US & ‘Israel’ at war with Iran | Day 29 coverage
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The 2026 Iran War began on February 28 when the United States and ‘Israel’ launched an operation dubbed Epic Fury by the US and Lion's Roar by ‘Israel’, unleashing nearly 900 airstrikes in 12 hours on Iranian missile systems, air defenses, nuclear facilities, military bases, and leadership targets.
This direct assault followed years of shadow war, including the first-ever Iran-‘Israel’ missile exchanges in April and October 2024 and a limited 12-day war in June 2025 that damaged Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of top officials were killed in the opening salvo, while a US Tomahawk strike on a school adjacent to a naval base near Bandar Abbas killed about 170 civilians, mostly children.
Iran responded within hours by firing hundreds of ballistic missiles and launching thousands of drones at ‘Israel’, US bases in the Gulf, and targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait.
Tehran restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz—through which 20% of global oil flows—disrupting shipping and spiking oil prices.
The retaliation reignited fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon, prompting ‘Israeli’ strikes there and spreading the conflict regionally while hitting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, airports, and heritage sites.
Over the next three weeks, US-‘Israeli’ forces conducted sustained air campaigns that destroyed much of Iran’s air-defense network, missile production sites and navy assets.
Iran appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader, but pragmatic senior official Ali Larijani was assassinated in an ‘Israeli’ strike on March 17.
More than 80,000 civilian sites were hit, including 260 medical facilities and UNESCO-listed buildings, causing widespread blackouts, fuel shortages, toxic pollution, and over 2,000 total deaths across Iran, ‘Israel’, Lebanon, and Gulf states.
The war remained active in its fourth week with ongoing US-‘Israeli’ airstrikes on remaining Iranian targets and Iranian retaliatory barrages, including recent cluster-munition attacks on ‘Israel’ and a failed long-range missile attempt at Diego Garcia.
Trump has threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz reopens fully but has signaled possible winding down or deals, which Tehran denies pursuing.
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UAE air defenses intercept missiles and drones from Iran
UAE Ministry of Defense announced that its air defense systems are currently responding to incoming missile and drone attacks originating from Iran.
Authorities said the systems are actively tracking and neutralizing the threats to protect civilian areas and critical infrastructure.
No further details on damage or casualties were released.
US Central Command targets IRGC bases and air defenses in Iran
The United States Central Command announced strikes on positions belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and air defense systems across Iran.
CENTCOM said the operations aimed to degrade Iran’s military capabilities amid escalating regional tensions. No immediate details were provided on casualties or the extent of the damage, and independent verification of the strikes has not yet been confirmed.
‘Israeli’ police forcibly disperse anti-war protesters in Tel Aviv
'Israeli' police arrested five anti-war protesters at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, according to the “Detainee Assistance Network” affiliated with the protest movement.
Demonstrations were also reported in Haifa, where participants said arrests took place, while around 250 protesters gathered at Paris Square in Jerusalem.
Loud explosions heard in Tehran
Loud explosions were reported in Tehran, according to an AFP journalist on the ground.
Iran claims US forces retreat to hideouts in Dubai
Alert period ends in Jordan
Alert period ends in Jordan.
Air raid sirens sound across Negev region
Air raid sirens were triggered in the Negev, signaling a potential security threat.
Residents were urged to take shelter while authorities monitored the situation.
Sirens sound in Jordan
Jordanian authorities sound the danger alarm.
Three 'Israeli' officers, six soldiers wounded in separate incidents in southern Lebanon
'Israeli' army reported that three officers, including two critically injured, and six soldiers with moderate injuries were wounded in separate incidents in southern Lebanon overnight.
Alert period ends in Jordan
Alert period ends in Jordan.
Missile hits Eilat in southern ‘Israel’
Hebrew media, including Channel 12, reported that a missile struck the city of Eilat, also known as Umm al-Rashrash, in the far south of occupied Palestine. No immediate details were available on casualties or damage.
Sirens blare in Jordan
Jordanian authorities sound the alarm for residents amid danger.
Iran claims destruction of Ukrainian anti-drone systems depot in UAE
Iran announced it had destroyed a warehouse storing Ukrainian anti-drone systems in the United Arab Emirates, according to official statements.
No immediate confirmation has been issued by the Ukraine or UAE authorities. Further details on the alleged strike remain unclear.
Iran president lauds Pakistan for mediation to stop US, "Israel aggression"
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday hailed mediation efforts by Pakistan to stop the war with US and 'Israeli'.
In a call with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pezeshkian "thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts to stop the aggression against the Islamic republic," according to the presidency.
The call took place as foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey prepared to meet in Islamabad for talks on the war in the Middle East.
VIDEO - 'Israel' admits killing journalist, claims he was a Hezbollah member in disguise
'Israel' says the journalist killed, Ali Hassan Shaib, was allegedly a member of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force operating under the guise of a reporter.
According to the IOF, Shoeib was an operative in the Radwan Force’s intelligence unit while also working as a journalist for the Al-Manar TV channel.
The military claims Shoeib was “engaged in incitement against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, using his position as a channel to disseminate Hezbollah propaganda materials.”
The strike targeting a car in the southern town of Jezzine also killed Fatima Ftouni, a reporter with the Al-Mayadeen channel, the network reported, alongside Fatouni's brother, a cameraman.
Lebanon's president calls 'Israeli' strike on journalists 'blatant crime'
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the 'Israeli' strike that killed a journalist for Al Manar TV and another for Al Mayadeen channel in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
"Once again, the Israeli aggression violates the most basic rules of international law, international humanitarian law and the laws of war, by targeting journalists, who are ultimately civilians performing a professional duty," Aoun said in a statement released by the presidency.
"This is a blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars."
Sirens sound to announce end of alert period
Sirens sound to announce end of alert period
