US & ‘Israel’ at war with Iran | Day 37 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 war 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 five 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.
“We got him!”: Trump announces second US airman rescued from Iran
US President Donald Trump said Sunday morning that his country’s military carried out “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US history” to rescue the second crew member of the F-15E fighter jet that was shot down over Iran.
“WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!” Trump said on Truth Social.
“This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation,” Trump added.
U.S. rescues second crew member of F-15 jet shot down over Iran: Axios
US special forces rescued the second crew member of the F-15E fighter jet that was shot down over Iran, according to a report by Axios citing three US officials.
“The operation was conducted by a specialized commando unit with a high volume of air cover," one of the officials told Axios, adding that all of the forces are now out of Iran.
UAE says air defences responding to missiles, drones
Emirati air defences were responding to missile and drone attacks, the United Arab Emirates' defence ministry said Sunday, as Iran said it was targeting "aluminum industries" in the Gulf nation.
"UAE Air Defences ... are actively engaging with missiles and UAV threats," the ministry posted on X, providing no details about the origin of the attack.
Iran's army said it was targeting "aluminum industries" in the UAE and US military infrastructure in Kuwait, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.
“Don't bomb”: ‘Israelis’ call to end Iran war in Tel Aviv
Carrying anti-war banners and chanting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hundreds of ‘Israelis’ rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest the war with Iran.
Demonstrators gathered in a central square, holding signs that read: "Don't bomb — talk! End the endless war!" despite restrictions on mass gatherings imposed during the conflict with Iran.
"Police are trying to silence our voice," Alon-Lee Green, the co-director of ‘Israeli’-Palestinian grassroots group Standing Together, told AFP.
"We are here to demand an end to the war in Iran, the war in Lebanon, and the war in Gaza which is still going on, as well as an end to the pogroms in the West Bank.
"In Israel, there's always a war. So, if we're not allowed to demonstrate, we will never be allowed to speak," he added.
Green and several other protesters were soon detained by police.
Protesters also voiced scepticism about the government's justification for the war with Iran.
"I'm very suspicious of the reasons. I think the main reason is that Bibi wants to stop his trial," said Cecile, 62, who gave only her first name, referring to Netanyahu with his nickname.
Netanyahu is on trial in a long-running corruption case and has sought a presidential pardon, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly pressuring ‘Israeli’ President Isaac Herzog to grant one.
In a video statement released on Saturday evening, Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with the military campaign against Iran.
"I promised you that we would continue to strike the terror regime in Tehran, and that is exactly what we are doing," Netanyahu said.
"Today, we attacked their petrochemicals hub," he added, after announcing strikes on Iran's steel-producing facilities the day before.
"These two things are their cash machine for funding the war of terror against us and against the entire world. We will continue to strike them," he said.
Protester Cecile said the reasons for the war kept shifting.
"The reasons for the war keep moving and changing all the time. We don't know what will be considered a success or a failure, and we don't know how long it's gonna take," she said.
Since midnight, several waves of Iranian missiles have been launched towards ‘Israel’, including targets in Tel Aviv and other areas of central ‘Israel’.
At least five people were injured after the missile fire, according to ‘Israeli’ medics.
Later on Saturday evening, demonstrators began leaving the square following an alert warning of an incoming missile.
Minutes later, the military reported it had detected an incoming missile from Yemen.
Since February 28, the United States and ‘Israel’ have conducted joint strikes on Iran, prompting the Islamic Republic to retaliate with daily missile barrages targeting ‘Israel’ and several neighbouring countries across the region.
Iran Guards shoot down US MQ-9 drone: statement
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it shot down a US MQ-9 drone over Isfahan in central Iran using an “advanced air defense system,” according to the statement.
Missiles fired by Iran fell in “open areas” in north ‘Israel’: Haaretz
Haaretz said Sunday morning, citing sources, that the missiles fired by Iran in the latest salvo hit “open areas” in northern ‘Israel’.
Iranian drone knocks out two Kuwaiti power units: ministry
The Kuwaiti Electricity Ministry said that two power generation and water desalination plants were targeted by a “hostile Iranian drone”
The attack caused “significant” material damage and forced two power units offline with no injuries reported, according to the statement.
New Iranian missile salvo towards ‘Israel’: state TV
Iranian state television reported Sunday morning that another ballistic missile salvo has been launched targeting ‘Israel’.
Kuwait government complex damaged in drone, missile attack
The Kuwaiti army announced on Sunday that its air defenses intercepted missiles and drones launched toward Kuwait, while authorities reported significant damage to a government complex in the capital following an Iranian attack on Saturday evening.
In a statement, the General Staff of the Kuwaiti Army said that “Kuwaiti air defenses are currently intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks,” noting that “any sounds of explosions heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting the attacks.”
Kuwait’s Ministry of Finance announced damage following “the targeting of the Ministries Complex building by a hostile drone as a result of Iranian aggression.”
It added that the attack “resulted in significant material damage to the building, with no human casualties,” noting that visits to the complex have been suspended and officials will work remotely on Sunday.
The conflict has expanded to Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain after Iran began launching retaliatory strikes on Gulf states in response to attacks carried out by the United States and ‘Israel’ against the Islamic Republic since February 28.
Kuwait’s oil ministry hit by drone attack, triggering fire
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said Sunday morning that the oil sector complex in Shuwaikh was targeted by drones, resulting in a fire at the site, according to a statement by the KPC cited by state media.
No injuries were reported, added the statement.
Images on social media showed fire erupting from a building, which houses both Kuwait’s oil ministry and the headquarters of the KPC.
VIDEO - Netanyahu vows to press ahead with military campaign against Iran
‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows in a video statement to press ahead with the military campaign against Iran.
Kuwait military says air defences responding to attacks
Kuwait's military said on Sunday its air defences were working to intercept missiles and drones fired towards the Gulf nation's territory.
"Kuwaiti Air Defenses are currently responding to hostile missile and drone threats," the Kuwaiti army posted on X, adding that any explosions heard were air defence interceptions.
Haaretz: Iranian missile fell in “open area” in south ‘Israel’
Haaretz said Sunday that an Iranian missile fell in an “open area”, after Iran fired a ballistic missile wave targeting south ‘Israel’.
Circulating photo claims to show US forces searching for missing airman
New photo said to show US forces carrying out their search and rescue mission for the missing F-15 fighter jet crew member in Iran.
Tehran said Friday it had shot down an F-15 warplane and US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other still missing.
Iran's military also said it downed a US A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Gulf, with US media saying the pilot of that plane was rescued.
The local Mehr news agency on Saturday quoted the deputy governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, Fattah Mohammadi, as saying the search for the missing airman involved "popular forces and tribesmen alongside military forces and is still ongoing".
Iran launches missiles at ‘Israel’: army
The ‘Israeli’ military said Sunday morning it detected ballistic missiles launched from Iran.
Sirens were activated in south ‘Israel’.
VIDEO - Houthis claim strike on Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv
The Yemen’s Houthis claim they struck several vital ‘Israeli’ military sites, as well as Lod Airport near Tel Aviv, using ballistic missiles and drones.
"Our armed forces [...] carried out the fifth military operation, using a cluster ballistic missile and a number of drones," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.
VIDEO - Chaos at Masnaa Border Crossing after ‘Israeli’ airstrike warning
Crowds and chaos at the Masnaa Border Crossing between Syria and Lebanon, after the ‘Israeli’ military warned it will bomb it claiming it is used for “military activity”.
Iranian media: US strikes areas where missing pilot may be located
Iranian media reported that US forces have carried out strikes in southwestern Iran, targeting areas where a missing American pilot might be.
The reports suggest the strikes may be an attempt to eliminate the pilot after failing to locate them.
A military source cited by Tasnim News Agency said authorities will not confirm whether the pilot is in their custody.
The agency also claimed that US officials have not provided complete information about the first rescued pilot.
Kuwaiti air defenses intercept incoming missiles and drones
Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said.
Explosions that may be heard are the result of interception by air defense systems, it added.
Authorities urged the public to follow all safety and security instructions issued by the relevant agencies.
Iran’s military rejects Trump's “helpless, nervous” ultimatum
Iran's central military command on Saturday rejected US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy the country's vital infrastructure if it does not accept a peace deal within 48 hours.
General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, in a statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Trump's threat was a "a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action".
And, echoing the religious language of Trump's social media post, he warned that "the simple meaning of this message is that the gates of hell will open for you".
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