Israel launches new wave of strikes on Iran: what we know on day five of war

04 Mar, 14:21. UK edition

Plume of smoke rises from neighbourhood in Tehran — A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital, Tehran. Israel said it had launched a ‘broad wave’ of new strikes against key targets in Iran. Photograph: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

IDF targets Hezbollah in southern Lebanon; US defence secretary confirms strike on Iranian warship off Sri Lanka

The US and Israel’s strikes against Iran have continued, with the Israeli military announcing a “broad wave of strikes” against Tehran’s security forces.

A new front in the fighting has opened in Lebanon, where the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah strongholds in the country’s south. The Israel Defense Forces issued an “urgent warning” to residents of a swath of southern Lebanon urging them to evacuate to the north of the Litani River.
Iran has stepped up its retaliatory strikes against Israel and US targets across the region. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait all announced attacks by Iran on Wednesday.
More than 100 people were thought to be missing after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, in a torpedo strike confirmed by the US defence secretary. Authorities said 32 people had been rescued and the search for other survivors from the Iris Dena was continuing.
Clerics in Iran said they were close to choosing a successor to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to state media. It has been widely suggested that his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could replace him.
The funeral ceremony for Khamenei that was supposed to take place on Wednesday night in Tehran has been postponed. State media, citing officials, reported that the funeral was delayed to allow time for expanded infrastructure because of “overwhelming demand”. No timeframe was given as to when the funeral would take place.
The death toll in Iran has reached 1,045, according to Iranian officials. Iran’s foundation of martyrs and veteran affairs said the death toll represented the number of bodies that had been identified and prepared for burial, state media reported.
Turkish authorities said a missile launched from Iran and headed towards Turkey’s airspace was shot down by Nato air defence systems. The Turkish defence ministry said there were no casualties.
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has hit back at Donald Trump after the US president made scathing comments about Spain’s position that joint military bases could not be used for attacks on Iran. “The position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war [no a la guerra],” Sánchez said in a televised address.