damaged by falling debris after drone interceptions, the Kuwait army says.

    "Some civilian facilities have sustained material damage as a result of debris and shrapnel falling from interception operations", an official spokesman of the Ministry of Defense is quoted saying in a post on X, shared by the Kuwait army.

    Footage on social media has shown a large fire engulfing a tower in Kuwait.

    The country's air force "continues to engage hostile aerial targets", the spokesman says, as the army urges citizens and residents to "adhere to the safety and security instructions".

    Media caption,

    Fire tears through tower in Kuwait City amid Iran strikes

  19. US-Israel war with Iran moves into second weekpublished at 04:11 GMT 8 March

    We have moved our live coverage here, and will continue to bring you ongoing news from the conflict in the Middle East, which has now entered its second week.

    Oil depots in Tehran have been hit, Lebanese officials say four people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a hotel in Beirut, and Israel says it struck "key commanders" of the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas operations arm.

    Gulf states have also been reporting missiles and drone strikes.

    A huge fire has engulfed a tower in Kuwait, where the army says it has been dealing "with a wave of hostile drones that breached the country's airspace".

    We will bring you more details as we get them. Stay with us.