What we covered here
• Widening conflict: Israel said it was launching strikes across Tehran as well as against what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut. Separately, Iran launched a drone attack on an Amazon data center in Bahrain, a state-affiliated Iranian news agency said.
• Trump’s powers: Republicans rejected a resolution aimed at requiring that President Donald Trump seek congressional approval for future US military action against Tehran. Earlier, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the US would start “striking progressively deeper” into Iran.
• ID for US service members: The Pentagon identified two remaining service members who were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday.
• Death toll rises: Inside Iran, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the US and Israel launched strikes this weekend, according to a US-based human rights agency.
Our live coverage of the war with Iran has moved here.
US universities with Middle East campuses adjusting operations, facilitating departures
As the US State Department urges Americans in the Gulf region to leave immediately, US universities with campuses in the region have adjusted their operations.
American universities with outposts in Doha, Qatar’s Education City – a research hub located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Al Udeid Air Base – as well as other US schools with campuses in the United Arab Emirates, have transitioned to remote instruction until further notice. Here’s a look at how some universities are handling the ongoing conflict:
- Texas A&M University in Doha: More than two dozen Texas A&M University students were headed to Doha from Texas when the war began and were diverted to Istanbul, Turkey, a university spokesperson told CNN. The university’s building is currently locked down with no access for employees, students or visitors.
- Georgetown University in Doha: Georgetown University’s campus in Qatar has shifted to online instruction until further notice, according to an update posted on its website. The university’s interim president also said a group of graduate business students were set to begin a program in Dubai on March 1, but Georgetown has suspended the course and is working to bring students back home as soon as possible.
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Doha: VCU Arts Qatar’s dean said in a letter that faculty and staff can leave Qatar and teach remotely – a decision made “in the interest of flexibility and personal safety.” The letter said this option is available to all faculty and staff, not just US citizens, and will not affect their employment status. A university spokesperson told CNN there have been no reports of injuries among VCU Arts Qatar students, faculty or staff.
- New York University in Abu Dhabi: NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus is “assisting with the departure of any students seeking to leave the area by identifying and securing travel arrangements, though air travel remains challenging,” a university spokesperson told CNN, adding: “The safety of our students, staff and visitors is our utmost priority.”
At least 80 Iranian sailors killed after US struck warship, Sri Lanka says
At least 80 people have been killed after Iranian warship the IRIS Dena sank in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lankan officials said, after a US submarine fired a torpedo.
The director of the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital told CNN its mortuary had received 87 bodies as of last night.
The Sri Lankan Navy said 32 people have been rescued so far. 180 people were believed to have been onboard the vessel when the first distress call was received on Wednesday, according to the country’s foreign minister.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that a US submarine sank an Iranian vessel in international waters.
While Hegseth did not directly mention the rescue efforts by the Sri Lankan navy, his description of the strike appeared to match the location of the ongoing rescue effort.
Hundreds more passengers return home from Dubai
Passengers stranded in Dubai for days are finally returning home, with flights touching down in places including Ireland, Bulgaria and Australia.
Dubai Airports resumed a limited number of flights from Monday evening, with priority given to earlier bookings, it said on X.
The US-Israel war against Iran previously sparked airport closures and flight cancellations in the region, stranding thousands of international travelers. Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is the biggest tourism and trade hub in the Middle East. Its airport is one of the world’s busiest, serving as a home base for the airline Emirates.
Emirates flight EK163 conveyed more than 368 passengers to Dublin Airport, landing at 11 p.m. on Wednesday. The airport said on X that it was the first arrival from Dubai in almost five days.
Images show more passengers reunited with loved ones at Bulgaria’s Sofia airport on Thursday.
And in Australia, Emirates flight EK414 – the first plane from Dubai in four days – landed in Sydney just before 10.30 p.m. Wednesday, local time.
“It has been quite nerve-wracking, quite stressful, and very worrying,” Sheree, whose son was stranded in Dubai on his way to Rome, told CNN affiliate 9News.
“He was talking and he said ‘Mum, I’ve got to hang up. There’s bombs going off,’ and it was quite loud. But he’s coming home… it’s going to be fantastic.”
Virgin Atlantic, SriLankan Airlines, Air India and flydubai are also flying passengers out of the emirate, with limited routes to cities including New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Moscow, Colombo and New Delhi. However, dozens of flights remain canceled.
Read more on how Middle East air disruptions might affect your plans here.
Israeli coordination with US on war "superbly close," Israeli president says
Israeli President Isaac Herzog commended US President Donald Trump on his “uniquely bold” decision to strike Iran, during an interview with CBS.
But asked if it was Trump’s decision, Herzog told the broadcaster that Israel doesn’t dictate anything to Trump and didn’t “drag America into a war.”
Herzog described the coordination between the US and Israel as “superbly close,” but stopped short of revealing further details as he said he was “not in the war room.” The Israeli president holds a largely ceremonial role removed from the executive decision-making.
Herzog said he understands “it’s not a popular war in America.”
“Usually people do not know the intricacies of the war, and they also compare it to previous and other wars,” he said.
“It’s a unique war. It’s a focused war. It is a war that comes in a time where you can really bring real change in the Middle East for the future.”
Nearly 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of the initial decision to strike Iran, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS over last Saturday and Sunday.
Saudi Arabia intercepts another incoming drone
Saudi Arabia has intercepted another drone approaching from the east, the country’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday morning on X.
The weapon was destroyed as it approached the northern Al-Jawf region, near the border with Jordan, the ministry said. It follows earlier reports this morning of three drones being intercepted.
Anti-war protester dragged out of Senate hearing by Capitol police
A North Carolina man protesting US military action in Iran was forcibly removed from a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing and charged today after a chaotic scene that left both him and several officers injured, according to US Capitol Police.
Brian McGinnis, 44, a Green Party senate candidate whose campaign website says he is a Marine Corps veteran, is facing three counts of assault on a police officer and three counts of resisting arrest, Capitol Police told CNN in a statement Wednesday evening. Three officers were treated for injuries following the incident, police said.
“No one wants to fight for Israel,” McGinnis, wearing a Marine Corps uniform, yelled as officers dragged him out of the hearing room and he clung to the doorway, according to cellphone video of the incident.
GOP Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy, who was seen in the video assisting the officers, said later in a post to social media, “This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one. I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence.”
CNN has reached out to McGinnis’ campaign for comment.
Protests are not allowed inside the Congressional buildings, USCP said.
The (partial) view from Pyongyang
Over the weekend, North Korean state media has condemned the United States and Israel for launching a “war of aggression” against Iran, but did not report the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with dozens of members of Iran’s top leadership.
That omission was not accidental.
North Korea’s political system is built around the near-mythic authority and invulnerability of its leader. Publicly broadcasting the violent removal of another supreme leader would introduce a dangerous precedent.
It would remind North Korean citizens that even the most powerful figure in a tightly controlled state can be tracked, targeted and eliminated. That is not a narrative Pyongyang has any incentive to circulate at home.
Canada's leader Carney says he "can never categorically rule out participation"
The leaders Canada and Australia have urged a de-escalation of broader hostilities in the Middle East while also stressing the need to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese presented a united front as “middle powers” in a joint press briefing in Canberra Thursday.
Carney has said that Canada will not participate in the US military action in Iran, but when pressed as to whether he’d rule it out – even if the conflict broadens – Carney said anything was possible.
“You’ve asked a fundamental hypothetical in a conflict that can spread very broadly,” he said, responding to a Canadian reporter. “Today’s events or recent events point to that, so one can never categorically rule out participation. We will stand by our allies.”
It's Thursday morning in the Middle East. Here's the latest on the escalating conflict
It’s just after 5:40 a.m. local time in Tehran and here’s the latest on the conflict that has consumed the Middle East since Saturday.
Death toll:
- More than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel launched its strikes on the country this weekend, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
- US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka’s Navy said it rescued more than two dozen people from an Iranian vessel that was sunk off its shoreline.
- The Pentagon publicly identified two remaining US service members who were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday. Read more about the US casualties.
Evacuations and travel:
- Chinese travelers are among thousands of tourists struggling to return home amid widespread flight disruptions.
- Canada’s foreign minister said it is working to evacuate some of its citizens from the region.
- Authorities in Qatar are evacuating residents living “in the vicinity” of the US Embassy as a “temporary precautionary measure.”
- One charter flight of Americans left the Middle East on Wednesday, the State Department said.
More explosions and strikes:
- The crew of an oil tanker anchored off Kuwait reported seeing a large explosion on the vessel’s left-hand side before a small craft left the area, a British marine tracking agency said Wednesday.
- The Israeli military said it started striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut, without providing details.
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a drone attack on an Amazon data center in Bahrain, Iran’s state-affiliated Fars News Agency reported.
- Saudi Arabia said it intercepted three drones over its central Al-Kharj province.
Iran-Kurdistan call:
- The president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region and the Iranian foreign minister pledged “cooperation” Wednesday, according to a readout from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Their call comes a day after CNN reported that the CIA is aiming to foment rebellion in Iran by arming Iranian Kurds and sending them over the border from Iraqi Kurdistan.
John Sawers, former Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service, spoke today with Christiane Amanpour about the war.
CNN’s Rae Wang, Paula Newton, Haley Britzky, Jennifer Hansler, Michael Rios, Lauren Izso and Catherine Nicholls contributed reporting.
Iran launches missiles at Israel, says IDF
Iran has launched a fresh barrage of missiles toward Israel overnight, Israel’s military said.
“In the past few minutes, the Home Front Command has sent a precautionary directive directly to mobile phones in the relevant areas,” said the Israel Defense Forces just before 4 a.m. local time.
Sirens were sounded in Jerusalem and other areas of central Israel. It marks the third wave of missiles fired at Israel from Iran since midnight.
Saudi Arabia intercepts incoming drones
Saudi Arabia has intercepted three drones over its central Al-Kharj province, the country’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday on X.
US says charter flight of Americans has left Middle East
One charter flight of Americans left the Middle East on Wednesday, the State Department said without providing further details.
It is the first confirmed US-facilitated evacuation flight and comes days after the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran.
The State Department said that “additional flights will be surged throughout the region.”
“For operational security purposes, additional information about ongoing transportation operations will not be released at this time,” the department said in a media note Wednesday evening.
A senior State Department official said Wednesday morning that the agency had provided assistance to nearly 6,500 Americans “by providing them critical information, assisting them with transportation options, etc.”
"It's awful." A journalist in Tehran talks about what he's seeing and hearing
CNN’s Erin Burnett talks to Reza Sayah, a journalist based in Tehran, about what he’s seeing and hearing from people in Iran.
Pentagon identifies 2 remaining soldiers killed in action in Kuwait
The Pentagon tonight publicly identified two remaining service members who were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday.
Marzan is still awaiting final positive identification by a medical examiner, a Pentagon news release said, though he was present at the scene of the drone strike at the port of Shuaiba and is believed to have been killed in the attack. CNN previously reported that it took longer to recover O’Brien and Marzan due to the condition of the building that was struck.
Both soldiers were serving in support of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, which oversees the resupply and sustainment of troops across the Middle East.
Qatar evacuating residents "in vicinity" of US Embassy
Authorities in Qatar are evacuating residents living “in the vicinity” of the US Embassy as a “temporary precautionary measure,” the interior ministry said.
The ministry didn’t specify what prompted the move, only saying that it was done to maintain public safety.
Evacuees will be provided with suitable accommodation, authorities said.
Canada working to evacuate some of its citizens from the Middle East
Canada is working to evacuate some of its citizens from the Middle East, the country’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Canadian nationals in Israel will be bused to the Egyptian border. In Beirut, limited numbers are being put on planes.
Canada is also trying to arrange charter flights out of the UAE as the airspace begins to open, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand told a press conference.
Canada has more than 100,000 citizens registered in the Middle East, Anand said.
Of those, 2,000 have requested departures, Anand said.
Stranded Chinese travelers scramble to find flights home
Chinese travelers in the Middle East are among thousands of tourists struggling to return home amid widespread flight disruptions.
One traveler in Dubai, Kun Wang, told CNN he spent more than $4,350 (30,000 renminbi) buying three plane tickets in the hope that at least one flight might get him out of the region.
The disruptions have also triggered a flood of posts on Chinese social media platforms from users sharing travel advice and evacuation stories.
One traveler on the social media platform Xiaohongshu wrote that they planned to cross the border from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Oman by renting a car for $1,450, then fly to Southeast Asia before returning to China.
“As long as the flight takes off, it’s fine. I’m not even thinking about the price,” one comment read. Others said they were closely watching flight schedules, and shared screenshots of flight bookings, visa rules or route suggestions.
Only a lucky few have managed to leave so far. Among them is Matt Hu, a Chinese student who managed to fly out after several days of uncertainty.
He told CNN he had traveled from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh with classmates shortly before tensions escalated. After their return flight was canceled, they drove for hours to reach Jeddah – where they flew to Kuala Lumpur, and are now arranging flights back to China.
“We just wanted to go somewhere we could sleep at night,” Hu said, adding he had felt a moment of relief upon arriving in Malaysia after the chaos of travel disruption.
But many others remain stranded as they wait for flights to resume or search for other ways out.
Flight tracker FlightRadar24 showed that one Emirates flight left Dubai for Guangzhou on Wednesday, after being canceled for three consecutive days earlier this week – a possible sign of hope for some.
It's day 5 of the war. Catch up on more of today's headlines
It is day five of war in the Middle East.
US-Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 civilians in the region since Saturday, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Tehran’s retaliatory strikes have killed dozens, local authorities say.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that US goals are to destroy the regime’s ballistic missile program, “annihilate” Iran’s naval presence in the region, dismantle Iran’s terrorist proxies and prevent it from pursuing a nuclear weapon.
Here are other headlines from the last few hours:
Sprawling conflict: The Israeli military said it has started striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut, without providing details. It also said it was targeting “military infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime” in flyover strikes across Tehran.
Trump’s powers: Republicans rejected a resolution aimed at requiring President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval for future US military action against Iran.
Kurdish-Iranian cooperation: The president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region and the Iranian foreign minister pledged “cooperation” in a phone call today, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Attack on Amazon: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a drone attack on an Amazon data center in Bahrain, a state-affiliated news agency reported. Iranian drones have also targeted two Amazon facilities in the United Arab Emirates.
Retraumitizing: Several aid workers told CNN that, since Israel’s offensive in Gaza spilled into Lebanon two years ago, Lebanese people are being psychologically retraumatized by the sound of strikes, scenes of mass displacement and increased bloodshed as shelter becomes scarce.
School bombing: The White House didn’t rule out that a strike on a girls’ elementary school this weekend in southern Iran was carried out by US military personnel, but insisted that the US “does not target civilians.”
Retired General David Petraeus discussed the war today with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
CNN’s Catherine Nicholls, Morgan Rimmer, Sana Noor Haq, Max Saltman, Adam Pourahmadi and Michael Rios contributed to this report.
Oil leaking from tanker off Kuwait after nearby explosion
The crew of an oil tanker anchored off Kuwait reported seeing a large explosion on the vessel’s left-hand side before a small craft left the area, a British marine tracking agency said Wednesday.
Oil from the tanker has started spilling into the water, which could have some environmental impact, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said.
The ship has taken on water but all crew members are safe.
Authorities are investigating.
Earlier today, CNN’s Erin Burnett reported on how oil tankers are in hiding to await safe passage.
CNN's Erin Burnett tracks critical oil tankers that can't cross the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict broke out in the Middle East. One company says their only option for passage is a convoy from the US Navy.
