Iran US tensions news LIVE: Khamenei ‘targeted’, 24 school students killed in Israel-US strikes; Tehran fires back

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry says it has begun evacuating residents of the Juffair area, where a US naval base is located, Al Jazeera reported.

“We urge your cooperation with the relevant authorities,” the ministry said.

Indian leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi has urged the government to take immediate and proactive measures “to safeguard our people” amid conflict between Iran and the US, which has spilled over to the entire Middle East.

“The rapidly escalating hostilities between US-Israel and Iran are deeply concerning. The safety and security of every Indian citizen across the Middle East must be our highest priority. I urge the Government of India to take immediate and proactive measures to safeguard our people,” Gandhi said on X.

An Iranian provincial governor told Tasnim news agency that the Israel-US strike that hit a school in Minab resulted in at least 24 deaths.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has condemned attacks on its soil, which it said were conducted by Iran “in flagrant violation” of its airspace and of international law.

It said Kuwait reserves the right to respond in a manner that is “commensurate with the scale and nature of this attack” and warned that further military activity would undermine the region’s stability.

Iran’s National Security Council has advised residents to leave the capital, Tehran, Al Jazeera reported.

Because of the situation, “you should, as far as possible and while maintaining calm, travel to other places and cities if you are able”, the country’s security body said in a statement.

Air France is cancelling flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 28 and March 1 due to security concerns related to the situation in the Middle East, the company said in an update.

For February 28, Air France also cancelled flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it added.

Air France said it would later communicate on its flight plans for these destinations for the coming days.

Iran’s IRNA news agency is reporting an explosion in Zanjan, northwest Iran.

The Israeli military said in a news briefing on Saturday that Israel’s focus is not “a regime change operation but military targets ».

“However, individuals involved in directing attacks, promoting violence, or executing plans to destroy Israel can be considered legitimate targets if they are part of the operational war machine,” an Israeli military official was quoted by CNN as saying.

“Leadership involvement in military aggression may place individuals within target scope – but the emphasis remains on military objectives,” the official said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed all Israeli and US military targets in the Middle East have been struck “by the powerful blows of Iranian missiles”.

“This operation will continue relentlessly until the enemy is decisively defeated,” it said.

All US assets throughout the region are considered legitimate targets for Iran’s army, it added.

European ⁠Commission President ⁠Ursula von der Leyen and European Council ⁠President Antonio Costa have said ⁠developments in Iran are “greatly concerning”.

“We call ⁠on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, to protect civilians, ‌and to fully respect international law,” the two ⁠leaders said in a ⁠joint statement.

“In close coordination with EU member states, we will take all necessary steps to ensure that ⁠EU citizens in ⁠the region can count on our full support.”

Al Jazeera has reported explosions in Tel Aviv amid Iranian missile attacks.

British Airways has cancelled flights to Tel ⁠Aviv and Bahrain until March 3.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and have taken the operational decision to cancel our ⁠flights to Tel ⁠Aviv and Bahrain up to and including 03 March and ⁠have cancelled today’s service to Amman,” ⁠the airline said ⁠in a statement.

“Safety is always our top priority, and ‌we’re contacting our customers to advise them of their ‌travel ‌options.”

Iran’s army said it will deliver a “historic lesson” to Israel and the United States after strikes on Iranian cities.

“As we have already stated, any base anywhere in the region that assists Israel will be a target of the sacred Islamic Republic and our armed forces, and we will show no hesitation,” the Senior Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.

The Jordanian military has said that its air defences intercepted two ballistic missiles targeting the country.

Residents of the capital Amman said they heard loud explosions and air raid sirens, CNN reported.

Israel’s army says sirens were sounded “a short while ago” in several areas across the country following the identification of missiles launched from Iran.

“At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat,” the military statement said on Telegram.

“The defense is not hermetic, and therefore it is essential that the public continue to adhere to the Home Front Command’s guidelines. The public is requested to continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command,” it added.

Saudi Arabia has condemned in the “strongest terms” the Iranian attacks on the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia warned of “dire consequence” over the continued violation of “state sovereignty and the principles of international law.”

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency has reported that an Israeli strike hit an elementary girl’s school in Minab, a city located in the Hormozgan province of southern Iran.

It added that five students were killed.

Ukraine’s ⁠foreign ⁠ministry has said the current ⁠escalation in Iran was the ⁠fault of authorities in the country, adding that Kyiv stood with the ‌Iranian people and repeating calls for a change of government there.

“The cause of the current ⁠events is precisely ⁠the violence and impunity of the Iranian regime, ⁠in particular the killings and ⁠repression of ⁠peaceful protesters, which have become particularly widespread in recent ‌months,” the foreign ministry said in a ‌statement.

Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, and the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain were targeted by Iranian missile attacks, Fars news agency said, citing the IRGC

Several United States embassies in countries across the Middle East have called for Americans abroad to shelter-in-place. Those countries so far include Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan.

“The U.S. Embassy in Manama urges U.S. citizens in Bahrain to shelter in place, review security plans in the event of an attack, and to stay alert in case of additional future attacks,” the US embassy in Manama, Bahrain, wrote on social media.

Those warnings come as Iran’s state-affiliated media reported that four US bases in the Middle East were targeted as a response to US and Israeli strikes on Iranian cities, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

New explosions have been heard in Tehran, Al Jazeera reported. This indicates that the attacks on Iran are continuing, at least for now.

Air India has suspended all flights to the Middle East due to the ongoing situation.

The UAE Ministry of Defence announced that the UAE was subjected today to a blatant attack by Iranian ballistic missiles, which was dealt with by the UAE air defences with high efficiency and a number of missiles were successfully intercepted, reports Khaleej Times

The United States and Israel targeted Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian with their attacks on Saturday but the results of the strikes were unclear, an Israeli official told Reuters.

Bahrain has confirmed that attacks targeted sites and facilities “in a blatant violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and security”.

It described them as “treacherous attacks” that pose a direct threat to Bahrain’s security and safety of its citizens and residents, Qatar’s news agency reported.