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Israeli jets struck Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones on a military base near Haifa in northern Israel. Hezbollah said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The group described it as a move to defend Lebanon and its people. The Israeli military responded with air strikes across southern Beirut, southern villages, and the Bekaa Valley. It said it targeted senior Hezbollah members and warned residents in more than 50 areas to evacuate. Lebanese authorities have expressed concern over rising tensions. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the Hezbollah attack “irresponsible” and said it puts Lebanon’s security at risk. Hezbollah operates independently from the Lebanese government and has been weakened by a 2024 war with Israel. Experts say it is unclear how much damage the group can inflict on Israel now. The escalation comes amid ongoing regional tensions involving the United States, Israel, Iran, and their allies.   With inputs from BBC

At least 153 people, including children, were killed after a reported missile strike hit a girls’ school in southern Iran, Iranian authorities said, blaming the United States and Israel for the attack. According to Iranian officials, the strike hit a school in the town of Minab, located near a base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been targeted in previous attacks. The US military’s United States Central Command said it was reviewing reports of the incident, while Israel’s military said it was not aware of any Israeli operations in the area. Iran’s Red Crescent said at least 201 people have been killed and 747 injured in air strikes across Iran since Saturday. Red Cross and Red Crescent officials in Geneva said emergency response teams were dispatched to the school following the incident. An official said the school in Hormozgan province was struck by three missiles and is located about 600 metres from the IRGC base. The BBC has verified videos from the scene showing smoke rising from a damaged building as crowds gathered and people screamed in panic. However, the death toll could not be independently confirmed, as international media face severe restrictions on access to Iran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the incident, calling it a “barbaric act” and accusing the attackers of adding “another black page” to their record. In a statement carried by US media, Centcom spokesman Tim Hawkins said the protection of civilians was a top priority and that all possible precautions were being taken to minimise unintended harm. Iranian social media users reacted with anger, with some blaming foreign powers for the strike, while others held the Iranian authorities responsible, citing the lack of air raid warnings, shelters and internet access. The attack came amid sustained US and Israeli air strikes on multiple Iranian cities, which continued into Sunday following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior commanders, sharply escalating tensions across the Middle East.   With inputs from BBC

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said that the Iranian state “does not rely on one individual,” rejecting what he described as a narrative promoted by Tehran’s adversaries. His remarks came a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been in office since 1989, was killed during the ongoing US-Israeli bombing campaign. In an interview with the Al-Mayadeen Network, Baghaei said Iran was “defending the entire region, not just Iran,” and described Khamenei’s killing as “an international crime and a war against Iran.” He said Iran has mobilised all available capabilities to protect its sovereignty, adding that decisions regarding weapons and targets are made by the armed forces. Baghaei also stressed that Iran maintains respect for neighbouring countries, saying Tehran has no issues with nations in the region and values its relations with them.   #From AlJazeera

A statement by the IRGC says three US and UK oil tankers have been hit by missiles in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. It also claimed that the tankers were on fire after the strikes. In its daily update issued at 17:22 GMT, UK Maritime Trade Operations said multiple maritime security incidents were reported in the region. It said two vessels were hit by an “unknown projectile,” triggering fires on board, though it did not specify the nationality or registration of the ships. The reported strikes occurred in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which has since been closed. The strait is regarded as one of the world’s most critical maritime trade routes and a major chokepoint for global oil transportation. #From Agencies

US President Donald Trump has given updates on the ongoing military operation in Iran during interviews with several US media outlets. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said that “48 [Iranian] leaders are gone in one shot” and described the operation as “moving along rapidly.” In a separate interview with CNBC, he said the US campaign was progressing “very well — ahead of schedule” and added, “We’re doing our job not just for us but for the world.” During an interview with MS NOW, Trump said he had witnessed celebrations among the Iranian diaspora in the US following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, particularly in Los Angeles. “I think it’s fantastic,” he commented. In a conversation with The Atlantic, Trump stated that current Iranian leaders had indicated a willingness to resume negotiations that were abandoned late last week. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said, adding that Tehran should have acted sooner on what he described as practical and straightforward measures. #From Agencies

Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates said their air defence systems have intercepted hundreds of missiles and drones launched by Iran, as the regional escalation claimed at least four lives and injured dozens more. The Kuwait Ministry of Defence said the country’s air force has intercepted and destroyed 97 ballistic missiles and 283 drones since Iran began striking Kuwait, according to the official Kuwait News Agency. Citing the Kuwait Ministry of Health, the agency reported that one person was killed and 32 others were injured “amid ongoing regional developments”. Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Defence said three people have been killed in Iranian attacks since yesterday. In a statement, the ministry said it has dealt with 167 missiles and 541 Iranian drones so far. Of the drones intercepted, 35 fell within UAE territory, resulting in three deaths, 58 minor injuries and material damage. The ministry added that the UAE remains on high alert and is ready to respond to any threats. #From BBC

Iran's foreign minister says a new supreme leader will be chosen in 'one or two days.' Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian says new leadership council 'has begun its work' after killing of supreme leader. The death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after almost 37 years in power raises paramount questions about Iran's future. Khamenei’s death: Who will be Iran’s next supreme leader? The contours of a complex succession process began to take shape the morning after Khamenei's killing in an airstrike campaign by the United States and Israel.

Police in Israel say the death toll from a strike in the country’s central region has climbed to five. The Magen David Adom emergency service earlier reported four fatalities from Sunday’s attack and said search operations were continuing for possible additional victims. Iran has fired dozens of rockets toward Israel since the United States and Israel launched a surprise assault on Iranian targets on Saturday, sharply escalating the conflict. Meanwhile, explosions shook Tehran on Sunday as Israel warned it would carry out sustained strikes against Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure. The blasts sent large plumes of smoke into the air near key government and security sites. In Israel, loud explosions were heard in and around Tel Aviv as missiles were intercepted or struck the ground. The conflict intensified following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the U.S.-Israeli operation. U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran against retaliation, saying any response would trigger overwhelming force. Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accused the attackers of crossing a “red line” and vowed severe retaliation. Iran has since launched missiles and drones at Israel and several Gulf Arab states hosting U.S. forces, while Israel said it would maintain continuous air operations against Iranian targets. The widening air war has disrupted flights across the Middle East and raised fears of market volatility, particularly if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is affected. About one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passes through the waterway. Iran announced it had formed an interim governing council as the country prepares to select a new supreme leader. Iranian officials told the United Nations that hundreds of civilians were killed or wounded in the strikes. In southern Iran, authorities reported heavy casualties after a girls’ school was hit, though Israeli and U.S. officials said they were investigating those claims. Regional tensions have spilled beyond Israel and Iran, with reported clashes at diplomatic sites and drone or missile interceptions across several countries, underscoring fears of a broader Middle East war.

The death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after almost 37 years in power raises paramount questions about the country's future. The contours of a complex succession process began to take shape the morning after Khamenei's assassination. Here is what to know: A temporary leadership council assumes duties As outlined in its constitution, Iran on Sunday formed a council to assume leadership duties and govern the country. The council is made up of Iran’s sitting president, the head of the country’s judiciary and a member of the Guardian Council chosen by Iran’s Expediency Council, which advises the supreme leader and settles disputes with parliament. Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei are its members who will step in and “temporarily assume all the duties of leadership.” A panel of clerics selects a new supreme leader Though the leadership council will govern in the interim, an 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts “must, as soon as possible” pick a new supreme leader under Iranian law. The panel consists entirely of Shiite clerics who are popularly elected every eight years and whose candidacies are approved by the Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog. That body is known for disqualifying candidates in various elections in Iran and the Assembly of Experts is no different. The Guardian Council barred former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate whose administration struck the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, from election for the Assembly of Experts in March 2024. Khamenei's son could be a possible contender Clerical deliberations about succession and machinations over it take place far from the public eye, making it hard to gauge who may be a top contender. Previously, it was thought Khamenei's protégé, hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, may try to take the mantle. However, he was killed in a May 2024 helicopter crash. That has left one of Khamenei's sons, Mojtaba, a 56-year-old Shiite cleric, as a potential candidate, though he has never held government office. But a father-to-son transfer in the case of a supreme leader could spark anger, not only among Iranians already critical of clerical rule, but also among supporters of the system. Some may see it as un-Islamic and in line with creating a new, religious dynasty after the 1979 collapse of the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's government. A transition like this has happened only once before There has been only one other transfer of power in the office of supreme leader of Iran, the paramount decision-maker since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 1989, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died at age 86 after being the figurehead of the revolution and leading Iran through its bloody eight-year war with Iraq. This transition now comes after Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June 2025 as well. The vast powers of a supreme leader The supreme leader is at the heart of Iran’s complex power-sharing Shiite theocracy and has final say over all matters of state. He also serves as the commander-in-chief of the country's military and the powerful Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force that the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2019 and which Khamenei empowered during his rule. The Guard, which has led the self-described “Axis of Resistance,” a series of militant groups and allies across the Middle East meant to counter the U.S. and Israel, also has extensive wealth and holdings in Iran.

Several airports across the Middle East remained shut on Sunday as tensions between Israel, the United States, and Iran entered their second day. Emirates Airlines has suspended all flights to and from Dubai at least until Sunday afternoon, while Qatar’s airport will remain closed until at least Monday morning, according to Qatar Airways. Israeli airspace also continues to be closed. The disruptions have left tens of thousands of passengers stranded worldwide.