6 U.S. service members killed since start of war

Americans have “very limited options” to leave Israel, according to the U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee.

In a post on X, Huckabee said that the U.S. embassy was “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.”

Instead, he recommended that Americans take a bus operated by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism to Taba in Egypt, where they can either board a flight from there or from Cairo.

He also added that he did not recommend traveling through Jordan, as flights are not consistent.

The war has escalated the U.S. Department of State's maneuvers to keep Americans safe in the Middle East, including ordering nonemergency personnel in Iraq, Bahrain and Qatar to get out.

According to embassy statements, nonemergency U.S. government employees and any family members with them have been ordered to leave those countries.

For Iraq, the department cited "terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and the U.S. government’s limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Iraq." For Bahrain, it cited "terrorism and armed conflict," and for Qatar it cited the "risk of armed conflict."

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, which had earlier urged Americans to shelter in place, said it is closing until further notice. The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain also said it is closed until further notice, and the U.S. Embassy Doha said it has suspended routine consular services.

Iraq is under the Department of State's highest travel advisory warning level, which states "do not travel." Advisories for Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar remain at the next highest level: reconsider travel there.

More than half a million Iranians call the U.S. home, and many of them are celebrating a moment of hope after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"The people of Iran are on a mission to have freedom, and all the diaspora of Iranians over the world are chanting and excited because we see freedom at hand," one woman told NBC News.

01:23

NBC South Florida executive producer Lianna Saldana and her husband are stuck in Dubai amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Saldana and her husband had spent the past several days vacationing in the Maldives and visiting the Taj Mahal in India. They had what was supposed to be a 12-hour layover in Dubai before continuing their trek home to Miami.

Saldana told NBC South Florida that about an hour into the trip to Dubai, she received a notification about airstrikes in Iran.

“I just remember looking at my husband and saying, ‘Wow … we’re in trouble,’” she said.

Iran has targeted several cities across the Middle East with hundreds of missiles and drones. Now, some countries in the Gulf are threatening to join the war. 

01:54

Asia markets mostly fell as the war in Iran began its fourth day and investors worried about its implications for energy prices and the global economy.

Leading the losses was South Korea’s Kospi, which fell more than 5% by the afternoon after being closed for a public holiday, though some defense stocks had substantial gains.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 2.75%, extending losses for a second day, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost about 1.4%. Stocks also fell in mainland China and Hong Kong.

In the United States, S&P 500 futures were off about 0.75% after closing flat amid a surge in crude oil prices and fears that trade could be disrupted around the world as the war chokes off the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route.

Trump has a long history of denouncing forever wars and promising, as president himself, to keep the U.S. out of the sorts of foreign entanglements that could lead to them. But one year into his second term, he has ordered military action in multiple countries, including the January strike on Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro.

And now with the war in Iran, Trump has plunged America into its most significant conflict since the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — without any congressional approval.

At a briefing today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected suggestions that Iran could become Trump’s Iraq, pledging that it would not spiral into an “endless” war. But Trump himself indicated the U.S. could be engaged for longer than he bargained.

“Right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks,” Trump said at a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House. “But we have capability to go far longer than that.”

Read the full story here.

U.S. diplomatic missions in Pakistan are canceling visa appointments after a deadly demonstration by pro-Iran protesters outside a U.S. consulate.

“Due to the current security situation, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulates General in Lahore and Karachi have cancelled all visa appointments through Friday, March 6,” the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said on X.

At least 10 people were killed and dozens of others injured were yesterday when Shiite Muslim protesters angered by the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, clashed with police outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi.

Separately, at least 12 people were killed in northern Pakistan when thousands of protesters attacked a United Nations office, and one person was killed in clashes in Islamabad as protesters tried to march toward the U.S. Embassy.

U.S. Central Command shared video tonight that it said shows U.S. strikes in Iran.

"U.S. forces are hitting Iran surgically, overwhelmingly, and unapologetically," the command center said on X, along with a video that appeared to show missile launchers.

CENTCOM also boasted that its offensive has had success against military sites in Iran.

"U.S. forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations," it said on X.

It said threats will not be ignored.

"We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime," CENTCOM said.

Earlier, it reported that six U.S. service members have been killed in action since the strikes began over the weekend.

China’s foreign minister urged Gulf countries to unite against external interference as Iran launches strikes on U.S. allies in the region in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli attack that killed its supreme leader.

Though China has close ties with Iran, it also has major commercial interests in Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In a call yesterday with the foreign minister of Oman, which helped facilitate U.S.-Iran diplomatic talks before the war began, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi encouraged unity among Gulf nations to “keep their future and destiny in their own hands,” according to a ministry statement.

In a separate call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Wang said he was confident that Iran would be “able to maintain domestic stability” and “take into account the legitimate concerns of neighboring countries.”

China, which has lost at least one citizen in the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, has condemned them as a violation of international law, with Wang saying Khamenei’s killing was “unacceptable.” It has urged all parties to cease military action and resume dialogue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation against Iran will be "a quick and decisive action" and not result in an "endless war."

Speaking to Fox News' Sean Hannity, Netanyahu argued that the U.S.-Israel offensive, which has killed Iran’s supreme leader, put the country's leadership at “the weakest point that it’s been since it hijacked Iran from the brave Iranian people 47 years ago” during the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

“This is going to be a quick and decisive action, and we’re going to create the conditions, first, for the Iranian people to get control of their destiny, to form their own democratically elected government, which will make Iran a different Iran altogether,” he said.

Netanyahu said the attacks were prompted by Iran's nuclear program. He said he sees Iran as defanged and added that the operation will change the region.

"Iran has been the main engine of war over these years," he said. "It's just 95% of all the problems you see in the Middle East are generated by Iran."

A siren was heard in Bahrain as authorities urged residents to remain calm and seek shelter.

“The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe space,” the country’s Interior Ministry wrote on X. 

Bahrain's ambassador to the U.S. had earlier said Bahrain's defenses intercepted 70 Iranian ballistic missiles and 59 drones targeting the country.

"Attacks on civilian sites are a grave violation of sovereignty" and international law, the ambassador said, adding: "We reserve full right to respond."

The Israeli military attacked the Iranian state TV complex today, the Israel Defense Forces said in a video statement posted on its Farsi-language account on X.

Peyman Jebelli, the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, said on the news channel that the U.S. and Israel targeted its headquarters.

He said the building was also attacked yesterday and during the 12-day war in June.

Jebelli said that “due to measures that had been put in place, broadcasting is continuing normally.”

Trump sent a war powers notification to Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to apprise Congress of “military action taken on February 28, 2026, against the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The letter says that despite Trump’s “repeated efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution to Iran’s malign behavior, the threat to the United States and its allies and partners became untenable.”

President Donald Trump today at the White House. Win McNamee / Getty Images

Trump added that it is “not possible” to know the full scope and duration of operations in Iran at this time.

The letter was sent to Congress to adhere to the War Powers Act, which requires the president to alert Congress when U.S. armed forces have been deployed “into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances,” among other requirements.

The War Powers Act provides for automatic termination of using U.S. forces in hostilities 60 days after the president was required to report the use of force, unless Congress declares war, but the president can extend the use of force an additional 30 days by writing to Congress.

The New York Police Department said it will be “out in full force” tonight to ensure Jewish New Yorkers can safely celebrate the Purim holiday.

“Given the heightened threat environment, and out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD is deploying extra resources to Jewish sites and neighborhoods across the five boroughs,” the NYPD wrote on X.

New Yorkers can expect to see counterterrorism and other specialized teams, as well as drones and additional officers, on the streets and subways, the department said.

“There will be assets you see, and those you don’t see,” it said.

Israel said it is hitting missile launch sites and weapon storage facilities in Lebanon belonging to Hezbollah after the Iran-backed group fired missiles at Israel.

Lebanon emerges as new front in Iran war as Hezbollah trades strikes with Israel

03:52

Amazon Web Services is experiencing significant disruption in the Middle East after three of its data centers were hit with drone strikes, the company said this evening.

Two of the strikes were direct hits in the United Arab Emirates, and another site in Bahrain was affected after a drone hit nearby, AWS said in an update on its website. It did not name who was responsible for the attack; Iran has sent swarms of drones to nearby countries, including Bahrain and the UAE, as attacks have escalated across the region.

“These strikes have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage. We are working closely with local authorities and prioritizing the safety of our personnel throughout our recovery efforts,” the update said.

The damage affects a range of Amazon services, it said, and recovery is likely to be “prolonged given the nature of the physical damage involved.”

Vice President JD Vance said in an interview broadcast tonight that he did not believe Iran’s claims that its nuclear enrichment program was for purely civilian purposes.

Vance made the comments to Fox News' Jesse Watters.

“The Iranians would come back to us, Jesse, and say, ‘Well, having enrichment for civilian purposes, for energy purposes, is a matter of national pride,’” Vance said.

“So, we would say, ‘OK, that’s interesting, but why are you building your enrichment facilities 70 feet underground, and why are you enriching to a level that’s way beyond civilian enrichment and is only useful if your goal is to build a nuclear bomb?” he said.

“It just doesn’t pass the smell test for you to say you want enrichment for medical isotopes while at the same time trying to build a facility 70, 80 feet underground,” he said.

The U.S. attacked Iran's nuclear enrichment sites in June. It was the first time the U.S. had attacked Iran.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), spoke against Israel's once again restricting the entry of supplies and aid into Gaza, calling it "a new chokehold."

"After more than two years of unspeakable suffering & a spreading man-made famine, people still lack the most basic supplies, despite increases in aid since the ceasefire," Lazzarini said in a statement. "#UNRWA personnel in Gaza keep providing healthcare, learning & clean water — but we must be allowed to do much more & certainly not less."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today that the U.S. believed Iran was going to be attacked and that if that happened, “there absolutely was an imminent threat” to U.S. personnel.

“The imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed they would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us,” Rubio told reporters at the Capitol.

Rubio said that whether Iran was attacked by the U.S. or Israel, "they were going to respond against the U.S.," and that as a result, “we went proactively in a defensive way to prevent them from inflicting higher damage.”

“We were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was attacked by two drones, a spokesperson for the Saudi Defense Ministry said tonight. A Saudi official told NBC News no one was injured.

Initial estimates indicate the attack resulted "in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building," the Defense Ministry spokesperson said on X.

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said on X that the U.S. Mission in the country has issued a shelter-in-place order for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran.

“We recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately,” the embassy said.

The embassy was open and operating normally before the strike, the State Department said,

The IDF said it has killed Abu Hamza Rami, the commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Lebanon sector in Beirut.

The IDF said Rami “carried out hundreds of terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians” and moved militants through the Syria-Lebanon border.

“His elimination has significantly degraded PIJ’s ability to carry out terrorist operations against Israel,” the IDF said.

The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center describes Palestinian Islamic Jihad as "a Sunni Islamist militant group that is committed to destroying Israel and establishing an Islamist Palestinian state."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., today said that Israel was determined to act with or without the U.S.

Johnson called it a “defensive operation" in remarks to reporters after a briefing on Iran.

“Israel was determined to act in their own defense here, with or without American support,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the Trump administration “had a very difficult decision to make,” including assessing the threats to U.S. forces in the region.

Based on “exquisite intelligence that we had,” Johnson said, if Israel fired on Iran, Iran would have immediately responded with attacks on U.S. forces in the region.

“The consequences of inaction on our part could have been devastating,” he said.

The Israel Defense Forces said tonight that it identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel, adding that the country’s defensive systems are working to “intercept the threat.”

The IDF added that its Home Front Command sent precautionary alerts to cellphones in the relevant areas and urged those who received them to “enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.”

The Israel Defense Forces says it is striking Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.

Trump blasted Democrats for “complaining bitterly about the very necessary and important attack” on Iran, claiming they are complaining because he was the one to do it.

“If I didn’t do it, they would be screaming — Why didn’t ‘TRUMP’ attack Iran, he should do it, IMMEDIATELY?” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Eighteen U.S. service members have been seriously wounded across the region from attacks during the initial 24 hours of the Iran operation, a U.S. official told NBC News.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said on X today that the State Department is urging Americans in 14 countries in the Middle East to "DEPART NOW" using commercial transportation “due to serious safety risks.”

The countries on the list are Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The Iranian Red Crescent said U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have targeted civilian homes and tourist sites, such as the Golestan Palace.

The attacks have also targeted Red Crescent branches in the cities of Ilam and Kermanshah, the organization said.

"The Red Crescent emblem is an internationally protected symbol, yet the principle of distinction between military and civilian targets has not been respected," the organization said in a statement. "We urge responsible authorities and international bodies to vigorously investigate and pursue these matters."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the next phase of the Iran operation will be “even more punishing.”

“I’m not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts, but the hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now,” Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill before he briefed the “Gang of Eight” this afternoon.

“Someone was screaming, ‘How long will it take?’ I don’t know how long it will take. We have objectives. We will do this as long as it takes to achieve those objectives, and we will achieve those objectives. The world will be a safer place when we’re done with this operation,” he added.

Moments earlier, Rubio had said the objective was to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities. He added that that can be achieved “without ground forces,” which he said the U.S. is not postured to deploy.

“But obviously, the president has those options. He’s never going to rule out anything,” Rubio said.

Rubio: Mission is to destroy Iran’s missile capability

03:40

The death toll of U.S. service members killed following the start of the Iran operation has risen to six, U.S. Central Command says.

"As of 4 pm ET, March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action. U.S. forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran’s initial attacks in the region," CENTCOM said in a release on X.

"Major combat operations continue. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification."

Thousands of flights were canceled, with several countries closing their airspace amid strikes in Iran. An American father and daughter and their pastor — stranded in Jerusalem — spoke with NBC News about their experience sheltering in place. 

03:48

All personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, have temporarily departed the embassy compound "due to a threat," according to a security alert.

The alert did not include any details about the threat.

Hacker groups aligned with Iran are making threats on social media — and Iran is conducting some conventional reconnaissance hacking — but there have been no confirmed major cyberattacks from the Islamic Republic since the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury, American and Israeli cybersecurity companies say.

“Cyber espionage has begun much before the war started,” said Gil Messing, the chief of staff of the Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point, in an email to NBC News. “Much of what we see here we also saw in the June war between Israel and Iran.”

“Iranian cyberespionage has resumed after a brief lull during the initial military strikes,” John Hultquist, the chief analyst of Google’s Threat Intelligence Group, said in an emailed statement.

In the first 48 hours of Operation Epic Fury, over 1,250 targets were struck in Iran, U.S. Central Command said.

The targets include Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters, command and control centers, ballistic missile sites, navy ships and communication capabilities, according to CENTCOM.

CENTCOM also says that the Iranian regime has no ships in the Gulf of Oman. Two days ago they had 11, according to the U.S. military.

A plume of smoke rises after an explosion today in Tehran. Majid Saeedi / Getty Images

Satellite image ©2026 Vantor

Satellite images from before and after airstrikes today at the Choqa Balk-e facility, a drone base in western Iran, show extensive damage to storage buildings, bunkers and drone launch equipment.

Trump cites failed talks as justification for Iran strikes, but negotiators say otherwise

04:23

Trump has called on Iranians to rise up and take over their country's government after the elimination of much its top leadership, but it remains unclear how the president expects the people of Iran to do so, or whether the U.S. strategy is meant to weaken Tehran to the point that a popular street revolution could hope to succeed.

Trump has discussed the military objectives and the war's justification, arguing that Iran did not want to negotiate over its nuclear enrichment program, which the U.S. alleges was aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Arab negotiators, including the Omani foreign minister, however, said both sides were making progress before the attack unfolded and were supposed to have follow-up negotiations and technical meetings. So there are real questions about the future objectives of the war, including who will take over Iran if the regime collapses, and why the military campaign was launched when it was.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that the goal of the war was to teach Iran a lesson and destroy the regime. In Israel, the mood appears to be in favor of the conflict, with Israelis pushing for the strike campaign against Iran to continue.

Americans in Iran are advised to leave Iran by land now if possible, according to a security alert from the U.S. Department of State Consular Affairs.

Options for those who can leave the country include Turkey and Armenia, the department said. A valid U.S. passport is needed to travel to these countries.

Those who cannot leave are advised to find a secure location and shelter in place, the department said.

Hezbollah's decision to open a fresh front in the three-day war between Iran and the United States and Israel has proven to be a significant setback for the Lebanese government, which promised attempts to disarm the Iran-backed militant group.

Two of the missiles were eliminated by Israeli anti-air forces and one fell harmlessly into an unpopulated area.

But Israel’s counterattack was a deadly display of why Hezbollah is wearing on the Lebanese leadership. The IDF struck Hezbollah strongholds in the south of the capital Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Beqaa Valley, killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 100.

Smoke rises today following an Israeli bombardment in Beirut's southern suburbs. Ibrahim Amro / AFP - Getty Images

The strikes recalled how Israel’s government severely punished the group over the past two years of conflict, killing hundreds of Lebanese civilians, sparking an internal displacement crisis and destroying swaths of southern Lebanon.

A fire ignited at a fuel storage station in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, today after it was targeted by a drone, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

The fire at the Musaffah fuel tank terminal was "promptly contained," the media office said.

"No injuries were reported and there was no impact on operations," according to the agency.

U.S. Central Command said in a post on X that last night, U.S. B-1 bombers "struck deep inside Iran to degrade Iranian ballistic missile capabilities."

"As the President stated, 'we’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,'" Central Command said.

It was supposed to be a romantic getaway for Sarah Mettee and her husband, a warm winter break in Dubai away from their three young children to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.

Instead of relaxing in the sunshine, Mettee told NBC News on Monday, they had “seen and heard a lot of rockets,” some of which had been “intercepted right outside of our hotel,” and called it “terrifying.” NBC News agreed not to name the hotel over fears it could be targeted because there are a lot of American tourists staying there.

Now, like hundreds of thousands of travelers across the Middle East, Mettee is stranded in the region. Flights have been grounded after Iran retaliated with strikes on many of its neighbors, including the United Arab Emirates, after the United States and Israel bombarded the Islamic Republic, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“We were really looking forward to this trip,” she said Tuesday at her hotel, adding that it was “not cheap and something we’ve never done before, just the two of us.” 

Read the full story here.

The United Arab Emirates’ air defenses intercepted nine ballistic missiles, six cruise missiles and 148 drones, its Defense Ministry said in a post on X.

“The Ministry affirmed that the sounds heard in various parts of the country are the result of air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles and fighter jets intercepting drones and cruise missiles,” the ministry said. “These interceptions led to minor to moderate material damage to a number of civilian properties.”

Since the beginning of the attack, 174 ballistic missiles launched toward the country have been detected, the post said. Over 160 were destroyed and 13 fell into the sea. According to the ministry, 689 Iranian drones were also detected, with 645 intercepted. The post said that 44 of the drones landed within the country’s territory.

The ministry also said eight cruise missiles were detected and destroyed, which caused some “collateral damage.”

“The incidents resulted in 3 fatalities and 68 minor injuries,” the ministry said.

In remarks on Iran at the White House, Trump addressed a potential timeline for continued operations in the country, saying, "Whatever the time is, it's OK."

"We're already substantially ahead of our time projections," Trump said. "But whatever the time is, it's OK. Whatever it takes, we will always, and we have, right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that. We'll do it."

Trump said someone thought he would get bored of the operation, but he added, "I don't get bored."

"There's nothing boring about this," Trump said.

'Whatever it takes': Trump says the Iran conflict will continue

05:10

Read the full story here.

The Israel Defense Forces said it struck over 70 weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon today.

The targeted areas included launch sites and missile launchers belonging to the group, the IDF said.

NBC News has not independently verified the IDF's report.

As Trump delivered remarks at the White House about the U.S. operation against Iran, Trump touted the construction of his ballroom.

"We're adding onto the building a little bit," Trump said. "We're improving the building. See that nice drape — when that comes down, right now, you see a very, very deep hole, but in about a year and a half from now, you're going to see a very, very beautiful building."

"I believe it's going to be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world," the president added.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) expressed concern after a reported deadly strike on a girls school in southern Iran.

The Saturday attack killed over 160 students, teachers and parents, and injured 95 others, according to state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The site of a strike on a girls school in Minab, Iran, on Saturday.  Ali Najafi / AFP - Getty Images

UNESCO said it is “deeply alarmed” by the impact the ongoing military escalation in the Middle East has had on “educational institutions, students, and education personnel.”

Reporting inside of Iran is highly controlled and NBC News was not able to confirm IRNA’s account or determine who may have hit the school.

Trump said in remarks at the White House that the U.S. is continuing to carry out “large-scale” operations in Iran in order to eliminate the “grave threats” that the regime posed to America.

Speaking to attendees at a Medal of Honor ceremony, the president said Iran “ignored” warnings against continuing to pursue nuclear enrichment after the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last year. Trump also pointed to a growing Iranian ballistic missile program, arguing that the programs posed threats to Americans.

“The purpose of this fast-growing missile program” was to “shield” the nuclear development program and make it difficult for others to stop it, he said.

A Tomahawk missile fires yesterday from USS Thomas Hudner in support of Operation Epic Fury.  U.S. Navy via AFP - Getty Images

Trump blamed former President Barack Obama for the deal reached under his administration to curb Iran's nuclear program.

"I was very proud to have knocked out the Iran nuclear deal by President Barack Hussein Obama," Trump said in remarks at the White House.

"That was a horrible, horrible, dangerous document. They would have had nuclear weapons three years ago, and they would have used them," Trump said, adding that he didn't allow that to happen.

Trump withdrew from the agreement during his first term as president in 2018.

Trump has arrived at a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, where the president is expected to address the U.S. and Israeli military operation in Iran.

President Donald Trump arrives for a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House today. Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images

Tehran is not looking for an immediate ceasefire and has rejected outreach from Trump because the regime believes it made a mistake when it agreed to a truce in June’s 12-day war, a leading expert on Iran says. 

“It appears difficult for Tehran to agree to it until the cost to the U.S. has become much higher than it currently is,” said Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington-based think tank. 

Were it to agree to a truce now, he said during a briefing today, the regime would calculate that the U.S. “will restart the war at a later point.” 

Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani, said the country “has prepared itself for a long war.”

A black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates following reports of Iranian strikes in Dubai on Sunday. Altaf Qadri / AP

“As in the past 300 years, Iran did not start this war and our brave Armed Forces have not engaged in any attacks except in defense,” he said in a post on X. “We will fiercely defend ourselves and our six thousand years old civilization regardless of the costs and will make the enemies sorry for their miscalculation.”

In a separate post, he called President Donald Trump’s war aims “delusional.”

“Trump plunged the region into chaos with his ‘delusional fantasies’ and now fears more American troop casualties,” he said in a translated post. “With his delusional actions, he turned his self-made 'America First' slogan into 'Israel First' and sacrificed American soldiers for Israel’s power-hungry ambitions and with new fabrications, it is once again imposing the cost of assassinating its own character on American soldiers and families. Today, the Iranian nation is defending itself. The armed forces of Iran did not initiate the aggression.”

The Qatari Ministry of Defense announced today that its air force shot down two SU-24 aircraft coming from Iran. They also intercepted seven ballistic missiles through air defenses, and five drones were intercepted by the air force and navy.

The ministry said the threat was addressed immediately upon detection and all missiles were shot down before reaching their targets. The ministry also said that the Qatari armed forces have full capabilities and resources to safeguard the state’s sovereignty and lands and respond firmly to any external threat. 

“The Ministry also urges citizens, residents, and visitors to remain calm, adhere to official instructions issued by the security authorities, avoid rumors, and rely solely on information released through official channels,” its statement read.

Iran’s ambassador to the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog alleged that U.S.-Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment site.

Israel and the U.S. have not acknowledged strikes at the site, which American forces bombed last June.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said, however, that his agency stands by its assessment that there is no indication Iran’s nuclear facilities were damaged or hit. So far the agency has seen nothing comparable to the attacks in June, Grossi told a news conference.

Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, told journalists earlier that he condemned what he called the “unlawful, criminal and brutal” attacks by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.

“Again they attacked Iran’s peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities yesterday,” he said. “Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie.”

Trump told the New York Post in an interview this morning that he isn't ruling out deploying ground troops into Iran.

“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it,” Trump told the Post after launching the attack on Iran early Saturday. “I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.’”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn't rule out ground troops either during his morning news conference at the Pentagon, saying he wouldn't engage in hypotheticals.

NBC News has reached out to the White House for comment.

The NYPD said today that it is continuing "enhanced high-visibility patrols" at "sensitive locations" across the city "due to the heightened threat environment and out of an abundance of caution" regarding the situation in the Middle East and the mass shooting in Austin, Texas.

We're at a parking lot in central Beirut where some residents of the Dayhieh neighborhood — a Hezbollah stronghold — have traveled to seek refuge since the early morning.

There are cars packed with belongings, mattresses packed on car roofs, kids running around and people sleeping on blankets as Israel strikes the Lebanese capital in its growing exchange with the Iran-backed group.

No one wanted to show their face on camera or give their names given the risks to their safety of speaking out, but they told NBC News they are sick and tired of war.

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment on Beirut's southern suburbs today. Ibrahim Amro / AFP - Getty Images

The death toll from the U.S. and Israel's attack on a girls primary school in Minab, southern Iran, has risen to 168, according to state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The aftermath of a strike on a school in Minab, Iran, on Saturday.  Abbas Zakeri / Mehr News via Reuters

The victims include students, teachers and parents, the agency reported.

Around 95 others were injured in the Saturday attack, IRNA reported.

Reporting inside of Iran is highly controlled and NBC News was not able to confirm IRNA's account.

The Israel Defense Forces identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat.

The Home Front Command sent a precautionary directive directly to mobile phones in the relevant areas. In the alert, the public was told to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.

The public is asked to act responsibly and follow instructions. Leaving a protected space is only allowed after receiving explicit instructions.

The public is requested to continue acting in accordance with the Home Front Command’s guidelines.

The Russian Ministry of Transport announced that it is preparing "alternative flight routes" in order to resume limited flights to the Middle East.

The ministry also said it will resume two flights from the Middle East this evening, including an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi and an Oman Air flight from Muscat. The flights are scheduled to land at Sheremetyevo International Airport.

In the U.A.E., official sources also announced a limited resumption of flights from airports in Dubai and Sharjah starting today.

U.S. stocks dropped at the opening bell as the conflict in the Middle East continues to expand.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite dropped nearly 1% and the Dow Industrial Average declined more than 350 points.

The Russell 2000, an index that tracks smaller companies, fell 0.8%.

The price of oil continued its march higher, rising more than 6%. Natural gas traded in the U.S. also rose more than 4% after QatarEnergy said it would pause liquified natural gas production amid the conflict. Natural gas traded in Europe rocketed higher by 45% on the announcement.

A trader works at the opening bell today at the New York Stock Exchange. Charly Triballeau / AFP - Getty Images

Read more on the market reaction.

Trump is due to discuss Iran today at 11 a.m. ET from the White House.

Nowhere in Tehran feels safe and the city is shrouded in smoke.

Bombs hit an area not far from my house today and nobody knows what or who will be targeted next.

Military bases and police stations — seen by Iranians as symbols of the government crackdown on protests — are being struck. But police stations are often located close to residential neighborhoods. One police station I passed last night looked like something out of doomsday.

I spoke to my friend Erfan today. He was near a station near Niloofar Square in Tehran when it was attacked for a second time in three days. The building was reduced to dust and residential buildings surrounding it were damaged, as well.

Men watch from a hillside as a plume of smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran today. Majid Saeedi / Getty Images

Good news for the travelers stranded in Dubai as a limited resumption of flights from Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport has been announced by local authorities starting tonight, with both Emirates and flydubai air lines resuming some operations.

Travelers are advised not to proceed to the airport unless they have been contacted directly by their airline with a confirmed departure time, the government of Dubai said in a statement on X.

It comes after days of travel chaos and flight cancellations amid air space restrictions caused by air strikes across the Middle East.

FlyDubai airline planes on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport today. Fadel Senna / AFP - Getty Images

Approximately 600 infrastructure sites have been dismantled in Iran using 2,500 munitions, Israel Defense Forces said this morning.

The targets included “over 20 targets belonging to Iranian military leaders,” the IDF said in a statement on Telegram, as well as more than 150 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and over 200 Iranian aerial defense systems.

Approximately 30 sites have been struck in Lebanon so far, the statement said.

NBC News could not independently verify those numbers and neither Lebanon nor Iran has not commented on the extent of the damage.

Meanwhile, the IDF said Israel has called up approximately 110,000 reservists.

A plume of smoke rises from an explosion in Tehran today. Majid Saeedi / Getty Images

U.S. embassies across the Middle East have warned Americans to be cautious or leave immediately amid escalating violence.

The American Embassy in Beirut urged U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options remain available, calling the security situation in Lebanon ”volatile and unpredictable.”

The embassy in the capital of Bahrain, Manama, reminded Americans “to exercise caution and maintain vigilance” as it said drone and missile attacks from Iran continue. “The U.S. Embassy has advised U.S. citizens in Bahrain that hotels might be a target for attacks, and encourages U.S. citizens to avoid hotels in Manama,” it added. 

The embassy in Kuwait said there was a “continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks” as it urged Americans to not come to the embassy. “Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside,” it said.

Meanwhile, the embassy in Jordan said it had “indications there may be continued missiles, drones, or rockets in Jordanian airspace in the coming days,” as it urged Americans to remain indoors and avoid exposure to falling debris.

Both Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used their addresses this morning to offer condolences to the families of four American soldiers who were killed in the Middle East this weekend.

"I want to express my deep condolences and the condolences of the joint force to the Department of War personnel killed and wounded in action," Caine said, calling the fallen soldiers heroes who "represent the best of our nation has to offer. They're true examples of what selfless service means."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine at the Pentagon today. Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images

The Israel Defense Forces says it has begun striking Hezbollah "terror targets" throughout Lebanon, without elaborating.

It comes after Israel began retaliating against Hezbollah's strikes on Israel earlier today, raising fears of violence in the Middle East rapidly expanding.

Lebanon's government has sought to distance itself from Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militant and political group.

Earlier, the Israeli military said a “precise strike” had killed the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters.

The attack on Hussein Makled took place in Beirut last night, the IDF said in a statement on Telegram. NBC News could not independently confirm the report.

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon today. Jalaa Marey / AFP - Getty Images

Millions of foreign workers in Israel and the Gulf are at risk as Iran retaliates for the U.S.-Israeli attack that killed its supreme leader.

The United Arab Emirates has reported three deaths after Iran launched strikes on U.S. allies in the Gulf: one from Pakistan, one from Nepal and one from Bangladesh. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said yesterday that a Filipino woman working as a caregiver in Tel Aviv was also killed by shrapnel as she tried to bring her ward to a bomb shelter.

Asked whether U.S. boots are on the ground, Hegseth said no, but said he would not lay out what the U.S. could do as the operation continues.

Hegseth said that Trump ensures that the country's enemies know that the U.S. will go as far as it needs to in order to advance the U.S.' interests.

'We'll go as far as we need': Hegseth won't say whether ground troops would be involved in Iran

01:13

02:19

We are here in the town of Beit Shemesh, outside Jerusalem, in a residential area that took a direct hit by an Iranian ballistic missile, killing at least nine people and wounding 28 others.

Iran's retaliation across the region is growing this morning, and we are also learning more about the first American casualties of this war and U.S. aircraft that were shot down in a friendly fire incident in Kuwait.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said that the U.S. and Israeli strikes resulted in "local air superiority."

He said that the air superiority would help better protect U.S. forces and allow them to continue their work.

Caine also said that U.S. cyber and space operations have "continuously layered effects to disrupt disorient and confuse the enemy."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the president gave the “go order” for the operation Friday at 3:38 p.m. ET.

He said CENTCOM heard the order from Trump via the secretary of war.

Gen. Caine breaks down the timeline of operation

02:33

"Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck," Trump said, according to Caine.

The operation then launched at 9:45 a.m. local time Saturday.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said that the U.S. expects "additional losses." His comments come after four U.S. service members were killed.

"This not a single overnight operation," he told reporters during the briefing. "The objectives CENTCOM has been tasked with will be difficult and gritty work. We expect to take additional losses."

His message aligns with Trump's remarks that appeared to be preparing Americans for the possibility of more service members killed as the operation continues unfolding. Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social yesterday that "there will likely be more before it ends."

Joint Chiefs chairman says 'additional losses' of U.S. service members are expected in Iran

00:28

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke this morning on the sprawling war in the Middle East, which kicked off Saturday with joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.

Hegseth said that for "47 long years," the regime in Iran has "waged a savage, one sided war against America," prompting the U.S. to take action nearly half a century later.

"We didn't start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it," Hegseth said.

Hegseth added that Trump has reminded the world that "being an American means something unbreakable."

"If you kill Americans, if you threaten Americans anywhere on Earth, we will hunt you down without apology and without hesitation, and we will kill you," Hegseth said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out the administration's rationale for striking Iran, alleging in a press briefing this morning that "Iran was building powerful missiles and drones to create a conventional shield for their nuclear blackmail ambitions."

Trump has also previously pointed to Iran's nuclear ambitions in explaining why he wanted the U.S. to strike Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference on U.S. military action in Iran, at the Pentagon today. Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

Hegseth also argued that this war wasn't about regime change.

"This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it," Hegseth said.

Trump has called for Iranians to "take over" the government.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, are due to give an update shortly.

It's their first since the U.S. and Israel launched their joint attack on Iran.

Key congressional staff were briefed on the operation yesterday by Pentagon officials, who said there was no intelligence to suggest Iran was planning to strike U.S. forces, one person with direct knowledge told NBC News. This runs counter to a briefing from senior administration officials to reporters Saturday.

QatarEnergy, which is Qatar's state-run energy company, says it is halting liquified natural gas production "due to military attacks" on its facilities.

The news immediately jolted markets. Natural gas futures traded in Europe surged more than 40% on the announcement. U.S. natural gas prices also ticked up and were trading higher by around 5.2%.

Qatar is the world's second largest LNG exporter and producer, after only the United States. Shutting off so much output just two days into the U.S. conflict with Iran will continue to raise fears about what it means overall for the world's energy supply.

The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran could give Kim Jong Un more incentive to meet with Trump, experts said, even as it reinforces the North Korean leader’s nuclear ambitions.

For Kim, the attack underscores the importance of his nuclear arsenal as a deterrent against military action by the U.S. and its allies. The North Korean Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on Iran as “an illegal act of aggression and the most despicable form of violation of sovereignty.”

Trump justified the attack by citing the nuclear threat from Iran. But North Korea is far ahead of Iran in developing nuclear weapons, with an estimated 50 warheads already assembled and enough fissile material to produce up to 40 more, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

A fourth U.S. service member has died as part of the operation against Iran, the military said this morning.

CENTCOM said the fourth service member was seriously wounded in Iran's initial attacks and "eventually succumbed to their injuries."

The Pentagon said yesterday that three service members were killed and five attacked during Operation Epic Fury.

None of the killed or injured will be identified until 24 hours after their families have been informed. The three confirmed dead yesterday were part of an Army sustainment unit based in Kuwait, according to two U.S. officials.

The price of oil is soaring, with both U.S. and international benchmarks trading higher by more than 8% after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. This will likely mean higher gas prices starting as soon as today for U.S. consumers.

Natural gas prices also jumped by more than 4%.

Meanwhile, stocks are tumbling. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures fell more than 1%, while the Stoxx Europe 600 index dropped 1.2%

The price of gold also rose more than 3% as investors moved into "safe haven" assets amid the conflict.

Read more on the market reaction here.

Qatar has intercepted Iranian attacks that targeted civilian infrastructure, including the international airport, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson told CNN today, adding that such attacks could not remain unanswered.

Majed Al Ansari also said that Qatar was not engaging with Iran at the moment.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced a ban on all security and military activities by Iran-backed Hezbollah after the group fired missiles at Israel, which launched attacks on Lebanon in response.

In a statement, Salam said Hezbollah’s military activities were “illegal,” calling for the group “to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese state and confine its activities to the political sphere within constitutional and legal frameworks, thereby enshrining the state’s monopoly on the use of force.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Beirut in December. Bilal Hussein / AP

The Lebanese state, Salam said, declares its “absolute and unequivocal rejection of any military or security actions launched from Lebanese territory outside the framework of its legitimate institutions,” adding that decisions on war and peace rests exclusively with the state.

Salam said the country’s military and security agencies will take measures to prevent any military operation, missile launch or drone attack from Lebanese territory, and to detain violators.

A former commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard corps we spoke to this morning told us that some units of the powerful militia are acting autonomously after losing contact with leadership.

"If you cannot contact directly to the base and headquarters, you can use the forces against the enemy according your decision," Hossein Kanani Moghadam told NBC News by video call from Tehran.

"So some IRGC units are firing missiles without contact with the leadership. They are just using strategy they’ve been given," added Moghadam, who maintains close links with the Iranian government.

While this dynamic raises fears that the war will spiral, he says targeting the territory of neighboring countries is part of Iran’s strategy. 

Travel chaos caused by the spiraling war in the Middle East continues to grow, as flight cancellations pile up and travelers find themselves stranded amid air space closures. 

Airports, including a major connecting hub in Dubai, have been targeted by Iranian strikes in recent days, affecting their operations. All flight operations at Dubai International remain suspended "until further notice," while Hamad International Airport in Doha also remains closed due to the temporary closure of Qatari airspace.

Major airlines were suspending flights for days to come.

Emirates planes parked on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport today. Fadel Senna / AFP via Getty Images

Emirates has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai, until at least tomorrow afternoon local time, while German airline Lufthansa said it has suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam and Tehran until Sunday as The Associated Press reported about 30,000 German tourists are currently stuck on cruise ships, in hotels or at closed airports in the Middle East and cannot get back home because of the conflict.

An oil tanker was targeted by an unmanned boat in the Gulf of Oman, northwest of Sultan Qaboos Port, Oman's Maritime Security Center said in a statement on X.

It said the tanker’s crew of 21 people had to be evacuated after a fire broke out on board, but one Indian crew member was killed by an explosion in the engine room. 

The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MKD YOM was carrying approximately 59,463 metric tons of cargo, the center said. 

A Royal Navy of Oman vessel is monitoring the condition of the damaged tanker and is issuing necessary warnings to vessels transiting the same maritime area, it added.

It comes amid tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, which Iran warned vessels not to travel though in light of U.S.-Israeli strikes, and concerns about elevated security risk for commercial vessels in the region.

The Pentagon said this morning that "apparent friendly fire" brought down three U.S. fighter jets over Kuwait during Operation Epic Fury, confirming an earlier report from the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry.

CENTCOM said that three F-15D Strike Eagle planes were mistakenly shot down by Kuwait's air defense systems.

A pilot descends from the sky with a parachute near al-Jahra in Kuwait after three U.S. warplanes were mistakenly shot down by Kuwait air defense according to the U.S. Central Command.  via AFP - Getty Images

"During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses," it said.

"All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition," the Pentagon said. "Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation."

CENTCOM added that the cause of the incident was under investigation and that more information would be released in future.

In a sign of conflict spreading across the Middle East, Israel announced this morning that it has launched an offensive against Hezbollah, the militant Iranian proxy group in Lebanon, in response to the group launching missiles at Israel in retaliation for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s killing. 

The Israeli army reported later this morning it has “precisely struck a senior Hezbollah terrorist in Beirut,” without elaborating.

The Israeli army’s chief of the general staff, Eyal Zamir, said earlier that Israel “must prepare for many prolonged days of combat ahead.”

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, today. Hassan Ammar / AP

An apartment building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, today. Hussein Malla / AP

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hezbollah will pay a “heavy price” for attacking Israel.

“Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, who decided on the firing under pressure from Iran — is from this moment a marked target for elimination,” Katz said in a statement on X. “Whoever follows the path of Khamenei will soon find himself alongside him in the depths of hell, together with all those eliminated from the axis of evil,” he added.

Pakistani authorities deployed troops and imposed a three-day curfew before dawn today in the northern cities of Gilgit and Skardu after several people died and dozens were injured in violent protests following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes, officials said.

Thousands of Shia demonstrators yesterday attacked the offices of the U.N. Military Observer Group, which monitors the ceasefire along the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, and the U.N. Development Programme in the city of Skardu. Protesters also burned a police station and damaged a school and the offices of a local charity in Gilgit, according to officials. At least 12 people were killed and 80 others injured, police in the Gilgit-Baltistan region said.

An armored vehicle set on fire by Shia Muslim protesters outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi yesterday.  AFP via Getty Images

Demonstrators in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi also stormed the U.S. Consulate yesterday, smashing windows and attempting to burn the building. Police responded with batons, tear gas and gunfire, leaving 10 people dead and more than 50 injured. One person was also killed in clashes in Islamabad during an attempted Shia march toward the U.S. Embassy.

Read the full story here.

Masses of displaced people in southern Lebanon were pictured on highway links to Beirut this morning in heavy traffic, after Israeli military urged people in nearly 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of possible strikes.

Displaced people fleeing sit on a pickup truck today. Mohammad Zaatari / AP

Traffic on highway links to Beirut this morning. Mohammad Zaatari / AP

A girl sits in a van as displaced families fleeing Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon arrive in the southern port city of Sidon, early today. Mohammad Zaatari / AP

Displaced people fleeing Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon ride on a mini truck along a highway toward Beirut today. Mohammed Zaatari / AP

The Saudi Arabian Energy Ministry said the Ras Tanura refinery in the kingdom's east was partially shut down after it was targeted by two drones this morning, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

Crude oil storage tanks at the Juaymah tank farm in Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura refinery in 2017. Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The ministry said the refinery sustained minor damage from falling debris after the drones were intercepted, according to SPA. This caused a small fire, and no injuries or fatalities were reported, it added.

As a precautionary measure, some operational units at the refinery were shut down, but the supply of petroleum and its derivatives to local markets was not affected, SPA said.

The Ras Tanura complex houses one of the Middle East’s largest refineries with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day and serves as a critical export terminal for Saudi crude.

DUBAI — When Sarah Mettee and her husband flew from Nashville to Dubai to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, she never thought that they would be caught in the middle of a war. 

“I never in a million years thought this would happen,” Mettee told NBC News in Dubai. “It’s like a bad dream.”

Sarah Mettee.  NBC News

Mettee was originally meant to fly from Dubai yesterday and says that she doesn’t know when she will be able to return home. 

“I just want to get home to the kids,” Mettee said. “I miss them terribly.” 

The World Health Organization has called for the protection of civilians and health care facilities in the Middle East. 

“At a time of heightened tensions, the protection of civilians and health care must be absolute,” Hanan Balkhy, WHO’s regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, wrote on X. 

“All parties must uphold international humanitarian law and ensure medical facilities remain protected,” Balkhy added. 

Black smoke was seen rising from the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City today, according to an image from the AFP news agency.

Neither the embassy nor the Pentagon have commented.

AFP via Getty Images

SINGAPORE/LONDON — Oil surged 9% today after retaliatory Iranian attacks disrupted shipping in the crucial Strait of Hormuz following the weekend’s bombing by Israel and the United States that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

A sustained jump in prices would threaten a global economic recovery, spur inflation and could push up U.S. retail gasoline prices, a risky result for President Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections this November.

The price surge on the restart of trading after the weekend, however, was less than some analyst predictions.

The distinct buzz of a drone could be heard above the Lebanese capital this morning after residents were woken by gunfire to warn them of incoming Israeli strikes.

Local producer Roger Hanna, 53, who lives in the city, told NBC News that he was woken by shots just minutes before air strikes began, coming in three waves.

People inspect a damaged building after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb neighborhood of Haret Hreik today. Ibrahim Amro / AFP via Getty Images

Debris surrounding a building damaged after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb neighborhood of Haret Hreik today.  AFP via Getty Images

He said he could feel his windows shaking in the intense noise and his three teenage children were scared. He said he told them: "The war is starting."

At least one U.S. warplane crashed inside Kuwait, NBC News analysis has shown.

A video captured on the western edge of Al Jahra in Kuwait, near the Ali Al-Salem Air Base and posted to Telegram, showed a plane falling straight down and spinning to the ground.

Video shows U.S. warplane crashing in Kuwait

00:36

Earlier, the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry said several American warplanes crashed with all crew members surviving.

A Pentagon spokesperson said: “We do not have anything additional to share beyond the info on the CENTCOM and SecWar X pages at this time.” 

Drone footage from last night shows emergency services responding to an Iranian missile strike on a road in Jerusalem, which created a large crater in the ground.

Ilan Rosenberg / Reuters

We just reached a former commander for Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard who is in Tehran and still has close links to the government. As the war spreads across the region, he warns there will be more strikes. 

“I know that we are, at this time, ready for more attacks by missiles and drone against the bases of Israel and United States” Hossein Kanani Moghadam told NBC News by video call. “We have a very good situation and equipment and logistic at this time for the defense of the Iran,” he said.

Despite the onslaught Iran is undergoing, he insists, “At this time everything is stable… and we haven’t had, this time, any security problem.”

We asked him about the prospect of replacing Iran’s supreme leader, with the IRGC likely to play an influential role moving forward. “It is very easy for the country to select the new supreme leader,” he says, because there are many "suitable" candidates.

He rejects Trump’s assertion that many who might have replaced Ayatollah Khamenei are also dead. 

“This is a propaganda of Trump," he said. "No, this is not right.”

Iran's Red Crescent said 555 people have been killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes since the beginning of the war Saturday, state-run news agency IRNA reported.

The casualties are from more than 130 cities across Iran, the agency said.

Smoke rises as a series of explosions are heard in Tehran, Iran, yesterday. Fatemeh Bahrami / Anadolu via Getty Images

Millions of people in Iran have been left without access to the internet for more than 48 hours, according to cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks. 

This isn’t the first time that an internet shutdown has taken place in Iran this year, with a nationwide crackdown lasting for several weeks during anti-government protests in January.

00:32

The U.S. military released video on social media reportedly showing missiles striking Iranian ballistic missile threats. In a post accompanying the video, the U.S. said it is “taking bold action to eliminate imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime.”

China’s foreign minister criticized the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, as “unacceptable” in a call with his Russian counterpart.

“The blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change are unacceptable,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a call yesterday. “These actions violate international law and the basic norms of international relations.” 

People mourn the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran yesterday. Atta Kenare / AFP - Getty Images

China, which has close ties to Iran, says it is “deeply concerned” about the escalation and spillover of tensions in the Middle East, as Iran strikes Gulf countries that host U.S. military bases in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks. At a news briefing today, the Chinese Foreign Ministry again urged all parties to stop military actions and resume dialogue.

A Chinese national was killed in Tehran during the attack on Iran, spokesperson Mao Ning said, and more than 3,000 Chinese nationals have been evacuated from the country.

Protests had re-emerged across Iran in recent weeks after a deadly crackdown on unrest.

Student-led protests had been reported outside universities in the Islamic Republic in mid-February, with video circulating on social media and verified by NBC News appearing to show large crowds of demonstrators rallying outside institutions, including the Amir Kabir University of Technology in Tehran.

The fresh protests come on the heels of sweeping anti-government demonstrations last month in which rights groups say thousands of people were killed under a brutal crackdown on the nationwide unrest.

U.S. threats of military action on Iran had grown in the wake of those demonstrations, which marked the biggest flare-up of domestic unrest since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

U.S. officials say three American service members were killed in action in Kuwait in the military operation against Iran. Five others were seriously injured. The troops were part of a sustained unit in Kuwait. 

01:31

Iran will not negotiate with the U.S., the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council said.

Ali Larijani made the comments on X apparently in response to previous Wall Street Journal reporting, citing Arab and U.S. officials, that he had made a push through mediators to resume nuclear talks with the U.S.

Trump earlier told NBC News that Iranian officials were interested in continuing talks with the U.S.

LONDON — The United Kingdom's foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, has defended an agreement to allow the American military to use British air bases to strike Iranian ballistic missile sites.

Her comments come after the runway of a Royal Air Force air base in Cyprus was struck by an Iranian drone strike last night — Britain released few details of the strike but said there were no injuries. Families living at the base have been moved to another site on the island.

RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, in 2024.  MoD Crown via Getty Images file

Last night, Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted a request from the Pentagon for U.S. forces to use British bases on Cyprus and Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean.

“I’ve spoken to foreign ministers across the Gulf who were frankly shocked and horrified at the way their countries were targeted by Iran over the weekend,” Cooper told Sky News this morning.

“This is a deeply malign regime that is posing a direct threat to our partners in the region and to British citizens who are currently sheltering in place and in hotels and that’s why we’re supporting this limited defensive action.”

The Kuwaiti Defense Ministry said today that "several U.S. warplanes crashed this morning," but all crew members survived.

A statement posted to X by the Kuwaiti army said the ministry "immediately initiated search and rescue operations, evacuating the crews and transporting them to the hospital for medical evaluation and treatment." The condition of the personnel was "stable."

The ministry said it was in contact with U.S. forces and that an official investigation was underway.

A Pentagon spokesperson said: “We do not have anything additional to share beyond the info on the CENTCOM and SecWar X pages at this time.”