live Reports: Kurdish Militias Discuss Iran Attacks With US

The US Embassy in Riyadh was struck by two drones on March 3, causing a "limited fire" and "minor material damage," Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said, as tensions escalate in the wider Middle East.

The ministry said an initial assessment pointed to a drone attack on the diplomatic compound in the Saudi capital. Later reports said additional drones were targeting the site as Iran continued its retaliatory attacks across the Persian Gulf following US and Israeli strikes which have resulted in rocket and drone fire across the region.

Separately, Saudi forces intercepted several drones inbound toward the kingdom, the ministry added.

The Riyadh embassy building was empty at the time of the attack and no casualties were reported.

The Iranian Red Crescent said on March 3 that the death toll from Israeli and US attacks on Iran had reached “787 people.”

The organization, a public body operating under the supervision of the Islamic republic’s government, also said 153 counties across Iran had been affected by the strikes.

The Red Crescent released its casualty figures without providing details or a breakdown.

Officials of the Islamic republic say “165” of those killed were students at a girls’ school in Minab, where funeral ceremonies for some of the victims were held on March 3. Iranian state media have published a list containing “57 names” of those killed at the school.

The United States and Israel say they are not aware of any strike on the school.

Iranian authorities, however, attribute the incident to the two countries and say they will pursue the matter in international legal forums.

Donald Trump has once again criticized the UK, saying that the relationship between the two countries was "not like it used to be."

Responding to Britain’s failure to take part in the initial Israeli and US strikes against Iran, the American president told The Sun newspaper that America does not need Britain to carry out military operations in the Middle East, but said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had "not been helpful." He also praised France and Germany as allies, saying "now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe."

Starmer announced on March 1 that he would allow the United States to use British military bases for defensive strikes. However, those bases were not used in the initial attack on Iran.

UK Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Darren Jones said London prefers to act in such situations when aligned with international partners and when there is a clear legal basis for action.

Starmer said on March 2 that Trump had "expressed his opposition to our decision not to participate in the initial strikes, but my duty is to determine what is in Britain’s national interest.”

Also from CENTCOM:

US military officials said on March 2 that they had destroyed command centers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iran's air defense systems, as well as missile and drone launch sites.

“U.S. forces, in ongoing operations, have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iran’s air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields,” the US Central Command wrote in a post on X.

Meanwhile, the IRGC said early on March 3 that it had targeted a US air base in the Sheikh Isa area of Bahrain with a “large-scale drone and missile attack.” The official IRNA news agency, citing the IRGC, reported that 20 drones and three missiles were launched and claimed that the “main command headquarters of the base” was destroyed, though no evidence was provided.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced they have deployed troops deeper into southern Lebanon, beyond the five positions previously held, as part of what they described as an “enhanced forward defense posture.”

Soldiers from the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division are positioned at multiple points near the border to strengthen security in northern Israel, the army said.

The IDF said it is conducting targeted strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure to neutralize threats and prevent infiltration into Israeli territory. The expanded deployment follows a series of rocket and drone attacks by Hezbollah on northern Israel that began early on March 2 in retaliation for Israel’s killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The attacks continued overnight into the morning of March 3.

The Israeli military said the measures are intended to provide an additional layer of security for residents in northern Israel while countering threats from Hezbollah.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended Washington’s decision to strike Iranian targets, describing the attacks as a preemptive move to protect American forces from what he called an “imminent threat,” and warning that “the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military.”

“There absolutely was an imminent threat,” Rubio told reporters in Washington on March 2. Speaking on Capitol Hill before a closed-door briefing with lawmakers, he described the strikes as both a response to an “imminent threat” and a pre-emptive move.

“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces,” Rubio said. “If we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties. This had to happen, no matter what.”

Responding to Rubio's statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on March 3 that the US Secretary of State's comments showed that the US "entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel."

The United States and Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Iran on February 28, targeting what officials described as missile sites and military infrastructure. The strikes marked one of the most direct confrontations between Washington and Tehran in years and immediately triggered a regional escalation.

Iran responded by firing missiles at US bases in several Persian Gulf states, widening the conflict beyond Israeli-Iranian hostilities and raising fears of a broader regional war. US military officials said American air defenses intercepted many incoming projectiles, though some bases reported damage and casualties.

President Donald Trump signaled that further action could follow. In remarks to US media, Trump warned that a “big wave” of attacks was still ahead, suggesting that the weekend strikes were only the beginning of a sustained campaign aimed at degrading Iran’s military capabilities.

With reporting by C-SPAN, NBC News, and dpa

The United States Geological Survey (USGS)says a ⁠magnitude ‌4.3 earthquake has ⁠struck the Gerash region in southern ⁠Iran. The ‌quake was at a depth of ‌10 ⁠km (6.21 miles), ‌it added. There were no immediate reports of damage from Iranian authorities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved to dismiss concerns about a prolonged conflict in the Middle East following strikes by his country and the United States on Iran in recent days.

“I hear the people are saying you’re going to have an endless war here. You’re not going to have an endless war,” Netanyahu told Sean Hannity on Fox News. “This is going to be a quick and decisive action, and we’re going to create the conditions first for the Iranian people to get control of their destiny to form their own democratically elected government.”

The Iranian women’s soccer team remained silent last night while the Islamic republic's national anthem was played before the opening match of the Asian Cup in Australia, with none of the players singing along.

Head coach Marzieh Jafari was seen on the sidelines smiling as the players stood in silence.

Despite Iran’s 3–0 loss to South Korea, members of the Iranian women’s team were applauded by spectators.

Australian media and Fox News reported that during a press conference, journalists asked team captain Zahra Ghanbari -- who was seated alongside Jafari -- about the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the question was quickly cut off.

According to ESPN, Jafari responded in Persian, but a media representative from the Asian Football Confederation interrupted her remarks without providing a translation.