US & ‘Israel’ at war with Iran | Day 14 coverage

Sri Lanka is repatriating on Friday the remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed when their frigate was sunk nine days ago by a US submarine, the Foreign Ministry said.

The seamen were killed when IRIS Dena was torpedoed on March 4 just off the coast of Sri Lanka, in a move that extended the Middle East war to the Indian Ocean.

"All domestic procedures have been completed, and the Iranians are bringing a chartered aircraft for the repatriation," spokesman Thushara Rodrigo told AFP.

"The 32 sailors who were rescued by our navy will remain in Sri Lanka."

The embalmed remains, in sealed boxes, are to be flown out of Sri Lanka from the Mattala International Airport in the south of the country, officials said.

The first batch of 46 bodies was already at the airport by Friday afternoon awaiting an Iranian chartered cargo plane, an official told AFP.

The bodies, which were plucked from the Indian Ocean, were taken to the Karapitiya Hospital in Galle, 115 kilometres (72 miles) south of the capital, where autopsies were carried out.

A local magistrate ordered that the bodies be handed over to the Iranian embassy in Colombo to be sent back to the next of kin.

There was no immediate comment from the Iranian embassy when contacted by AFP.

‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the joint US-‘Israeli’ campaign was "crushing" Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. 

"We are crushing the terrorist regime in Iran, we are striking and crushing its agent Hezbollah in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a televised media briefing.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the country's military, warned on Friday that any new protests against the authorities would be met with a stronger response than in January, when several thousand people were killed.

"The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots," the Guards said in a statement broadcast on TV, promising "a stronger blow than on January 8" in the event of new unrest.

The ‘Israeli’ military said it launched a new wave of strikes in Tehran on Friday morning, on the 14th day of its war against the Islamic Republic.

"The IDF has just begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran," the military said.

Large explosions shake Tehran: AFP

Two people died after security forces intercepted a drone in northern Oman, state media said on Friday, without giving further details.

Both victims in the incident at Al Awahi industrial area were expatriates, the Oman News Agency said, adding that other people were injured.

Saudi forces intercepted a drone targeting Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter housing foreign embassies, the defence ministry said on Friday.

The "hostile drone" was downed "during an attempt to approach the Diplomatic Quarter", the ministry posted on X. 

Three more drones were intercepted elsewhere in Saudi Arabia around the same time, the ministry said.

‘Israel's’ military said Friday it had struck more than 200 targets in western and central Iran in the last day, including missile launchers and defence systems.

It said fighter jets carried out "20 wide-scale strikes" that targeted "ballistic missile launchers, defense systems, and weapon production sites."

A building in central Dubai was struck by debris from an intercepted attack, the Dubai Government Media Office said Friday, after explosions shook the Middle East’s financial hub.

An AFP correspondent reported hearing two blasts that rattled nearby buildings and sent a large cloud of black smoke rising above a central area of the city.

Siren were heard early on Friday at Turkey's Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility where US troops are stationed near the southeastern city of Adana, state news agency Anadolu reported.

There was no immediate official comment on the incident, which took place four days after NATO air defences shot down a ballistic missile in Turkish airspace that was fired from Iran, the second in five days.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense reports the successful interception and destruction of three drones over the eastern and central regions.

The UAE’s Emergency and Crisis Management Authority reports that air defense systems are actively responding to a missile threat.

Dubai authorities report a minor incident after debris from an aerial interception struck the facade of a building in central Dubai; no serious injuries were reported.

Explosions rattled buildings in Dubai and a large cloud of smoke hung over a central area of the Middle East financial hub on Friday, AFP correspondents said.

According to 'Israeli' media, a rocket hitting the Zarzir area in northern Galilee has left 30 people injured, due to the latest wave of strikes launched by Iran. 

The IRGC announced that Wave 44 of its operation deployed precision and heavy missiles such as Khorramshahr, Khaibar Shikan, Fattah, and Emad.

The IRGC announced that the 44th wave of the ‘True Promise 4’ operation was carried out in memory of what they called "the martyrs of the Jerusalem path", including Qasem Soleimani, Hassan Nasrallah, Hachem Safieddine, Ismail Haniyeh, and Yahya Sinwar.

The operation targeted U.S. and 'Israeli' bases in northern occupied territories, including Kiryat Shmona, Khodira, Haifa, the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and other American military bases in the region."

'Israeli' emergency services say they are treating eight people with minor to moderate injuries following a rocket strike on the Zarzir area in northern Galilee.

'Israel' said on Friday that Iran fired a new wave of missiles toward 'Israel', instructing those in affected areas to head to shelters.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the 'Israeli' military wrote on its official Telegram channel.

Saudi Arabia intercepted 12 drones entering its airspace, the defence ministry said on Friday, as Iran carries out attacks on oil-rich Gulf countries in response to US-'Israeli' strikes.

"Twelve drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering Saudi airspace," a spokesperson for the defence ministry posted on X.

The CENTCOM spokesperson says the USS Abraham Lincoln is continuing its mission in the region, supporting operations against Iran, dismissing recent IRGC targeting claims as false.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier was targeted and is now retreating toward U.S. waters, according to their statement.

Iran’s Khatam‑al‑Anbiya, the central military engineering and strategic command of the IRGC that oversees Iran-backed forces and regional operations, claims responsibility for striking a U.S. aircraft in western Iraq, with reports indicating the crew has been killed.

CBS reports that six crew members were on board the U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. The condition of those aboard remains unknown.

The KC-135 went down in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said a second aircraft involved in the incident landed safely, and the crash was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.

This is at least the fourth U.S. military aircraft to crash since the start of the U.S.-'Israeli' operations against Iran, following the accidental downing of three F-15 jets over Kuwait by friendly fire.

U.S. Central Command reports one KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury in western Iraq. A second aircraft involved landed safely, and the loss was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.

French army confirmed that six of its soldiers were injured in an attack by Iranian suicide drones on a joint base near Erbil, Iraq.

The military said the personnel received immediate medical attention and that operations at the base continue.

About 47,000 Americans have returned to the United States since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, a U.S. State Department official said on Thursday, adding that roughly 50 flights had been organized to repatriate U.S. citizens.

The State Department has faced criticism over what observers described as a significant lack of planning after the United States and Israel carried out unprecedented strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The department has since stepped up efforts to facilitate the return of Americans from the region.

According to the State Department, around 32,000 people were directly assisted in returning to the United States through dedicated government flights or commercial routes after the creation of a crisis response cell.

A department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the number of available seats on the special flights exceeded demand, noting that many Americans in the region opted to arrange their own travel back to the United States.

“We offered travel options to nearly every American in the region who reached out to us,” the official said.

In a departure from usual procedures, Americans were able to travel on the State Department–organized flights without paying the costs upfront. The department is funding the flights through an emergency fund.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had urged Americans to leave the Middle East quickly following the strikes, but faced criticism for not initially providing rapid means for citizens to return home.

In a separate statement on Thursday, the United States Department of State also advised U.S. citizens not to travel to Azerbaijan, citing concerns including terrorism, armed conflict and the risk of anti-personnel landmines.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an 'Israeli' airstrike on the southern town of Arki killed nine people, including five children, and wounded seven others.