LIVE: Israel hits Iran with wave of strikes as war enters fifth day

Iran’s next supreme leader will become a ‘certain target’ for the US and Israel after it emerged the late Ayatollah Khamenei’s son Mojtaba is the favourite to succeed him.

Israel’s threat comes as it unleashes its 10th wave of airstrikes on Tehran today, specifically targeting ‘terror infrastructure’ in the capital.

Iran meanwhile has continued its retaliatory attacks in Israel and across the Gulf states on another night of chaos in the Middle East.

As the fighting enters its fifth day, here’s everything you need to know:

• Israel has vowed to assassinate the successor to Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei whose funeral will take place in Tehran later today
• The Ayatollah’s son Mojtaba is reportedly in line to take over from his father though he is not a high-ranking cleric, has never held office and does not have an official role in the regime
• Israel has launched new attacks on Tehran and Lebanon with the military urging people to evacuate along the southern border as it targets Hezbollah militants
• Last night Iranian drones struck the US consulate in Dubai, causing it to catch fire while a missile also hit a US air base in Qatar
• Saudi Arabia has said two cruise missiles have been intercepted over Riyadh while a separate drone attack was also thwarted
• Iran has claimed it has ‘complete control’ of Strait of Hormuz despite Donald Trump indicating the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the passage
• Trump also mocked Sir Keir Starmer whom he called ‘no Churchill’ in a major blow to the US-UK Special Relationship

by Mark Nicol

Gulf states facing an Iranian drone blitz may only have enough anti-drone defence missiles to last four days.

In a tactic that has surprised the US and its allies, Iran has responded to attempts to force regime change by raining down missiles and drones on its neighbours.

By spreading strikes across more than five countries at once and sustaining over 2,500 drones per day, Tehran is forcing its adversaries to divide their defences.

A source told the Daily Mail: ‘At the current rates the supplies could run out within four days. The interceptors are being used at an unprecedented speed.’

The vast majority of Iranian projectiles have been blocked, but only a few need to breach the defences of Gulf nations to change the perception of the conflict.

Top: Cody Khork (L) and Noah Tietjens / Bottom: Nicole Amor (L) and Declan Coady

The Pentagon on Tuesday identified four of six US troops killed in the Iran war after they were struck in a drone attack in Kuwait.

The Department of Defense said in a statement that the four service members were killed during an “unmanned aircraft system attack” in Kuwait’s Shuaiba port on Sunday.

It identified the four as Captain Cody Khork, 35, Sergeant Declan Coady, 20, Sergeant 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, and Sergeant 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42.

All four were ‘supporting Operation Epic Fury,’ which the US has named its strikes against Iran, it added.

Two others who were also killed in action have not been publicly identified.

On Monday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said a total of six US military personnel were killed since the start of the Iran war over the weekend.

‘US forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran’s initial attacks in the region,’ CENTCOM said in a post on X.

Kuwait’s army has declared it is dealing with a ‘wave of missiles and drones’ in its airspace.

In a statement released on X, an army spokesperson said the forces are carrying out missions to counter and intercept the weapons.

‘The General Staff affirms its complete readiness to deal with all threats to ensure the protection of the country’s land and airspace and the safety of citizens and residents,’ the statement reads.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has shot back at Donald Trump after the President said the US could cut off all trade amid a row over Iran.

Trump called Spain ‘terrible’ and ‘unfriendly’ after it refused to allow America to use its military bases in its opening attack on Iran at the weekend

But Sanchez told his nation Spain will not be ‘complicit’ in a conflict that is against its interests.

‘The position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war,” he said in a televised address.

‘We will not be complicit in something that is harmful to the world and contrary to our values and interests, simply out of fear of retaliation.’

A senior Iranian adviser to the late Ayatollah Khamenei has declared there will be no negotiations with the US and the war can continue ‘as long as we want’.

Mohammad Mokhber told Iranian state television there is ‘no trust in the Americans’.

He said: ‘We have no basis for any negotiations with them: We can continue the war as long as we want.’

Donald Trump has also suggested the war could be protracted as he previously boasted about US weapon stocks.

Larnaca Airport

Cyprus has confirmed two planes were temporarily prevented from landing at Larnaca airport after a suspicious object was identified.

A government source said two Greek F16 fighter jets had been scrambled to intercept the object.

Reuters had reporting the airspace above Larnaca was closed but a government spokesperson later clarified a request was made for two planes to remain in holding patterns while the object was investigated.

The airspace was not closed at any time and is operating as normal, he added.

Yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer announced the UK will deploy the Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon and helicopters with anti-drone capabilities to Cyprus to protect British interests.

It comes after RAF Akrotiri was attacked by an Iranian drone which caused minimal damage and did not result in any injuries.

by Arthur Parashar

The Government has announced its first emergency evacuation flight to help stranded British nationals escape the war-torn Middle East.

A repatriation flight is currently scheduled to leave Oman’s Muscat International Airport at 11pm local time (7pm GMT) tonight and will prioritise the most vulnerable Brits first as attacks continue to explode across the region.

British nationals and their spouse or partner, and their children under the age of 18, with a valid travel document are all eligible.

The Foreign Office said it would contact British nationals to secure them a way out of the Middle East, and urged people not to travel to the airport unless they have been officially called.

British expats have been increasingly frustrated by the lack of urgency over getting them out of the Middle East – with British Airways running an emergency evacuation flight with more than 100 empty seats.

The Israeli military called on people to ‘immediately’ leave 13 towns and villages across southern Lebanon today ahead of strikes against Hezbollah

A similar evacuation warning had earlier been issued for 16 other southern towns and villages.

Hezbollah carried out a series of strikes against Israel yesterday, claiming to have targeted sites including the northern Haifa naval base in retaliation for Israeli strikes in southern Beirut.

Since Monday, Israeli strikes have killed at least 50 people and wounded 335 in Lebanon, the health ministry said before the overnight strikes.

Lebanese authorities on Monday recorded the displacement of more than 58,000 people from areas targeted by strikes.

The Israeli military has said it will continue to strike Hezbollah until the Lebanese group disarms.

Sri Lanka has today rescued 32 sailors aboard the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank just outside the island’s territorial waters.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said no information was immediately available on the cause of the explosion that sank the vessel.

He told parliament that the ‘critically wounded’ sailors were taken to a hospital in the island’s south.

The 180-crew frigate had issued a distress call at dawn.

Sri Lanka’s defence ministry said it was searching for the other crew of the IRIS Dena, which went down about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the island.

Herath said two Sri Lankan navy vessels and an aircraft were deployed for the rescue operation, but did not say what caused the Iranian warship to sink.

An opposition legislator asked in parliament whether the vessel had been bombed as part of the ongoing US-Israeli attacks against Iran, but there was no immediate response from the government.

Donald Trump last night launched another withering attack on Keir Starmer, dismissing him as ‘no Churchill’.

In a major blow to the Special Relationship, the US President said he was ‘not happy with the UK’ and branded it ‘very, very uncooperative’ over his assault on Iran.

Sir Keir was also under fire closer to home as Britain yesterday scrambled to protect its RAF base on Cyprus, which was hit by a suicide drone thought to have been fired by Tehran’s proxies late on Sunday night.

The UK was left embarrassed as military minnow Greece will have warships in position to protect RAF Akrotiri days before the Royal Navy will be anywhere near the danger zone.

And Sir Keir announced that Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon, along with helicopters with counter-drone capabilities, would head to the Mediterranean only after Emmanuel Macron ordered a French frigate to the region.

These pictures show the aftermath of more Israeli airstrikes in Beirut which took place overnight.

A hotel in the capital’s eastern suburb of Hazmieh was completely destroyed in the latest attack.

It comes as Israel targets Hezbollah militants in the Lebanese capital alongside its airstrikes in Tehran