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Smoke rises after an explosion at the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq, March 17, 2026 [Ahmed Saad/Reuters]
By Ted Regencia, Zaid Sabah, Stephen Quillen, Tim Hume, Mariamne Everett, Fiona Kelliher and Lyndal Rowlands
Published On 17 Mar 2026

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18 Mar 2026 - 00:00
 (00:00 GMT)

Live coverage continues

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Join us for all the latest developments, analyses and reactions here.

Firefighters work at the site of an Israeli air strike near the airport in Beirut on Tuesday [AFP]
17 Mar 2026 - 23:55
 (23:55 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

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Here are some of today’s top events:

  • Two people have been killed in Israel after suffering severe shrapnel wounds following an attack, the national ambulance service says.
  • Iranian state media have confirmed the killings of security chief Ali Larijani and Basij force commander Gholamreza Soleimani. Israel said it carried out both assassinations.
  • Officials and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the killings would harden Iran’s resolve against the US and Israel.
  • The war continued to spill over into Iraq, with rocket and drone attacks targeting the US embassy in Baghdad.
  • The IRGC completed waves of strikes on Israel, Kuwait and the UAE, while Israel said it pummelled Tehran and southern Lebanon, including several neighbourhoods in Beirut.
  • The director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, resigned over the war on Iran, saying Tehran posed “no imminent threat”.
  • US President Donald Trump railed against NATO countries for declining to send their navies to the Strait of Hormuz and claimed Kent’s resignation was a “good thing”.
17 Mar 2026 - 23:55
 (23:55 GMT)
Houthi

Kuwait activates air defences amid ‘hostile’ missile and drone attack

The Kuwaiti Army has stated that its national defence systems are currently engaging hostile missiles and drones.

The army confirmed that the loud blasts heard across the country were the result of successful interceptions by Kuwaiti air defence batteries.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Ministers from Qatar, Lebanon discuss displacement in Lebanon

Qatari Minister for International Cooperation Maryam Al-Misned has spoken with Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed about the humanitarian situation in Lebanon amid Israeli attacks.

The two ministers discussed the “large number of Lebanese citizens” displaced due to the current conditions, as well as a “number of issues of mutual interest”.

Lebanese authorities said more than 1 million people have registered as displaced since March 2, nearly one-fifth of the country’s population.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

Larijani’s killed deputy remembered as former head of Hajj organisation

The deputy head of security for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Alireza Bayat, was killed alongside Ali Larijani, Iranian state media reports.

We reported earlier that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Larijani, his son and an assistant were killed in the overnight Israeli attack.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency named Alireza Bayat, calling him a “skilled but unknown manager”.

Before working for the security council, Bayat was the head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation, and previously served in the country’s security institutions, according to Tasnim.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:37
 (23:37 GMT)
Houthi

Israeli air attacks reported on Lebanon’s Beirut

We’re getting reports of heavy Israeli air attacks on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.

We’ll bring you more as soon as we have more information.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:35
 (23:35 GMT)

Man, woman killed in Tel Aviv amid significant strike from Iran

By Rory Challands

Reporting from Amman, Jordan

In the last half an hour, a significant strike has come from Iran towards central Israel.

There were videos that showed a cluster munition detonating in the sky and spreading fiery fragments over a wide area. Some of that damage has been reported in the Tel Aviv area.

There’s also damage reported in Jerusalem, Ramat Gan, and Bnei Brak, all sites in and around central Israel.

Two people are believed to have been killed in this strike – a man and a woman in their 70s, who, initial reports suggest, were not in a shelter.

Five people were likely injured in the Sharon area.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)
Houthi

Pakistan ready to mediate regional tensions, says information minister

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has emphasised his country’s pivotal role as a regional partner with a deep commitment to diplomatic stability in the Middle East during an interview with Al Jazeera.

Minister Tarar expressed a sincere “desire to participate to de-escalate the situation” in Iran and to prevent further instability. Because of these longstanding ties, he said, Pakistan has remained ready to step in and help wherever possible.

“Pakistan is involved in talking with various partners, and we have always wanted for this balance in relations to remain, and I think we are able to play a mediation role with the countries in the region”, he added.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Indian PM Modi speaks with UAE president

Narendra Modi has spoken on the phone with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan about attacks on the Gulf nation, the Indian prime minister said in a post on X.

Modi “reiterated India’s strong condemnation of all attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives and damage to civilian infrastructure”.

The two leaders also “agreed on the importance of ensuring freedom and safety of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”, according to Modi.

“We will continue to work together to restore peace, security, and stability in the region at the earliest possible time,” the Indian leader added.

Earlier, Modi spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with the Indian leader saying his “top priority” was the “safety and security of Indian nationals” as well as the “unhindered transit of goods and energy”.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:12
 (23:12 GMT)
Houthi

Two killed in Tel Aviv from serious shrapnel wounds

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service is reporting that a man and a woman have died after suffering serious shrapnel wounds in an attack on the Ramat Gan area of Tel Aviv.

We’ll bring you more soon.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:10
 (23:10 GMT)

Trump again claims to be ‘way ahead of schedule’ in Iran

US President Donald Trump says the US-Israel war on Iran is “been amazing militarily” as he applauded the killing of Iran’s leaders.

Speaking alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin at the Shamrock Bowl Presentation at the White House, Trump described the war as “a little bit of a journey”.

“We did a little excursion, and we’re way ahead of schedule,” the president said. “We knocked out their navy, their air force, their anti-aircraft equipment and their leaders.”

“It’s been amazing militarily, but it’s something that had to be done … we don’t do it with glee,” he added.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:05
 (23:05 GMT)
Houthi

US military says it dropped 5,000-pound bombs on Iran

The US military said that hours ago, it dropped “multiple 5,000-pound [2,267kg] deep penetrator munitions” on Iran, claiming it was targeting “hardened Iranian missile sites” along the coastline near the Strait of Hormuz.

“The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait,” US Central Command said in a social media post.

17 Mar 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Hezbollah announces flurry of attacks on Israel, Israeli soldiers

Hezbollah has announced more than a dozen attacks on Israel and its personnel in the last few hours.

Here are just a few of the most recent attacks, according to statements released by the group via its Telegram channel:

  • Hezbollah attacked what it claims was a special naval unit of the Israeli army at the Atlit base, south of the city of Haifa.
  • The group said its fighters also targeted the base itself with a “barrage of specialised missiles”.
  • It said it targeted Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and Israel.
17 Mar 2026 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)
Houthi

Bahrain intercepted 362 missiles, drones since start of war

The Bahrain Defence Force says its air defence systems have successfully neutralised 129 missiles and 233 drones since the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran more than two weeks ago.

17 Mar 2026 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

Oil pumping from Turkiye’s Ceyhan port to resume tomorrow: Iraqi Oil Ministry

Iraq’s Minister of Oil says the pumping of oil from the Turkish port of Ceyhan will resume on Wednesday at 10am local time (07:00 GMT).

The minister made the announcement to the Council of Representatives, the Iraqi News Agency reported.

Earlier this week, the ministry told Al Jazeera that maintenance work was ongoing to rehabilitate the oil pipeline between Iraq’s Kirkuk and Ceyhan.

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

Iraqi group claims multi-front strikes against US targets

The Iraqi armed group Saraya Awliya al-Dam has detailed a variety of attacks it has conducted against US targets across the region over the past 15 days.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, the group said it carried out 50 strikes, using rockets and drones, against US bases in the Kurdish semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq, along with 21 attacks on Victoria Camp in Baghdad.

In Syria, the group claimed 11 attacks targeting US forces using drones and missiles. It also said it carried out 28 drone strikes across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan.

17 Mar 2026 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)

Killing of Larijani, Soleimani part of Israeli goal of regime change in Iran

By Rory Challands

Reporting from Amman, Jordan

Israel is calling this one of the most significant strikes of the war.

So far, two of the most powerful figures running Iran are dead, and, of course, this comes after the killing of Supreme Leader Khamenei on day one of the conflict – February 28.

(Israeli) Defence Minister Israel Katz is saying that this is part of an ongoing campaign to essentially terminate the (Iranian) leadership and destabilise the regime.

Netanyahu has put out a video in which he called Larijani the boss of a gang of gangsters running Iran.

The Israeli military has said that the killing of (Gholamreza) Soleimani was, in part, because of his role in crushing protesters back in January in Iran, and that, therefore, this was part of the ongoing campaign to destabilise the Iranian leadership.

And, as Netanyahu has put it as well, to give Iranians a chance to rise up and overthrow the regime.

This is Israel’s goal of ultimate regime change in Iran.

17 Mar 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)
Houthi

Dubai reports ‘successful’ air defence interceptions

The Dubai Media Office said authorities in the city have confirmed that sounds heard across parts of the city were the result of “successful air defence interception operations”.

The UAE Ministry of Defence also said the country’s air defence systems were “responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran”.

17 Mar 2026 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)

UAE central bank launches resilience package to stabilise banking sector

The United Arab Emirates central bank says it has approved a package aimed at reinforcing the stability of the country’s banking sector.

The central bank said the overall stock of liquidity held by UAE banks at the regulator, combined with their net eligible assets for central bank operations, had reached close to $250bn.

Under the package, banks will gain enhanced access to reserve balances of up to 30 percent of the cash reserve requirement and access to term liquidity facilities in both UAE dirhams and US dollars, it added.

17 Mar 2026 - 22:05
 (22:05 GMT)
Houthi

Warning sirens sound in Bahrain

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry has urged residents to “head to the nearest safe place” as sirens have sounded.