Kuwait says ‘several’ US warplanes have crashed in the country, with all the crew surviving
Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait this morning, the country’s defence ministry said.
All the pilots bailed out safely and are been checked up on at a hospital, according to the ministry. They are all in a stable condition.
It is not immediately clear what caused the US warplanes to crash but the incident came during an intense period of Iranian fire targeting the country.
The defence ministry said it is continuing investigations into the “causes of the incident”.
Key events
IDF says ‘all options on table’ in response to question about possibe ground invasion of Lebanon
An Israeli military spokesperson has been briefing reporters in Israel. When asked if the IDF is preparing for a possible ground invasion of Lebanon, the spokesperson was quoted as having said that “all options are on the table”.
He said Hezbollah “made a very bad mistake” by choosing to strike Israel overnight.
“The IDF will react very swiftly and they will pay a heavy price,” the spokesperson told reporters. “Hezbollah opened fire at us last night. It knew exactly what it was doing.”
At least 555 people have been killed in Iran by US-Israeli attacks, Iranian Red Crescent Society says
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has said in a Telegram post that 555 people have been killed in Iran by Israel-US attacks across 131 cities.
Over 100,000 rescuers are on “full alert” across the country, the IRCS said, adding that a “network of approximately 4 million volunteers is on standby” to provide “humanitarian services” and “psychosocial support” to those affected.
We have not been able to independently verify these figures yet.
Saudi oil refinery reportedly halts operations after drone attack
Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack on Monday from drones, the country’s defence ministry said. Authorities downed the incoming aircraft and there were no reported injuries.
The announcement follows an earlier report in Bloomberg saying that Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Aramco had paused operations at the Ras Tanura refinery after a drone strike in the area.
The Ras Tanura complex houses one of the Middle East’s largest refineries with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.
Its shutting will likely add to supply anxieties as shipping through the strait of Hormuz, through which 13-15 million barrels, or 20% of global supply, of oil flows – grinds to a near-halt after vessels were attacked around it yesterday.
Iranian missiles or drones have hit airports, luxury hotels and other civilian targets across the Gulf, with strikes reported in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, sparking outrage among Gulf governments.
Amy Hawkins
Amy Hawkins is the Guardian’s senior China correspondent
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that a Chinese citizen had been killed in Tehran.
Beijing has urged Chinese citizens in Iran to leave “as soon as possible” via land routes to Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey and Iraq. China’s embassy in Israel also advised nationals to evacuate to safe areas or leave the country.
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi has condmenned the US-Israel strikes on Iran, calling them “unacceptable” and called for a ceasefire. China is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil.
You can watch a video of Israel’s air attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut in the early hours of Monday morning here:
Here are some of the latest images coming in from Lebanon, where the country’s health ministry is saying Israeli strikes in Beirut and on the south of the country have killed at least 31 people and injured 149.
The deadly Israeli attacks came after Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia group, launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
A man takes pictures of the damage in an apartment building after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh, Beirut’s southern suburb, on 2 March 2026. Photograph: Hussein Malla/AP
Kuwait says ‘several’ US warplanes have crashed in the country, with all the crew surviving
Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait this morning, the country’s defence ministry said.
All the pilots bailed out safely and are been checked up on at a hospital, according to the ministry. They are all in a stable condition.
It is not immediately clear what caused the US warplanes to crash but the incident came during an intense period of Iranian fire targeting the country.
The defence ministry said it is continuing investigations into the “causes of the incident”.
Journalists from the Associated Press reported hearing several loud explosions on Monday morning in Erbil, the capital city of Iraq’s semiautonomous region of Kurdistan.
It comes after loud explosions were heard early on Sunday near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops. Since the start of the US-Israel bombing campaign against Iran, drones have frequenty been intercepted over Erbil.
Helena Smith
Cyprus has put authorities on alert, closing schools and evacuating people where necessary, after it was dragged into the spiralling conflict across the Middle East following a drone attack on RAF Akrotiri, a British base on the island.
In an early morning address to the nation, president Nikos Christodoulides said his country’s security was the government’s paramount concern.
“We are located in a region of particular geopolitical instability, with many challenges and problems, currently undergoing an unprecedented crisis.
“We are doing what must be done, with the safety of our country and our citizens as our foremost concern,” he said.
The Cypriot leader said it remained the firm stance of the eastern Mediterranean island, the EU’s closest member state to the Middle East and a popular tourist destination, to not “become part of any military operation.”
“We remain committed to the humanitarian role we have fulfilled throughout this period – always as part of the solution and not the problem – and we will continue to act with the same sense of responsibility,” he said in te address.
Referring to the midnight strike, Christodoulides told the island nation that “an unmanned aerial vehicle of the Shahed type struck within the military installations of the British Bases in Akrotiri, causing minor material damage.”
Greek media reports suggested a second combat aerialvehicle, also deployed against the British facility by Iran, approximately 600 miles away, had been neutralised.
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said it is moving families from the RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus after it was targeted in a suspected Iranian drone strike last night at around midnight local time (22:00 GMT), in an attack which caused limited damage but no casualties,
An MoD spokesperson said:
The safety of our personnel and their families is our absolute priority.
As a precautionary measure we are moving family members who live at RAF Akrotiri to alternative accommodation nearby on the island of Cyprus.
Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests.
The UK has agreed to let the US use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites, with the prime minister, Keir Starmer, saying Tehran’s actions were becoming more reckless and putting British lives at risk,
Summary
In case you’re just joining us, here’s an overview of the latest news as the US-Israeli war on Iran moves into its third day.
The Israeli military said on Monday it was striking Hezbollah across Lebanon, after the militant group launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli strikes on Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs and on southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people and wounded 149, Lebanon’s health ministry said. The Israeli military urged people in nearly 50 Lebanese villages to evacuate.
Explosions were heard across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Manama as well as in Jerusalem on Monday. Smoke was seen rising from the US embassy in Kuwait City and it warned of a continuing threat of attacks over Kuwait.
Donald Trump warned on Sunday that combat operations in Iran would carry on “until all of our objectives are achieved”. The US president continued to justify the operation and said: “I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.”
Trump told Fox News that 48 leaders have been killed in the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. “It’s moving along rapidly … Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot.”
A suspected drone strike hit RAF Akrotiri – a UK base in Cyprus – the British Ministry of Defence confirmed. There were no casualties at the base. The suspected strike came hours after Keir Starmer said the UK had allowed the US to strike Iranian missile sites from British bases as officials plan an unprecedented rescue operation for UK citizens in the Gulf.
Hundreds more flights were cancelled on Monday, extending the turmoil in global air travel caused by the war, with hundreds of thousands of passengers already stranded.
Oil prices soared and stock markets came under pressure on Monday after the strikes on Iran prompted fears of significant global economic disruption.
The death toll from a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran on Saturday rose to almost 165, according to Iranian state media.
Three US service members have been killed as part of US military operations against Iran, US Central Command said on Sunday.
Trump said Iran’s new leadership wanted to talk to him and that he had agreed, according to an interview with the Atlantic. Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, later said Tehran would “not negotiate with the United States”.
Hundreds more flights were cancelled on Monday, extending the turmoil in global air travel caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, with hundreds of thousands of passengers already stranded.
Callum Jones also reports that leading airline stocks came under pressure after days of disruption, with Donald Trump indicating that the US military action could last another four weeks.
Major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai – the world’s busiest international hub – closed for a third consecutive day amid the most acute aviation shock since the Covid-19 pandemic paralysed the industry.
Flights across the Middle East have been cancelled, disrupting thousands of services so far, as international carriers continued to suspend their services.
Early on Monday, 1,239 flights had already been cancelled. Emirates Airlines, based in Dubai; Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi; and Qatar Airways, based in Doha; have collectively cancelled hundreds of flights.
Almost 2,800 flights were cancelled on Saturday and 3,156 cancelled on Sunday, according to the tracking platform FlightAware.
See full report here:
Israeli military says fighting Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days
Israel’s military chief has said the fighting against Hezbollah that began early on Monday could take “many” more days.
“We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah,” Eyal Zamir said in a video shared by the military on Monday and cited by AFP, hours after rocket fire claimed by the Lebanese militant group prompted a wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
“We must be prepared for several days of fighting – many.”
US embassy in Kuwait warns of attack threat and urges people to take cover
The US embassy in Kuwait City is reportedly urging people not to come to the embassy and to take cover.
It is also saying there is a continuing threat of missile and drone attacks over Kuwait.
The warning comes after smoke was seen rising from the US embassy and amid reports Iran had launched another wave of strikes on Gulf states and on Israel.
Sirens were heard sounding earlier over Kuwait City.
Explosions have been heard in Jerusalem and across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Doha and Manama as Tehran pressed into a third day of strikes in response to US and Israeli attacks.
Smoke is rising from the US embassy in Kuwait City, an AFP correspondent is reporting.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill 31 – report
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 31 people and wounded 149, AFP is citing a Lebanese ministry as saying.
