Middle East crisis live: US has begun flying B52 bombers over Iran, Pentagon says
US has begun flying B52 bombers over Iran, general saysAt the Pentagon’s public briefing earlier, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said that the US military had begun flying B52 bomber missions over land.
double quotation markIn the past 30 days, we’ve hit over 11,000 targets. With growing air superiority, we’ve also launched the first B-52 overland missions.
The US military remains focused on “interdicting and destroying the logistical and supply chains that feed” Iran’s missile, drone and naval ship-building programs, Caine added.Per the New York Times, that in effect means the US has choked off Iran’s ability to replace munitions destroyed in thousands of American bombing runs.
double quotation markB-52 bombers - unlike the agile or radar-evading aircraft in the US arsenal - are considered highly vulnerable to antiaircraft systems.
The decision to fly the planes directly over Iran signifies the American military’s confidence that it has largely destroyed Iran’s capability to take down the lumbering bombers.
ShareUpdated at 20.41 CESTKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureSyrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa said his country will stay out of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran unless Syria is subject to aggression and has no diplomatic solutions.“Unless Syria is targeted by any party, Syria will remain outside any conflict,” the Syrian president said at an event hosted by think tank Chatham House in London.ShareIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is forging new alliances with “important” countries in the region to counter what he described as the “Iranian threat.”Speaking in an address, Netanyahu did not specify which countries were involved, or give further details.ShareThe U.S. State Department is tracking reports of threats against locations where American citizens gather in Saudi Arabia, including hotels, U.S. businesses and educational institutions, the State Department said, advising U.S. citizens in the country to shelter in place until further notice.“We are tracking reports of threats against locations where American citizens gather,” the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a travel advisory.“We advise U.S. citizens that hotels and other gathering points including U.S. businesses and U.S. educational institutions may be potential targets.”The embassy asked Americans to remain inside and stay away from windows until further notice.The latest advisory came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they would target U.S. companies in the Middle East as of April 1 in retaliation for attacks on Iran, state media reported.ShareUpdated at 20.45 CESTIranian foreign minister says US and Iran are exchanging messages - but not negotiatingIran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has told Al Jazeera he has been receiving direct messages from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, “as before”, but they do not constitute “negotiations”.The messages include threats or exchanged views delivered through “friends” in the region, he added, and all messages go through his foreign ministry.
double quotation markThere is no truth to the claim of negotiations with any party in Iran. All messages are conveyed through the foreign ministry or received by it, and there are communications between security agencies.
He also reiterated that Iran has not yet responded to the 15-point plan proposed by the US, despite reports that Tehran had responded with its own terms to the plan.
double quotation markWe have not sent any response to the 15 American proposals, nor have we submitted any proposals or conditions.
Araghchi has said that Iran’s “conditions for ending the war are clear” in that Tehran won’t accept a simple ceasefire – it wants “a complete end to the war, not just in Iran but in the entire region”.Tehran also wants to ensure there is “no repetition” of attacks and guarantees of compensation for the damages of the war.View image in fullscreenIran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi at the United Nations in Geneva on 17 February. Photograph: Pierre Albouy/ReutersShareUpdated at 21.28 CESTIsrael’s defence ministry accused France of actively obstructing the transfer of munitions to Israel, according to a statement.It said the French ban was imposed despite prior coordination and assurances that the munitions were intended solely for use against Iran, adding the effort was critical to European security.The ministry said Israel would cut all defence procurement from France and would have no new engagement with the French military.French arms sales to Israel are relatively small, and it was unclear whether the move would affect French troops serving with U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon.ShareUpdated at 20.15 CESTUS has begun flying B52 bombers over Iran, general saysAt the Pentagon’s public briefing earlier, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said that the US military had begun flying B52 bomber missions over land.
double quotation markIn the past 30 days, we’ve hit over 11,000 targets. With growing air superiority, we’ve also launched the first B-52 overland missions.
The US military remains focused on “interdicting and destroying the logistical and supply chains that feed” Iran’s missile, drone and naval ship-building programs, Caine added.Per the New York Times, that in effect means the US has choked off Iran’s ability to replace munitions destroyed in thousands of American bombing runs.
double quotation markB-52 bombers - unlike the agile or radar-evading aircraft in the US arsenal - are considered highly vulnerable to antiaircraft systems.
The decision to fly the planes directly over Iran signifies the American military’s confidence that it has largely destroyed Iran’s capability to take down the lumbering bombers.
ShareUpdated at 20.41 CESTFrance has said it is “surprised” by Donald Trump’s comments singling out Paris for not authorising planes headed to Israel fly over its airspace, saying the decision was in line with French policy since the start of the war on Iran.“We are surprised by this tweet. France has not changed its position since day one [of the conflict] and we confirm this decision,” French president Emmanuel Macron’s office said.Trump had said in a post on Truth Social earlier that France had been “very unhelpful” and that the United States would “remember”.
double quotation markThe Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory. France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the “Butcher of Iran,” who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!
The French military said on 5 March that France would not authorise the use of French bases by American planes if they took part in attacks on Iran, but would allow it on a “temporary basis” if they were in support of the defence of French allies in the region.A western diplomat and two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the refusal happened over the weekend and was the first time France had done this since the war started.Israel had wanted to use France’s airspace to transport US weapons for the war, the sources said.ShareThe day so far
In a post on Truth Social, the US president, Donald Trump, has suggested that countries like the UK should build up the “courage” to go to the strait of Hormuz and “just take” fuel. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” Trump said as he criticised countries who “refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran”.
Extra UK troops are being sent to the Middle East to help the UK’s allies defend their skies from Iranian attacks. On a trip to Gulf nations, defence secretary John Healey announced the UK will deploy the Sky Sabre air defence missile system in Saudi Arabia and extend UK Typhoon jets’ action in Qatar, PA reported.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they will target US companies in the region as of 1 April in retaliation for attacks on Iran, state media reported. The 18 companies listed in the IRGC’s threat included Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing.
Areas near the World Health Organization’s Tehran office were hit by strikes over the past two nights, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an X post on Tuesday. “Fortunately all WHO Iran office colleagues are accounted for and none were injured,” he added.
Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney on Tuesday denounced Israel’s deployment of troops against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as an “illegal invasion” that violates its “integrity and sovereignty.” “The government of Lebanon has banned Hezbollah, is taking action, is trying to take action against Hezbollah and their terrorist activities and their threats to Israel, and that is the purported justification for this invasion,” Carney told journalists at an event in Wakefield, Quebec.
Israel said on Tuesday that it will occupy wide swathes of south Lebanon and destroy the homes along the border to prevent the return of some 600,000 residents, prompting concerns of long-term forced displacement.
The Lebanese health ministry said yesterday that nine people had been killed and 137 others injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon over the past day. It said the latest figures brought the death toll from Israeli attacks since 2 March to 1,247, with 3,680 other people reported injured.
Israeli airstrikes killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip in two separate attacks on Tuesday, health officials said. An Israeli airstrike killed at least three people in Jabalia, in the north of the territory, while two other people were killed in another airstrike in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to medics.
A UN security source told AFP on Tuesday that Israeli fire had killed an Indonesian peacekeeper at the weekend, after the UN force said it was investigating the incident. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon had said that the peacekeeper was killed on Sunday evening when a projectile of unknown origin “exploded in a UNIFIL position near Adchit al Qusayr”, while two more Indonesian blue helmets were killed in south Lebanon the following day.
Iranian state media reported yesterday that an Iranian parliamentary committee had approved a proposal to collect a toll on vessels travelling through the strait of Hormuz. The strait will be closed to ships from the US, Israel and countries that have been involved in sanctioning Iran, according to a Telegram post from the Fars news agency, which said that Iran will have a “sovereign” role in the implementation of the new system.
Italy has denied use of an airbase in Sicily to US military craft carrying weapons for the war in the Middle East. A source at the Italian defence ministry confirmed a report in Corriere della Sera that “some US bombers” had been due to land at Sigonella – a key US navy installation and Nato base – before heading to the Middle East.
A US-Israeli attack on the Iranian city of Mahallat last night (at about 11pm local time) killed 11 people and injured 15 others, the Tasnim news agency has cited a deputy security officer as having said. Four residential units were “completely destroyed” in the attack, in which three children were killed, according to the report, which we have not yet been able to independently verify.
ShareIsrael vows to occupy large parts of southern Lebanon to expand buffer zoneWilliam ChristouIsrael said on Tuesday that it will occupy wide swathes of south Lebanon and destroy the homes along the border to prevent the return of some 600,000 residents, prompting concerns of long-term forced displacement.Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said that it will occupy the area under the Litani River, some 19 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border, as part of its so-called buffer zone inside southern Lebanon when fighting with Hezbollah ends.“At the end of the operation, the IDF would control the area up to the Litani River, including the remaining Litani bridges, while eliminating Radwan forces that infiltrated the area and destroying all weapons there,” Katz said, referring to the elite unit of the pro-Iran Hezbollah group.He added that all homes near the villages would be destroyed “in accordance with the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza.” The Israeli military razed most homes and public infrastructure in both neighbourhoods of Gaza, reducing them to rubble.ShareUpdated at 19.02 CESTCanada’s prime minister Mark Carney on Tuesday denounced Israel’s deployment of troops against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as an “illegal invasion” that violates its “integrity and sovereignty.”“The government of Lebanon has banned Hezbollah, is taking action, is trying to take action against Hezbollah and their terrorist activities and their threats to Israel, and that is the purported justification for this invasion,” Carney told journalists at an event in Wakefield, Quebec.“So we condemn it,” he said.ShareEyewitness video released on 31 March and verified by Reuters shows a large explosion and plumes of smoke rising in Isfahan.The central Iranian city is home to a number of important military facilities, including nuclear facilities.Analysts believe much of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely stored there.Large explosion seen in Isfahan in Iran – videoShareExtra UK troops to help defend Gulf against Iranian attacks, Healey announcesExtra UK troops are being sent to the Middle East to help the UK’s allies defend their skies from Iranian attacks.On a trip to Gulf nations, defence secretary John Healey announced the UK will deploy the Sky Sabre air defence missile system in Saudi Arabia and extend UK Typhoon jets’ action in Qatar, PA reported.Additional air defence teams and systems have also arrived in Bahrain and Kuwait.Healey said “Britain’s best” will help protect Gulf partners as he visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain. Sky Sabre – and a Royal Artillery battery and battle space managers who operate the system – will be moved to Saudi Arabia this week.The defence system, composed of radars, control node, and missile launchers, can intercept munitions and aircraft.It will be integrated into broader Saudi and regional air defences, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).ShareAreas near the World Health Organization’s Tehran office were hit by strikes over the past two nights, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an X post on Tuesday.“Fortunately all WHO Iran office colleagues are accounted for and none were injured,” he added.ShareA UN security source told AFP on Tuesday that Israeli fire had killed an Indonesian peacekeeper at the weekend, after the UN force said it was investigating the incident.The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon had said that the peacekeeper was killed on Sunday evening when a projectile of unknown origin “exploded in a UNIFIL position near Adchit al Qusayr”, while two more Indonesian blue helmets were killed in south Lebanon the following day.The source told AFP on condition of anonymity that evidence had been identified that the source of the fire on Sunday was an Israeli tank.ShareIran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they will target US companies in the region as of 1 April in retaliation for attacks on Iran, state media reported.The 18 companies listed in the IRGC’s threat included Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing.“These companies should expect the destruction of their respective units in exchange for each terror act in Iran, starting from 8 PM Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1st,” the IRGC statement said.SharePeter BeaumontThe destruction of a US E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft in an Iranian strike on a Saudi Arabian airbase has raised questions over how a critical surveillance asset was left unprotected, and how Iran was able to launch a direct strike on the plane.The plane was one of 16 operational E-3s, which first went into production in the 1960s and carry sophisticated monitoring equipment that allow them to warn of airborne threats such as missiles, as well as surveil and monitor their assigned battle space including communications, troop and equipment movements and air defence sites.The attack that destroyed it on 27 March, while it was parked at Prince Sultan airbase, underlined once again the continuing ability of Iran to attack and accurately strike high-value targets in the region despite a month of US and Israeli air raids.Images from the scene of the attack, which also injured US servicemen and damaged several in-flight refuelling aircraft, show a direct strike on the E-3’s radar dome located near the tail, suggesting a high degree of accuracy.The E-3 Sentry was destroyed at Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia on 27 March 2026.Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukrainian intelligence had information that a Russian spy satellite had photographed the base three times before the attack, on 20 March, 23 March and 25 March.ShareChina and Pakistan called on Tuesday for an immediate end to the war in the Middle East, and for peace talks as soon as possible, as they agreed to boost their cooperation on Iran.The two countries outlined a joint initiative “for restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and Middle East region”, after a visit from senior Pakistani officials to Beijing.Both countries have sought to mediate in the Middle East to prevent the conflict from escalating, with Islamabad saying it is ready to host “meaningful talks” between the United States and Iran.Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and agreed to “strengthen strategic communication and coordination on the Iran situation and ... make new efforts towards advocating for peace”, Beijing said.Dar’s ministry later said the two sides had agreed on a five-point plan, starting with the “immediate cessation of hostilities” and the “start of peace talks as soon as possible”.Share
