President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes and his son Mojtaba Khameneiwas chosento succeed him. Iran is responding with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Iran is also attempting to block some shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Watch special coverage onNightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Latest Developments
Mar 16, 5:01 AMFire burns after drone attack in Fujairah, UAE, officials said
A large fire caused by a drone strike was burning the area near the Fujairah Petroleum Industries in the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement by Fujairah media office on Monday.No casualties were reported, authorities said. Civil Defense teams in the emirate were responding to the incident, the statement added.-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
Mar 16, 4:54 AMIran's internet blackout enters 17th day, tracker says
The near-total internet blackout in Iran entered its 17th day on Monday as it passed 384 hours, according to NetBlocks, a web monitoring organization."Over the last day a decline has been tracked in reserved telecoms network infrastructure, further reducing VPN availability and sending some whitelisted users and NIN services offline," NetBlockssaidin an update.
Mar 16, 4:49 AMIsrael destroys former ayatollah's plane, IDF saysIsrael on Monday said its military had destroyed a plane formerly used by Ali Khamenei, the late supreme leader, and other senior Iranian officials."The destruction of this plane damages the Iranian terrorist regime's leadership coordination capabilities with the Axis countries, the process of strengthening military capabilities, and the regime's ability to rebuild," the IDF said on social media.The plane had been at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, the IDF said.
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Mar 16, 4:43 AMIsrael launches 'limited and targeted' ground operations in Lebanon, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces launched "limited and targeted" ground operations in southern Lebanon, Israel said on Monday, saying the military was targeting "key Hezbollah strongholds."
"This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, to create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel," the IDFsaidon social media.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, said in a briefing that Israeli troops were on Monday operating in new areas farther into southern Lebanon. A week ago the IDF said it had taken five "hardened positions" in Lebanon along Israel's northern border with the country.
Shoshani said Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, has fired around 1,000 rockets and drones at Israel over the past two weeks. He said Hezbollah was "expanding" its attacks into Israel and the IDF needed to respond.
He reiterated Israel's political goal that Hezbollah "cannot be an armed group" and echoed a phrase previously heard from Israel's political leadership, saying that "one way or another" Israel is committed to achieving that goal.
-ABC News' Kevin Shalvey and Tom Soufi Burridge
Mar 16, 4:18 AMDubai airport begins 'gradual' resumption of flights after drone impact
Dubai International Airport began resuming some flights on Monday morning after a drone impact had sparked a fire nearby, airport and city officials said."Dubai Airports confirms the gradual resumption of some flights to and from Dubai International (DXB) to selected destinations, following the temporary suspension implemented as a precautionary measure," a Dubai Airports spokesperson said, according to an alert on the airport's website.
The Dubai Media Office said hours earlier that authorities were responding to an incident involving a drone near the airport. Firefighters had been battling a blaze, the office said.
"Dubai Civil Defence teams have successfully contained the fire resulting from impact to one of the fuel tanks in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport," the officesaidearly on Monday on social media. "No injuries have been reported."Some flights were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport, the office said.-ABC News' Jessica Gorman
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