Issued on: 05/03/2026 - 04:06Modified: 06/03/2026 - 04:32
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that Iran was making a mistake if it believed that the United States could not sustain the ongoing war, adding that Washington had just begun to fight. The Israeli military said late Thursday said it had begun launching air strikes against what it described as infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in Beirut’s south. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This blog is no longer being updated.
Iran Guards launch missiles at Israel's Tel Aviv, reports Iran state media
Gulf carriers resume limited flights, but missile fire fuels uncertainty
Emirates and Etihad Airways were resuming limited flight schedules to key global cities from their United Arab Emirates hubs on Friday, though the ongoing threat of missile fire piled pressure on airlines as
they scramble to accommodate travellers.
Qatar says intercepted drone attack targeting US military base
Hezbollah warns Israeli residents to evacuate towns near border
US military says Iranian drone carrier struck, now on fire
Iran state TV reports explosions in Tehran
Israel says striking Iranian 'regime infrastructure' in Tehran
Israel said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran early Friday, targeting "regime infrastructure" in the Iranian capital.
Israeli forces launched a large-scale "wave of strikes against Iranian terror regime infrastructure in Tehran", a military statement said.
Iranian state TV reported explosions in several parts of the city.
Iran missile barrage sparks explosions over Tel Aviv
The latest Iranian missile barrage sparked a wave of explosions across Tel Aviv as firefighters worked to contain a blaze at a residential building near Israel's commercial hub on Friday.
The blasts came after Israel expanded its campaign against Hezbollah, vowing retribution against the Tehran-backed militant group for joining the conflict following the killing on Saturday of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran's state broadcaster said Tehran had fired missiles "against targets in the heart of Tel Aviv," after Israel's military said it was working to intercept incoming Iranian fire late Thursday.
UAE explores freezing Iranian assets, WSJ reports
The United Arab Emirates is weighing freezing billions of dollars of Iranian assets held in the Gulf state, a move that could curb Tehran's access to foreign currency and global trade amid the US-Israeli military conflict, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
UAE authorities are weighing measures ranging from freezing the assets of UAE-based shadow companies used to mask trade to a sweeping financial crackdown on local currency exchanges which are used to move money outside of formal banking channels, the report said, citing officials familiar with discussions.
If the UAE decides to move on Iran’s shadow-financing empire, a key target would be accounts affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the report added.
Bahrain says Iran targeted hotels, residential building in Manama
Bahrain said early Friday that Iran had targeted two hotels and a residential building in the capital Manama.
"Iranian aggression targets two hotels and a residential building in Manama, causing material damage but no loss of life," the interior ministry posted on X.
Saudi Arabia says intercepted three missiles launched towards air base
Trump on rising gas prices during Iran operation: 'If they rise, they rise'
President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was not concerned about rising US gas prices driven by the widening Iran conflict, telling Reuters in an exclusive interview that the US military operation was his
priority.
"I don't have any concern about it," he said, when asked about the higher prices at the pump. "They'll drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit."
US military says it has sunk over 30 Iranian ships so far
The US military said on Thursday it has sunk over 30 Iranian ships so far during the US and Israel's war against Iran, including an Iranian drone ship that is on fire.
Ballistic missile attacks by Iran have decreased by 90% since the first day of the war, US Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US forces in the Middle East as the head of Central Command, told reporters.
US not expanding military objectives in Iran, Hegseth says
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the United States was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, after President Donald Trump told Reuters that the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran.
"There's no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we're trying to achieve," Hegseth said.
Gulf states could review overseas investments to ease financial strains caused by Iran war
Pressure on the Gulf states' budgets since the United States and Israel attacked Iran could cause
them to review their overseas investments and future commitments as they consider options to ease the financial strain, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
A Gulf official told the newspaper the conflict that has engulfed the region could have an impact on anything from investment pledges to foreign states or companies, sports sponsorships, contracts with businesses and investors, or sales of holdings.
US has just begun fight in Iran, Hegseth says
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that Iran was making a mistake if it believed that the United States could not sustain the ongoing war, adding that Washington had just begun to fight.
"Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation," Hegseth told reporters during a visit to the headquarters of US Central Command.
Trump: want to finish Iran then Cuba 'question of time'
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants to finish the war in Iran first, but then it "will be just a question of time before you and a lot of unbelievable people are going to be going back to Cuba."
Iran missile fire sparks explosions over Tel Aviv, no reported injuries
US House rejects war powers resolution, backs Trump on Iran war
The US House of Representatives rejected an effort to stop President Donald Trump's war on Iran and require that any hostilities against Iran be authorised by Congress, backing the Republican president's military campaign on the sixth day of the expanding conflict.
The vote was 219 to 212 in the House, where Trump's fellow Republicans control a narrow majority of seats.
Yesterday's key developments:
US Senate Republicans voted down an effort on Wednesday to halt President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, demonstrating early support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear US exit strategy.
At least 80 people were killed in a US submarine strike on an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
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