DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran launched a new wave of attacks on Israeli and U.S. bases Thursday morning and threatened to destroy military and economic infrastructure in the region, after the United States and Israel stepped up bombing attacks on Iran and a U.S. Navy submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.
Israel announced multiple missile attacks and alerts were sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Iranian state television said additional attacks also targeted U.S. bases. The Israeli military said it launched targeted attacks in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The United States and Israel launched war on Saturday, targeting Iran’s leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear program while suggesting the goal is to overthrow the government. But the exact goals and timetable have repeatedly changed, foreshadowing an endless conflict.
The pace of U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran was so intense on Wednesday that state television announced that a mourning ceremony for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the conflict, would be postponed. In 1989, millions attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
President Donald Trump praised the U.S. military for its “excellent performance, to put it mildly, on the front lines of war.” Fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate, who sided with Trump on Iran, voted down a resolution seeking to halt the war.
As the conflict escalated, Iran opened fire on Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel. Turkey said a NATO defense system intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Iran before it entered Turkish airspace.
According to officials from these countries, the war has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, more than 70 people in Lebanon, and about 12 people in Israel. It disrupted the world’s oil and gas supplies, disrupted international shipping and stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers in the Middle East.
Threats spread across the Middle East
Countries in the region braced for potential dangers on Thursday, a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards threatened to “totally destroy the region’s military and economic infrastructure.”
Qatar’s interior ministry said authorities were evacuating residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha as a temporary precaution, but gave no further details.
Fighter jets could be heard over the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai, and Saudi Arabia said it destroyed a drone in its province bordering Jordan.
New attacks off the coast of Kuwait appear to have expanded the area at risk for commercial shipping.
An explosion occurred in the area early Thursday, according to the British military-run Maritime Trade Operations Centre. An oil tanker was apparently attacked, but the agency did not provide a reason. Iran has attacked ships in the past by placing mines on them.
Since fighting began on Saturday, previous attacks have occurred in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf and through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
Brent crude prices have risen 15% since the conflict began and are now at their highest levels since July 2024 as Iranian attacks disrupt traffic in the strait.
Iranian army and security forces buildings targeted
A torpedo fired by a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday night, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegers said.
Sri Lankan authorities said 32 crew members were rescued, while the country’s navy recovered 87 bodies.
Israel said it attacked buildings linked to Iran’s internal security command and the Basij, an all-volunteer force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards that launched a bloody crackdown on protesters in January that left thousands dead.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said leadership of the Iranian military has been decentralized and units operate largely on their own, which could weaken the impact of an attack on the highest command and control center.
Changing timelines for U.S. operations
During the Pentagon briefing, Hegseth gave no clear timeline for the U.S. operation, which Trump said could last a month or more.
“You could say four weeks, but it could be six weeks. It could be eight weeks. It could be three weeks,” Hegseth said. “Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance and we’re going to keep them off balance.”
U.S. and Israeli military officials say the number of Iranian launches has dropped as Iranian attacks destroy ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. Israel’s Homeland Command has announced that it will ease restrictions that have closed workplaces across the country. It said workplaces may reopen Thursday if shelters are nearby. Schools will remain closed.
Still, explosions were heard early Thursday in Israel, which said its defenses were intercepting at least three waves of Iranian missiles.
At least 1,045 people have been killed in Iran, the Iranian Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation said on Wednesday. Eleven people have died in Israel. Six U.S. soldiers were killed, one of whom was a major whose identity was released Wednesday.
Lebanese authorities said eight more people died, including two killed in an Israeli army attack on a building in the Bedavi refugee camp in the coastal city of Tripoli on Thursday and three killed on a coastal highway. The Israeli military did not immediately say who was targeted in the attack.
Israeli drones launched two almost simultaneous attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday night, hitting two cars and killing three people and injuring six others, the Israeli Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said the attack targeted a Hezbollah member, adding that more details would be provided.
Israel says offensive planned for mid-year
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the attack on Iran was originally planned for mid-2026, but “it is necessary to move everything forward to February.”
He cited events in Iran, Trump’s stance and the possibility of “creating a joint operation” as reasons.
The protests in Iran have put unprecedented pressure on its leadership. Trump threatened military action in response to the crackdown before turning his attention to Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt said on Wednesday that the U.S. launched the operation in part because of concerns that Iran might first attack U.S. personnel and assets in the region. She said a phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the airstrikes began was “also important for the timing.”
Iran’s clerics elect new supreme leader
Iran’s leaders are scrambling to replace Khamenei, who has ruled the country for 37 years. This is the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader has been elected.
Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confronting the West to reformists seeking diplomatic engagement. Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei has long been considered one of them, although he has never held a government position.
The head of the judiciary warned that “those who collaborate in any way with the enemy will be considered enemies,” suggesting that Iran’s leadership will only seek to consolidate its power.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz said on X day that if Iran’s next supreme leader continues to threaten Israel, the United States and other countries, he “will become a target for elimination.”
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Rising reported from Bangkok, Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece, and Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, Lebanon, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Julia Frankel in Jerusalem and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami contributed to this report.
