Israel steps up strikes in Iran and Lebanon as war spreads

The largest U.S. subject basal successful the Middle East, Al-Udeid Air Base successful Qatar, was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile, Qatari officials said Wednesday. 

No casualties were reported.

Qatar was targeted by 2 ballistic missiles fired from Iran, the country's ministry of defence said, but 1 was successfully intercepted.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez deed backmost Wednesday astatine President Trump's criticisms of Madrid's refusal to fto U.S. planes usage Spanish bases to onslaught Iran.

"The presumption of the authorities of Spain tin beryllium summed up successful 4 words: nary to war," helium said successful a televised address, a time aft Mr. Trump threatened to sever each commercialized with Spain.

"We volition not beryllium complicit successful thing that is harmful to the satellite and contrary to our values and interests, simply retired of fearfulness of retaliation," Sanchez said.

"This is however humanity's large disasters start. ... You cannot play Russian roulette with the destiny of millions," Sanchez said, according to the Reuters quality agency.

CBS/AFP

Israel's subject said Wednesday that 1 of its combatant jets had changeable down 1 of Iran's implicit the Iranian superior arsenic Israel stepped up attacks connected Tehran.

"An Israeli Air Force F-35I 'Adir' combatant pitchy changeable down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 combatant pitchy a abbreviated portion agone implicit the skies of Tehran. This is the archetypal shootdown successful past of a manned combatant craft by an F-35 'Adir' combatant jet," the Israel Defense Forces said successful a connection shared connected societal media..

The "Adir" is the Israeli variant of the U.S.-made F-35 II Lightning, which is heavy customized by Israel's military.

Israel's subject announced Wednesday greeting the opening of a caller "broad question of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian panic authorities successful Tehran." 

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Avichay Adraee said earlier that Israeli strikes were targeting dozens of subject sites crossed Iran's capital, including office of the notorious Basij paramilitary unit linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards. He said rocket launchers and defence systems were besides being hit, on with proviso and logistics facilities "affiliated with the regime's crushed forces."

Adraee said the IDF would "intensify their strikes" connected the Iranian regime's infrastructure.

A pistillate gestures arsenic she reacts pursuing a onslaught connected a constabulary station, amid the U.S.-Israeli struggle with Iran, successful Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA

Iran's semi-official pupil quality bureau ISNA reported large explosions successful eastbound Tehran connected Wednesday. 

Israeli subject spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned residents successful Lebanon's superior Beirut connected Wednesday to evacuate an country adjacent a circumstantial gathering helium said was affiliated with the Iranian-backed militant radical Hezbollah.

"Urgent Alert for Those Present successful the Southern Suburbs of Beirut, Especially successful the Haret Hreik Neighborhood," Adraee said successful a societal media post, sharing a representation with a gathering highlighted successful red. He said anyone successful oregon wrong 300 meters (about 300 yards) of the gathering was "required to evacuate these buildings instantly and enactment distant from them."

Israel has hammered alleged Hezbollah sites successful Beirut and crossed confederate Lebanon for days, and connected Tuesday the IDF warned people successful astatine slightest 80 confederate Lebanese cities, towns and villages to evacuate and not instrumentality arsenic it announced that troops had been sent crossed the borderline into the neighboring state "to make an further furniture of extortion for our towns." 

Rescuers transportation a stretcher astatine the tract of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a gathering successful the municipality of Aramoun, southbound of Beirut, Lebanon, March 4, 2026. FADEL Itani/AFP/Getty

Iran volition clasp a three-day authorities ceremonial for ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Saturday successful the archetypal question of U.S.-Israeli strikes, Iran's authoritative IRNA quality bureau said Wednesday.

"The faithful volition beryllium capable to wage a last homage to the assemblage of the martyred usher of the nation, by visiting the Imam Khomenei expansive mosque" successful Tehran, IRNA said, citing a connection from the country'sIslamic Development Coordination Council.

Khamenei volition beryllium buried successful his location metropolis of Mashhad successful northeastern Iran. Arrangements for the ceremonial procession to Mashhad volition ‌be announced erstwhile ‌they are ⁠finalized, authorities media added, according to the Reuters quality agency.

The 3 time ceremonial was to statesman Wednesday evening.

CBS/AFP 

At slightest 1,097 civilians person been killed successful Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched their strikes connected Saturday, sparking the ongoing war, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Wednesday.

"According to aggregated information since the outbreak of the struggle connected February 28, the full fig of reported civilian deaths has reached 1,097, including 181 children nether the property of ten," the organization said. "An further 880 reported deaths are presently nether reappraisal for verification and classification. The fig of reported civilian injuries since February 28 has reached 5,402, including 100 children."

CBS News' shaper successful Tehran, Seyed Bathei, said determination were unconfirmed reports circulating wrong the state of thousands of fatalities arsenic aboriginal arsenic Sunday.

The U.S. and Israeli militaries declined again connected Tuesday to respond to CBS News' petition for accusation connected reports that dozens of the youngest victims of the warfare successful Iran were killed successful a onslaught that deed a girl's simple schoolhouse successful the confederate metropolis of Minab.

The New York Times reported, citing unnamed Iranian officials, that erstwhile Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, had emerged arsenic a front-runner to regenerate his father, with a determination by the country's Assembly of Experts expected arsenic soon arsenic Wednesday morning.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned that immoderate caller ultimate person who carries connected with Iran's "plan to destruct Israel, to endanger the United States" and to "suppress the Iranian people," volition beryllium an "an unequivocal people for elimination."

On Tuesday, Israel's Mossad quality bureau issued a akin informing with a post connected societal media, successful Iran's superior Farsi language, that it did not "matter who is chosen today; his destiny has been decreed. Only the Iranian federation volition take their aboriginal leader." The connection was accompanied by a graphic depicting elder Iranian clerics being toppled arsenic dominoes.

The Reuters quality bureau cited 2 Iranian sources connected Wednesday arsenic saying Mojtaba Khamenei survived the astir caller circular of attacks connected Tehran.

The caput of contented for Elon Musk's X said Tuesday that the institution would barroom for 90 days members of the societal media platform's revenue-generating program if they station "AI-generated videos of an equipped struggle — without adding a disclosure that it was made with AI."

"Today we are revising our Creator Revenue Sharing policies to support authenticity of contented connected Timeline and forestall manipulation of the program. During times of war, it is captious that radical person entree to authentic accusation connected the ground. With today's AI technologies, it is trivial to make contented that tin mislead people," said X merchandise main Nikita Bier successful a post connected the platform.

"Starting now, users who station AI-generated videos of an equipped conflict—without adding a disclosure that it was made with AI—will beryllium suspended from Creator Revenue Sharing for 90 days. Subsequent violations volition effect successful a imperishable suspension from the program."