live Israel Bombs Tehran With 80 Fighter Jets

Iranian Kurdish armed groups based in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region have held discussions with US officials in recent days about the possibility of attacking Iranian security forces in western Iran, according to reports by Reuters and CNN citing informed sources.

A coalition of Kurdish groups along the Iran–Iraq border is reportedly training for potential operations aimed at weakening Iran’s military while US and Israeli forces strike Iranian targets.

Two sources said the objective would be to create conditions for a broader uprising against the government.

The groups have reportedly sought US military backing and discussed possible weapons supplies through the CIA.

However, no final decision on an operation has been made. Some assessments suggest Iranian Kurdish factions may currently lack the resources and unity needed to overthrow the government.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for a rapid de-escalation in the Middle East amid intensifying fighting between Iran and US–Israeli forces.

Speaking to reporters in Sydney on March 4 during an official visit to Australia, Carney urged all parties involved in the conflict to respect international rules governing warfare.

He said the strikes against Iran appear to be "inconsistent with international law,” but added that it is ultimately up to the United States and Israel to demonstrate the legality of their actions.

Carney also said Canada had not been informed in advance of the attacks and was not asked to take part.

"We ​would not have been in a position...to take ​a ⁠judgment that met our standards if we had been asked to participate," he said.

While urging restraint, Carney reiterated Canada’s support for preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

At least 104 attacks across 19 Iranian provinces were recorded over 24 hours, resulting in 31 casualties, according to new data published by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) on March 3.

The monitoring group said 15 civilians and 12 military personnel were killed during the latest reporting period, while casualty classifications for several others remain under review.

Since the conflict began on February 28, HRANA has documented 1,097 civilian deaths and 5,402 injuries, including children. The group also reported strikes damaging military bases, medical facilities and residential areas across the country.

HRANA, the news agency of the US-based human rights organization Human Rights Activists in Iran, monitors rights abuses and conflict impacts through a network of local sources and open-source verification.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed grave concern for the safety of journalists imprisoned in Iran amid escalating regional tensions, urging Iranian authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally.

The CPJ says at least 15 journalists remain behind bars, including Iranian-American Reza Valizadeh, Japanese journalist Shinnosuke Kawashima and Mohammad Zare-Foumani, who are held in Tehran’s Evin prison.

The prison is located in an area residents have been told to evacuate by the Israeli military, raising fears for detainees’ safety.

The CPJ also warned that a near-total Internet blackout and severe communication disruptions have cut prisoners off from families and the outside world.

Human rights groups and relatives have reported worsening conditions at Evin, including food shortages and the reported withdrawal of prison authorities, heightening concerns for detainees’ wellbeing.

Qatari authorities have arrested two alleged cells linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), detaining 10 suspects accused of espionage and sabotage activities targeting critical infrastructure, the Qatar News Agency reported.

Officials said seven suspects had been tasked with gathering intelligence on sensitive and military sites across the country, while three others were assigned sabotage missions and had reportedly received drone training.

Investigators said maps containing coordinates of key facilities, as well as communication devices and technological equipment, were seized from the suspects.

Authorities claimed that the detainees admitted during questioning to links with the IRGC and to being assigned espionage and subversive operations.

The Iranian government has not yet responded to the report.

Explosions were reported in Beirut and several other Lebanese cities early on March 4 as Israel launched a new wave of overnight strikes linked to the escalating regional conflict with Iran.

Lebanese authorities said Israeli attacks on two towns south of Beirut killed six people and injured eight, while state media reported strikes on a hotel in the suburbs of Beirut and a building in Baalbek.

Meanwhile in Iraq, an airstrike hit the Jurf al-Nasr military base, where the Iran-backed militia Kata'ib Hezbollah is based, causing damage.

The incidents come amid widening hostilities across the Middle East following recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

Qatar’s Defense Ministry says that a ballistic missile fired from Iran struck the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East.

In a statement, the ministry said that two ballistic missiles were launched from Iran toward Qatar late on March 3.

According to the statement, air defense systems intercepted one of the missiles, but the second missile hit the Qatari Al Udeid base, although it caused no casualties.

The Defense Ministry did not provide details about the exact location of the impact or the extent of possible damage.

Al Udeid base, which is also used by Qatari and British forces, is located on the outskirts of the Qaari capital, Doha. Iran had previously targeted this base last year in response to the US bombing of its nuclear facilities.

The army of the Islamic republic also stated that the attack on the base was carried out in response to joint US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

Al Udeid is considered one of the most important US bases in the Middle East. According to reports, about 10,000 military personnel and civilian staff are usually stationed at the base. The base also serves as the command center for US military operations in the region.

In another development, Qatar announced that it had dismantled two espionage networks linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and arrested 10 people.

At the same time, a drone attack caused a fire near the US Consulate in Dubai.

The United States also announced that it has arranged charter flights from several countries in the region to evacuate its citizens from the Middle East.

WASHINGTON -- The United States has destroyed 17 Iranian naval vessels -- including a submarine -- and struck nearly 2,000 targets across Iran in less than four days, according to the commander of US Central Command.

In a video statement posted on X on March 3, Admiral Brad Cooper said the sweeping military campaign -- dubbed Operation Epic Fury -- represents the largest US buildup in the Middle East in a generation.

“Today, there is not a single Iranian ship under way in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman,” Cooper said, describing what he called an unprecedented effort to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten US forces.

Massive Firepower Deployed

More than 50,000 US troops, over 200 fighter aircraft, two aircraft carrier strike groups, and long-range bombers are participating in the operation, Cooper said. He described the opening phase as nearly double the scale of the 2003 “shock and awe” campaign in Iraq.

US forces, operating alongside Israel, have conducted continuous strikes “from seabed to space and cyberspace,” he said.

According to Cooper, American forces have:

• Struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions;
• Severely degraded Iran’s air defenses;
• Destroyed hundreds of ballistic missile launchers and drones;
• Sunk 17 Iranian ships, including what he described as Tehran’s most operational submarine.

US B-2 and B-1 bombers carried out deep strikes on missile facilities inside Iran, while B-52 bombers targeted ballistic missile infrastructure and command centers, he said.

Naval forces launched waves of cruise missiles from two carrier strike groups, while US Army units fired long-range precision strike missiles -- known as PrSM -- in combat for the first time, although it was not clear from where they were launched.

A drone task force, dubbed “Task Force Scorpion,” also deployed one-way attack drones originally based on Iranian designs, Cooper said.

Iranian Retaliation

Tehran has responded by launching more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones, Cooper said, accusing Iran of “indiscriminately targeting civilians.”

Despite the retaliation, he asserted that Iran’s ability to strike US forces and regional partners is diminishing.

“We’re focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us,” Cooper said, adding that US forces are now hunting Iran’s remaining mobile ballistic missile launchers.

Calling the campaign “immensely complex and historic,” Cooper praised US service members across all military branches and expressed confidence that American and allied forces would meet their objectives.

“We’ve just begun,” he said. “But I have the utmost confidence that we, alongside our partners, will absolutely achieve our military objectives.”

The Pentagon on March 3 identified four of the first US ⁠soldiers killed in the war against Iran during an attack by unmanned aircraft in Kuwait.

The soldiers "died on March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during an unmanned aircraft system attack. All soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa," a statement said.

"The incident is under investigation," it added. No other details were made public

It named the soldiers as Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, of ‌Florida; Sergeant 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Nebraska; Sergeant 1st Class Nicole ‌M. Amor, 39, of Minnesota; and Sergeant Declan J. Coady, 20, of Iowa.

Two other American service members died during Iran's initial retaliatory attacks but not yet been publicly identified. Several others remain seriously injured.

US President Donald Trump warned the American public shortly after announcing major military operations against Iran that there were likely to be US casualties in the effort.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to offer military and financial security for shipping traffic in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which is being threatened by Iran amid its retaliatory action following US and Israeli air strikes.

"If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible," he posted on his Truth Social platform on March 3.

Trump also said he has instructed the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to offer risk insurance and guarantees for all maritime trade in the Gulf region. The action is directed at energy transport but will be available to all shipping companies, he said.

"No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD."

"More actions to come," he said.

Oil prices had surged and stock markets globally had tumbled amid concerns that Iran could attack shipping in the strait, which lies between Iran and Oman.

It is considered one of the most important shipping routes in the world, being the only connection from the Gulf to the world's seas.

Markets recovered some of the losses after Trump's announcement.

With reporting by dpa