Here's the latest
• Widening conflict: In a new wave of attacks, 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. Both served in support of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command.
• Death toll rises: Inside Iran, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the US and Israel launched strikes this weekend, according to the US-based human rights agency.
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.
Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Beirut
The Israeli military says it has started striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut, without providing details.
A loud explosion was heard in the Lebanese capital overnight just moments before Israel made the announcement.
The owner of a small Beirut hotel hit in another strike tells CNN’s Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance that she is angry at Hezbollah for dragging her country into the US-Israeli war with Iran.
See where strikes have occurred across the Middle East since Saturday
War in the Middle East is accelerating after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, and Tehran retaliated with strikes against several of its neighbors, including US-allied Gulf states. Israel and Hezbollah are also trading blows as the conflict widens.
See where strikes have occurred since February 28:
Iran targets Amazon data center in Bahrain with drone attack
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 Wednesday.
The attack was carried out to identify how such centers support the military and intelligence activities of Tehran’s adversaries, Fars said.
Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing division, said Monday that a drone had struck near one of its facilities in Bahrain, causing “physical impacts to our infrastructure.”
Iranian drones have also targeted two Amazon facilities in the United Arab Emirates.
“These strikes have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage,” AWS said.
Fars reported that the attacks are parts of the IRGC’s recent operations against Amazon data centers in Dubai and other strategic centers in the region.
American influencer among thousands stranded in the Middle East
An American influencer en route from India to Texas found himself unexpectedly stranded after stopping in Doha for a layover, just as escalating Middle East tensions triggered explosions and widespread flight suspensions.
Learn more about tourists stranded in the Middle East here:
Lebanese traumatized anew by Israeli attacks, aid workers say
Several aid workers told CNN that Lebanese people are still struggling to piece back their communities and livelihoods, after Israel’s offensive in Gaza spilled into Lebanon these past two years.
Now, those trying to survive renewed Israeli military attacks are being psychologically retraumatized by the sound of strikes, scenes of mass displacement and increased bloodshed as shelter becomes scarce, relief staffers say.
One humanitarian worker warned that “even small triggers, like a door slamming, cause people to jump in fear, reliving past experiences of violence and loss.”
“The mental health of Lebanese communities, already severely strained by years of conflict, economic crises and social tension, is now further deteriorating under these attacks,” Bassil said. “In Beirut, the mood is one of pervasive fear, uncertainty and sleepless nights. The combined physical and psychological toll is immense.”
Between October 2023 and November 27, 2024, Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed more than 3,961 people, including 248 children, Human Rights Watch reported, citing the Lebanese Health Ministry. Entire villages were razed, and swaths of the capital, Beirut, were reduced to debris following the fierce Israeli campaign.
Another aid worker warned that humanitarian staff are inadequately prepared for the scale and scope of attacks.
“There’s no response preparedness,” Maya Andari, the director of program quality for CARE International in Lebanon, told CNN in a voice message on Wednesday. “People are extremely, extremely tired. They’re not ready for this.”
Iraqi Kurdish leader and Iranian foreign minister speak after reports of CIA arming Iranian Kurds
The president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region and the Iranian foreign minister pledged “cooperation” in a phone call on Wednesday, according to a readout from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The 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.
During their call, Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi agreed to work toward “preventing any third parties from exploiting the situation to destabilize the region.”
A readout of the call from Barzani’s office likewise said the region “will not be part of the conflicts.”
Also on Wednesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry reported that Araghchi held a call with Bafel Talabani, party leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, wherein the Iranian foreign minister emphasized security cooperation in the face of “terrorist movements” on the Iran-Iraq border.
The flurry of calls also included one between Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani and Araghchi. Al-Sudani told the foreign minister that Iraq would not allow an attack on Iran from its territory, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Meghan Bodette, research director at the Kurdish Peace Institute, told CNN that Iraqi Kurdish leaders wouldn’t want to risk provoking Iran.
While Iraqi Kurds have previously offered support to Kurdish forces in Syria, Bodette said offering support to Iranian Kurds would be far riskier.
CNN’s Michael Rios contributed to this report.
Analysis: Why is the word "war" triggering for Republicans?
The Trump administration appears divided on how to label its military action against Iran.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have used the word “war” to refer to the military campaign, but Republican Party lawmakers refused to use it when pressed by CNN’s Manu Raju earlier today.
CNN’s Dana Bash analyzes why that might be:
CNN’s Dana Bash breaks down why Republican lawmakers avoiding the word “war” is intentional as the war with Iran unfolds.
CNN’s Sophie Tanno contributed to this report.
Democrats’ Iran war powers push fails in the Senate
Republicans rejected a resolution aimed at requiring that President Donald Trump seek congressional approval for future US military action against Iran.
The Senate voted 47 to 53 to put down the measure, with GOP Sen. Rand Paul joining almost all Democrats to advance it, and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voting with Republicans to block it.
Even if the measure had advanced, it faced an uphill battle on Capitol Hill, as it would have needed to withstand a full amendment process in the Senate before moving to the House, and then a likely presidential veto that requires a two-thirds vote to override.
GOP senators’ decision to shield the president comes after Trump had railed against the five in the party who voted to advance a previous war powers resolution on military action in Venezuela. Of those five, only one — Paul — voted again to check the president’s powers.
The House is expected to take a vote on the same issue on Thursday.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie called out the administration today for struggling to explain US military involvement.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) called out the Trump administration for struggling to explain US military involvement in Iran ahead of the House's War Powers vote.
People leaving Iran detail harrowing conditions amid regional war
Conditions in Iran are deteriorating badly as war spreads across the region, according to a pair of Austrian residents fleeing the country.
“All the people are afraid,” an Austrian resident named Omid told Reuters. “You see maybe in the social media that people … are happy because (Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) is dead, but that is, I think, just social media. Everybody in Iran, they are afraid.”
He said he had just taken a shower when he heard loud booming sounds near his hotel.
“I was very afraid,” he said. “It was really a very bad situation.”
Jawad, another Austrian resident leaving Iran, recalled seeing “a lot of rockets, jets.” He echoed Omid, saying that the situation was “really, really, really bad.”
The two also said it was difficult to leave Iran due to factors such as transportation problems and embassies shut down amid the war.
“I’m really sad about Iran, really sad. Because my family they are in Iran now, and I need to think about them,” Jawad said. “And they don’t have any internet, they can’t call to me. Last call was yesterday. We spoke a little bit, and then I said: ‘Well, maybe we don’t see each other.’ I don’t know what will happen.”
A look at the death toll in the Middle East after 5 days of conflict
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).
Dozens have also been killed in Tehran’s retaliatory strikes in the same time period, according to local authorities.
As the conflict continues, here’s what we know about the death toll in the region since Saturday:
- Iran: At least 1,097 civilians had been killed in Iran as of yesterday afternoon ET, HRANA reported. Among the dead are 168 children and 14 teachers who were killed in a US-Israeli attack on a girls’ elementary school on Saturday, according to Iranian state media.
- Lebanon: At least 77 people have been killed in Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon, the country’s health ministry reported on Wednesday. Three of these people were paramedics, according to the head of the World Health Organization.
- Kuwait: At least 10 people have been killed as a result of Iranian attacks on Kuwait, including six US service members, according to CENTCOM, and two Kuwaiti service members, the country’s army said on Tuesday.
- Israel: At least 10 people have been killed by strikes in Israel since Saturday, according to Israel’s emergency services Magen David Adom.
- Iraq: At least four Popular Mobilization Force soldiers were killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on Diyala, Iraq, the militia’s media directorate said Sunday.
- UAE: At least three people have been killed by Iranian drones in the United Arab Emirates, according to the country’s defense ministry. Those killed were nationals of Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, the ministry said.
- Bahrain: One person was killed after debris from an intercepted missile sparked a fire on a “foreign vessel” in Bahrain’s Salman Industrial City, Bahraini state media said Monday.
This post has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Helen Regan, Ben Wedeman, Sana Noor Haq, Haley Britzky, Ruba Alhenawi, Lauren Izso, Rhea Mogul, Aqeel Najim, Michelle Velez, Lauren Kent and Antoinette Radford contributed to this reporting.
White House press secretary took questions today about the Iran war. Here's what she said
The White House press secretary took several questions today about the US military campaign against Iran.
Here’s some of what Karoline Leavitt told reporters:
- The 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. Leavitt said regime change was not a primary objective.
- President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran was fueled by a “good feeling” the Tehran regime was planning to attack the US.
- She didn’t rule out that the US carried out the strike on a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran, but insisted the US military “does not target civilians.”
- The US has “more than enough” weapons to wage an extended war with Iran, Leavitt said, despite Trump’s earlier indications that supplies were not as extensive as he wanted.
- The US will have “complete and total dominance” over Iranian airspace in the next few hours, she said.
- The press secretary said Trump plans to attend the dignified transfer of American service members killed in Kuwait as part of Iran’s retaliation.
- She defended criticism of the media made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, telling CNN that it was a “fact” that the media aimed to paint Trump in a bad light. See more of the exchange below.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended criticism of the media made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, telling CNN during today’s White House press briefing that it was a “fact” that the media aimed to paint President Donald Trump in a bad light.
In other news today:
New strikes: Israel is launching a fresh wave of attacks across Tehran, the Israeli military announced.
Bipartisan split: Several Republican senators suggested they’re not ready to back the effort to bar Trump from taking further military action in Iran without congressional approval.
Messaging: The State Department updated the message on the assistance call line for Americans stuck in the Middle East who are trying to get out.
Iran-Qatar phone call: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani that missile attacks in Qatar were directed at “American interests,” claims which Al-Thani “categorically rejected.”
Miserable drive to Beirut: South Lebanon residents described an 18-hour journey toward Beirut after Israel ordered them to leave the area.
CNN’s Donald Judd, Kevin Liptak, Adam Cancryn, Samantha Waldenberg, Tamar Michaelis, Alison Main, Manu Raju, Casey Riddle, Morgan Leason, Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler, Rebekah Riess, Max Saltman and Kareem El Damanhoury.
Father mourns sergeant son killed in Iranian strike on Kuwaiti port city
Sgt. Declan Coady’s father, Andrew Coady, described the day his son died following an Iranian strike on a makeshift operation center in Kuwait’s Shuaiba port.
Andrew Coady told the Associated Press that on Sunday, he and his family heard four people had been killed in the conflict with many injured.
Andrew Coady said Declan Coady worked long days around the clock while overseas, but told his father that he loved the work. Andrew said his son was supposed to come home in May, but was considering extending his time for another nine months.
Of six US service members killed Sunday, the Pentagon has publicly identified four — including Declan Coady.
