Live
The site of an Israeli air strike that hit an apartment in the southern port city of Sidon in Lebanon, March 13, 2026 [Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo]
By Lyndal Rowlands, Zaid Sabah, Tim Hume, Stephen Quillen, Mariamne Everett, Elis Gjevori and Edna Mohamed
Published On 13 Mar 2026

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13 Mar 2026 - 23:58
 (23:58 GMT)

Thank you for joining us

This live page is now closed.

You can continue to follow all our coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran here.

A woman walks past destroyed buildings at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike that targeted Beirut’s Hadath neighbourhood, on March 13, 2026 [Ibrahim Amro/AFP]
13 Mar 2026 - 23:55
 (23:55 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

This live page will be closing soon, but before we do, here are today’s top developments:

  • An Israeli air strike on the Rahebat neighbourhood in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon killed five people and wounded five others, according to an initial toll released by the country’s Health Emergency Operations Centre.
  • Iran’s Fars news agency reported that six people have been killed in an Israeli missile attack on a village in the central Markazi province.
  • US President Donald Trump said the country’s military bombed military installations on Iran’s Kharg Island, close to the Strait of Hormuz.
  • The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice programme called for information on “Iranian terrorist leaders”, including Mojtaba Khamenei and offered an award of up to $10m.
  • The US deployed 10,000 interceptor drones to the Middle East to counter Iranian drone attacks, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said.
  • US President Donald Trump said in an interview that US forces would be carrying out intense strikes against Iranian targets in the coming days.
  • Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said his group is ready for a “long confrontation” with Israel as the war continues.
  • Abu Obeida, spokesperson of Hamas’s Qassam Brigades, paid tribute to rallies that were held in Iran to show support for the Palestinian cause on al-Quds Day.
  • Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, were among the many top Iranian officials marching in Tehran for the annual al-Quds Day march.
  • The price of a barrel of Brent crude has soared by more than 42 percent since US-Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the Middle East into war, market data shows.
13 Mar 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Iran may allow oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if traded in Chinese currency

Iran could allow a limited number of oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz if the cargo is traded in Chinese yuan, CNN has reported, quoting an unnamed Iranian official.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the claim.

The proposal forms part of a broader plan Tehran is reportedly developing to manage tanker traffic through the strategic waterway following the Israeli-US war on Iran.

Most global oil sales are conducted in US dollars, though sanctioned Russian crude has increasingly been traded in roubles or yuan.

13 Mar 2026 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

US likely targeting Kharg Island to end Iran’s control over Strait of Hormuz

By Mohammed Vall

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

Kharg Island is near the Strait of Hormuz.

The Americans are probably targeting it because they think that’s where the Iranians are launching attacks on ships they don’t want to cross the strait.

Kharg is very interesting because most of the Iranian oil is exported from there.

President Trump said the attacks have spared the oil facilities there. So the first stage for them is to weaken the military presence of the Iranians on Kharg Island.

It’s fascinating they haven’t done that from day one.

Kharg Island should have been the first target, according to military analysts if you talk to them.

To do this only today – we don’t understand why it’s done today, not before today.

13 Mar 2026 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

Photos: Israeli strikes devastate Lebanon

The wreckage of destroyed vehicles lies at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike that targeted a neighbourhood in the southern coastal Lebanese city of Tyre on March 13 [Kawnat Haju/AFP]

An apartment in the area of Burj Hammud in the northern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, was hit by an Israeli air strike on March 13, 2026 [Ibrahim Amro/AFP]
A woman walks past destroyed buildings at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike in Lebanon that targeted Beirut’s Hadath neighbourhood on March 13 [Ibrahim Amro/AFP]

13 Mar 2026 - 23:35
 (23:35 GMT)

Qatar intercepts missile attack

Qatar’s ministry of defence has said that the country’s armed forces have successfully intercepted an incoming missile.

Earlier, as we reported, Qatari authorities had evacuated some neighbourhoods as a precautionary measure, and had then issued an alert for an elevated security threat. That theat was subsequently lowered.

13 Mar 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)
Analysis

Countries seeking deals with Iran for oil flow: Analyst

As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to send energy prices soaring, more and more countries are reaching out to Iran – and not to the US – to seek solutions, Trita Parsi, cofounder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, points out.

“Key states are now reaching out to the Iranians to try to find a way to negotiate their own safe passage [through the strait],” Parsi told Al Jazeera. “India has already struck a deal. The Europeans – France and Italy – have as well. They’ve gone to Iran to do this. Not to Washington. And that reflects very clearly on who is in control of the situation over there.”

13 Mar 2026 - 23:25
 (23:25 GMT)
Analysis

Bombing Kharg Island could give Trump leverage

In the last half hour, the US president has announced that his air force has bombed military facilities on Iran’s Kharg Island.

“For reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” Trump added, in a post on Truth Social.

Read together, the strikes on military facilities on the island but the decision to avoid hitting oil infrastructure for now suggests that the US believes that Iran has been using Kharg Island to launch missile attacks against ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. By striking military facilities on the island, the US is signalling that it can limit Iran’s ability to target vessels in the strait.

But the threat to Iran’s oil infrastructure on the island is significant too – most of Iran’s oil exports are loaded from the island before they head to purchasing countries. It is, as Trump said in his post, in many ways a “crown jewel” for Iran.   

13 Mar 2026 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Turkiye urges citizens to avoid travel to Iraq amid regional war

Turkiye has advised its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Iraq as the country becomes increasingly affected by the Israeli-US war on Iran.

In a statement, the Turkish embassy in Baghdad said: “It is considered appropriate for our citizens to avoid travelling to Iraq during this period unless there is a compelling reason to do so.”

The embassy also urged people to stay away from crowded areas, the Green Zone in Baghdad, airports in Baghdad and Erbil, and locations near military sites and oil facilities.

Recent attacks in Iraq have targeted US-linked positions and infrastructure. The US and Israel have also bombed sites linked to Iran-allied groups in the country.

The Turkiye-Iraq land border remains open, officials said.

13 Mar 2026 - 23:10
 (23:10 GMT)

LISTEN: Why China’s citizens are rooting for Iran in the US-Israel war

China is more affected than any country outside the Gulf by the US-Israel war due to its energy reliance on Iran.

But as the war reshapes global trade and alliances, it also stands to benefit.

Al Jazeera’s The Take unpacks how the conflict could reshape the balance of global power.

Listen to the discussion below:

13 Mar 2026 - 23:09
 (23:09 GMT)
Houthi

US bombs Iran’s Kharg Island

US President Donald Trump has announced that the country’s military has bombed military installations on Iran’s Kharg Island, close to the Strait of Hormuz, as the war escalates — and as constraints on energy flows have deepened a global economic crisis.

“The United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

Trump, however, said that the US had so far avoided hitting Iran’s oil infrastructure on the island.

13 Mar 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)
Analysis

Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem stresses Lebanese agenda amid domestic criticism

By Ali Harb

Reporting from Washington, DC

As Israel unleashes widespread destruction across Lebanon, many of Hezbollah’s critics have accused the group of dragging the country into another unnecessary war to the benefit of Iran.

Qassem had that audience in mind when he spoke today. He stressed that while responding to the killing of Iran’s Ali Khamenei was one of the reasons for Hezbollah’s attack against Israel, the main concern has been protecting Lebanon against near-daily Israeli abuses.

The Hezbollah chief cited his previous warnings that the group’s patience against Israeli attacks that had gone without response for 15 months would eventually run out.

He also accused the Lebanese government, which outlawed Hezbollah’s military wing, of failing to protect the country through diplomacy.

“This battle is not for anybody. This battle is for us. This battle is Lebanese. This battle falls under the legitimate right to self-defence,” Qassem said.

His message is unlikely to convince Hezbollah’s opponents inside Lebanon, who have been portraying the group as a tool of Iran on Lebanese soil, but it may address some lingering frustrations in Hezbollah’s Shia base.

13 Mar 2026 - 22:52
 (22:52 GMT)
Houthi

Qatar has lowered its security alert

Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has now lowered the security threat alert it had issued about 15 minutes earlier.

“The security threat has been eliminated and the situation has returned to normal,” the latest public safety alert says.

We’re expecting more details from Qatar’s Ministry of Defence soon.

13 Mar 2026 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)

WHO chief blames ‘egos’ for failed peace talks

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has blamed “egos” for the failure of peace talks.

He did not refer to any particular conflict, but his comments came as the US-Israel war on Iran completed two weeks, with its impact spreading globally, amid surging oil prices and energy shortages.

“Peace talks don’t fail because the issues are too big. They fail because the egos are too big,” the WHO chief said in a post on X.

13 Mar 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)
Developing

Lebanon condemns Israeli strike on health centre

Lebanese Ministry of Public Health has condemned an Israeli strike on a primary healthcare centre in Burj Qalawiya in southern Lebanon that killed 12 medical staff.

In a statement, the ministry denounced the continued pattern Israeli of attacks on health workers, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported

“The Ministry condemns this attack on one of its centers, which is part of the primary healthcare network spread throughout the Lebanese territories, and reiterates its condemnation of the ongoing violent approach against health workers, which contradicts all international humanitarian laws.”

Officials said the strike followed another attack earlier in the day targeting paramedics in Al-Sawana killing two paramedics.

13 Mar 2026 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)
Developing

Israeli shells hit UN peacekeepers’ base in southern Lebanon

Israeli shelling has struck the headquarters of a Nepalese battalion serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the southern Lebanese town of Mays al-Jabal, according to local reports.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said shells landed inside the peacekeeping compound. No Nepalese soldiers were reported injured.

The Honorary Consulate General of Nepal in Beirut condemned the attack, warning that targeting UN positions represents a serious breach of international law.

“The Nepalese soldiers participating in UNIFIL have served for many years with a spirit of commitment and discipline to promote peace and stability in southern Lebanon,” the consulate said.

13 Mar 2026 - 22:37
 (22:37 GMT)
Houthi

Qatar’s elevated security threat follows evacuations

For those who’ve joined us in the past few minutes, Qatar’s new alert of heightened security concerns followed less than an hour after the country’s Ministry of Interior announced that “authorities are evacuating a number of specified areas as a temporary precautionary measure, in the interest of public safety until the threat has subsided”.

Parts of Education City, home to major universities, the Qatar National Library and other popular public facilities, were among those temporarily evacuated, per witnesses.

13 Mar 2026 - 22:32
 (22:32 GMT)
Houthi

Bahrain calls on citizens to head to nearest safe place amid sirens

Bahrain’s interior ministry says sirens have been sounded and called on citizens and residents to remain calm and go to their nearest safe place.

 

13 Mar 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)
Houthi

Qatar issues heightened security alert

Qatari authorities have just sent a heightened security alert on mobile phones to everyone in the Gulf country, signalling incoming missiles or drones, and attempts to intercept them.

“Everyone must remain in their homes and safe spaces, and stay away from windows, glass facades and exposed areas until the threat has passed, in order to preserve public safety,” the alert reads.

Stay tuned for more.

 

13 Mar 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

US media outlets report possible deployment of amphibious assault ship

By John Holman

Reporting from Washington DC

Reports are dealing with quite a special military asset; there have been a couple of them that have come out on US media saying that a ship called the USS Tripoli, which is an amphibious assault ship, has been approved by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, that it can head towards the Middle East.

It’s got 2,000 troops, together with a group of about 2,500 marines. At the moment, these are just US media reports; we’ve obviously asked the Pentagon this ourselves, and we got this from a defence official: “We’ll not speculate on future troop movements or force posture to protect operational security”.

I’ve been speaking to a military expert here about what this means if this ship is heading towards the Middle East, and the important thing about the ship is that it is an amphibious assault ship, which means that it can deploy troops, aircraft, and landing craft from sea onto land during military operations.