Live
The B1 bridge was damaged in US-Israeli strikes in Karaj on April 3, 2026 [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters]
By Erin Hale, Zsombor Peter, Elis Gjevori, Faisal Ali, Caolán Magee and Nils Adler
Published On 3 Apr 2026

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3 Apr 2026 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Our coverage continues

This live page is closing, but our 24-hour coverage of the war continues.

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

3 Apr 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

This live page will be closing soon. Before we go, here are some of the day’s top developments:

  • The US says a search is under way for one of the crew of a jet fighter that went down in southwestern Iran, and that the other crew member was rescued.

  • The US says a Black Hawk helicopter taking part in the search was also hit by Iranian fire but not brought down.

  • Iran says it has also shot down a second US jet, an A-10 Warthog, near the Strait of Hormuz.

  • Kuwait says a water desalination plant and an oil refinery were targeted by Iran. Tehran denies targeting the desalination plant.

  • Iran has rejected a US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

  • Israel destroyed two bridges in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, a main artery for goods and people to the rest of the country.

3 Apr 2026 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)
Analysis

Downing of US fighter jet ‘changes the propaganda equation’

Phyllis Bennis, a fellow with the Institute for Policy Studies, says the downing of a US fighter jet and the search for one, maybe two missing airmen, will make it tougher for the White House to sell the war on Iran to Americans, even to Trump’s MAGA base.

“I think this is going to be particularly difficult for the White House to explain, particularly because they have focused so much in recent days about the claims, obviously false at this point, that the US controls the skies over Iran,” Bennis told Al Jazeera.

“We don’t know exactly what capabilities still remain, but clearly they are usable; they have some defence against these attacks,” she said.

The incident will have a “very significant impact” on the US public, particularly Trump’s MAGA base, which has largely supported the war so far, Bennis added.

“Whether they continue to support that – knowing that US planes are being shot down, pilots may be missing, we don’t know what’s going to happen to the one or perhaps two pilots who have not been found or located – this changes the equation,” she said. “I don’t think it changes the military equation necessarily, but it certainly changes the propaganda equation.”

3 Apr 2026 - 23:35
 (23:35 GMT)
Houthi

New Iranian missile attack causes fire, damage to buildings in central Israel

We’ve been reporting on an Iranian missile attack in southern Israel.

Israeli media are now reporting that there’s been another Iranian missile attack on central Israel.

The YNet news outlet said a fire broke out in an apartment in Rosh Haayin, while a building in Petah Tikva and streets in Tel Aviv were damaged. It said emergency crews were also in Bnei Brak.

The Channel 12 broadcaster reported a “fall” in Givatayim as well.

We’ll bring you more when we have it.

3 Apr 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

WATCH: Christians in Lebanon observe Good Friday under Israeli attacks

3 Apr 2026 - 23:25
 (23:25 GMT)
Houthi

Fire breaks out in southern Israel after Iranian missile attack

Israeli media says there’s been a missile attack from Iran on southern Israel, with impact and a fire reported at a site in the southern Negev area.

“Damage was detected in an industrial area in the Negev following the firing from Iran to the south. At this time, there is no concern about the leakage of hazardous materials,” the YNet news outlet reported.

Firefighters are now at the scene, according to Channel 12. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The attack also set off alarms in the Arad and Dead Sea areas, it added.

The attack on southern Israel came shortly after a suspected drone attack set off alarms in northern Israel, in the Western Galilee region.

3 Apr 2026 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

France launches new loan scheme to help with soaring fuel costs

France says it is launching an emergency loan programme for small and mid-sized businesses to help them cope with fuel prices driven up by the war on Iran.

The economy ministry says businesses in the agriculture, fishing and transportation sectors are eligible for the new, three-year loans, up to 50,000 euros ($57,600), the AFP news agency is reporting.

3 Apr 2026 - 23:02
 (23:02 GMT)

Damascus explosions due to Israeli interception of missiles: Syrian state TV

The explosions being reported in Damascus and its countryside were due to Israeli air defences intercepting Iranian missiles, Syrian state TV is reporting.

3 Apr 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

US unemployment rate drops despite economic uncertainty and Iran war

Job growth in the US has rebounded in March despite the looming economic uncertainty pegged to tariffs and the ongoing war on Iran.

Friday’s monthly job report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the unemployment rate in March tumbled. Non-farm payrolls grew by 178,000 jobs, following a drop in February that was revised even further downward to 133,000 in lost jobs. The unemployment rate is currently at 4.3 percent.

The biggest gains in March were in the healthcare sector, which added 76,000 jobs – higher than the 29,000 average monthly increase in the sector over the last year.

The White House praised this month’s jobs report as evidence that Trump’s policies were stimulating the domestic economy. You can read more about the US economy here.

3 Apr 2026 - 22:47
 (22:47 GMT)
Houthi

Explosions reported in Damascus

Syrian state media is reporting explosions in the capital Damascus and its countryside.

3 Apr 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Pezeshkian accuses US of hypocrisy after Iranian official’s wife killed

Iran’s President Pezeshkian has questioned the diplomatic efforts made by the US, saying the wife of a senior Iranian official was killed in an attack.

“Just as I was addressing the American people, the head of our Strategic Council on Foreign Policy was targeted in an assassination attempt, leading to the martyrdom of his innocent wife. Let the world judge; which side engages in dialogue and negotiation, and which in terrorism?”

3 Apr 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

How much more can Israelis take?

By Simon Speakman Cordall

The cost of Israel’s simultaneous conflicts on multiple fronts has now reached $112bn, with no clear end in sight.

Israelis face near-daily missile barrages from Iran, schools remain closed and the economy is showing serious cracks.

While 78 percent of Jewish Israelis still back the war effort, pollsters warn that support could erode. Meanwhile, the government has lurched further right, passing a record $271bn budget and a controversial death penalty law targeting Palestinians.

Read more here.

3 Apr 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Hezbollah claims more missile attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah claims it has struck Israeli soldiers and vehicles with missiles in the al-Sadr area of the town of Ainata in southern Lebanon, as well as Israeli artillery positions and forces in and near the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras.

It says it has also shelled Israeli forces in al-Malikiyah.

3 Apr 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

WATCH: Survivors of Iran bridge attack recall terror of US-Israeli strike

3 Apr 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

US confirms search for missing crew

By Rosiland Jordan

Reporting from Washington, DC

The US is saying that search is under way for one crew in the jet that went down in southwestern Iran. One crew was rescued, but search is under way for another.

They also did indicate that a Black Hawk helicopter taking part in the search was hit, but was able to continue flying.

There’s some conflicting reports that another helicopter, also a Black Hawk, was also shot at.

Then there is the A-10 Warthog, another Air Force plane, which provides close ground support for any troops that are on the ground, that has apparently gone down. One of the two crew members has been found. The other one is still being looked for.

3 Apr 2026 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)
Houthi

Four injured, homes damaged after Bahrain intercepted drone

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry says four people have been injured and homes damaged in the Sitra area after shrapnel fell from the downing of an Iranian drone.

3 Apr 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Celebrations in Tehran after army says US planes shot down

By Mohamed Vall

Reporting from Tehran

There are celebrations about the downing of the planes here on the streets.

Even though celebrations are happening every night here in Tehran, tonight there’s a new vigour in those celebrations because they are proud of the Iranian defence systems and the army and its capabilities.

This is particularly after the Americans said many times, particularly President Trump, that Iran’s air defence capabilities had been completely obliterated. So this is a huge surprise by the Iranian army.

There is also talk of five helicopters that have been shot – some of them shot down and some of them damaged.

3 Apr 2026 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Iranian army says it shot down US A-10 plane

The Iranian army says it shot down a US A-10 aircraft.

This comes after media reports said a second US Air Force combat aircraft had gone down in the Middle East on Friday.

The Pentagon and White House did not immediate comment.

3 Apr 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Iran’s president calls Trump’s ‘Stone Age’ threat intent to commit ‘massive war crime’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has joined other Iranian officials in responding to US President Donald Trump’s threat to send Iran “back to the Stone Age,” calling it an admission of intent to commit a “massive war crime”.

“This was the question I asked my Finnish counterpart, who is a jurist,” he added, referring to Alexander Stubb.

“History is full of those who paid a heavy price for their silence in the face of criminals,” he said.

3 Apr 2026 - 20:50
 (20:50 GMT)
Houthi

US jet downed by Iran’s ‘new advanced defence system’

The downed US jet highlights the “false claims” made by President Trump that the US had destroyed Iran’s air defence system, says Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al Anbiya central headquarters.

In a televised address, he said it was downed using Iran’s “new advanced defence system”.

He added that “an advanced hostile fighter jet was also targeted south of Qeshm Island, crashing into the waters between Qeshm and Hengam Islands”.