US & ‘Israel’ at war with Iran | Day 30 coverage
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.
Yemen’s Houthi movement entered the war early, launching missile and drone attacks toward ‘Israel’ and expanding the conflict beyond the Gulf and Levant theaters.
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.
Alert period ends in Jordan
Sirens sound announcing the end of the alert period.
Sirens interrupt budget talks in Knesset, officials rush to shelters
The session of the Knesset was suspended after sirens were activated in Jerusalem, prompting lawmakers to leave the chamber and head to shelters.
Itamar Ben-Gvir could be seen among those taking cover.
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Sirens blare in Jordan
Jordanian authorities activated the alarm.
Alert period ends in Jordan
Alert period ends in Jordan.
Sirens blare in Jordan
Sirens blare in Jordan.
Power outages hit Tehran after 'Israeli' attack on electricity infrastructure
Several areas of Tehran experienced power outages following what Iran’s Ministry of Energy described as an attack on the country’s electricity infrastructure by 'Israel'.
The ministry said the strike caused widespread disruptions, affecting homes and businesses across the capital, as authorities work to restore services.
Iran Guards say struck industrial complex in southern 'Israel'
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they struck an industrial complex in southern 'Israel' with ballistic missiles.
In a statement carried by state TV, the Guards said the strike was in response to "attacks of the American-Zionist axis on the industrial centres" in the Iran.
"Trump is a plaything for Netanyahu," says IRGC spokesperson
- Statement accuses the US President of instability, dishonesty, and endangering American forces.
- Iran warns any aggression would fail, with US troops at risk of “humiliating captivity” and military retaliation.
The spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, strongly criticized Trump, the President of the United States, over his repeated threats of ground operations and the potential occupation of islands in the Persian Gulf.
In a statement, the spokesperson accused the US President of being “a plaything for the Prime Minister of the Zionist regime in the war and aggression against Iran” due to his "history in the Epstein case and under pressure from the Mossad terrorist organization."
He also described him as “the most lying president among the world’s nations” with “no intellectual or discourse stability.”
The statement went on to claim that American forces in the region are struggling amid his leadership, saying, “Trump’s commanders and soldiers, who grapple with death daily in the region, have fled their destroyed bases out of fear of being killed and taken refuge in the service, population, and economic centers of regional countries—where, of course, they are also being targeted.”
Iran warned that any attempt at aggression would fail, adding, “the warriors of Islam have long been waiting for such actions to prove that aggression and occupation will yield nothing but humiliating captivity, dismemberment, and the disappearance of the aggressors. American commanders and soldiers will become ‘fine food for the sharks of the Persian Gulf.’”
The statement concluded by urging the US President and military leaders to learn from Iranian history, warning that if threats are carried out, “the powerful Armed Forces of Iran, proud and head held high, are counting down the moments to crush your military.”
Iran activates air defenses over Tehran
Iranian state media reported that air defense systems were activated in several areas of the capital, Tehran.
Explosions were heard as the forces engaged airborne targets over the city, amid heightened security alert and on-the-ground military readiness.
Sirens sound to announce end of alert period
Sirens sound to announce end of alert period
Sirens blare in Jordan
Sirens blare in Jordan after detecting aerial threats.
Alert period ends in Jordan
Alert period ends in Jordan.
Sirens sound in Jordan
Jordanian authorties sounded the alarm in the country, warning residents of aerial threats and urging them to stay sheltered.
US plane destroyed by Iran strike in Saudi Arabia
In a major military escalation since the start of the war, Iran launched a dual attack using ballistic missiles and drones targeting Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, resulting in the destruction of a large US reconnaissance aircraft valued at $700 million and the injury of several soldiers.
Images circulating online of the aftermath were verified by AFP teams.
VIDEO - Funeral in Lebanon for three journalists killed in ‘Israeli’ strike
Hundreds of people gather in the southern suburbs of Beirut to attend the funeral of Ali Shoeib, a longtime war correspondent for al-Manar in southern Lebanon, al-Mayadeen journalist Fatima Ftouni, and her brother, cameraman Mohammed Ftouni, who were killed on Saturday in an 'Israeli' strike in Jezzine, southern Lebanon.
Iranian missile targets chemical plant near Beersheba
Hebrew media outlets reported that an Iranian missile struck a chemical facility near the southern city of Beersheba. Initial reports indicate damage at the site, with no immediate confirmation of casualties.
VIDEO - Iran missile causes blaze in occupied Bir al-Saba, Negev
The 'Israeli' military said Sunday that an impact at an industrial zone may have been caused by missile shrapnel, shortly after it detected a new barrage fired from Iran.
"We understand that there is a missile shrapnel impact," the military told AFP, as 'Israeli' television channels showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky from the Ramat Hovav industrial zone in the Negev desert in southern 'Israel'.
Sirens sound to announce end of alert period
Sirens sound to announce end of alert period
Rocket launches from Iran toward central 'Israel' detected
Sirens sound in Tel Aviv and wider central 'Israel' as 'Israeli' authorities warn of incoming missiles from Iran.
Air raid sirens blare across Jordan
Air raid sirens blare across Jordan
