Iran death toll at 1,045; Turkiye says missile destroyed

 

• The number of people killed in five days of US-Israeli attacks against Iran has topped 1,000, state media says.
• A‌s the conflict engulfs the region, Turkiye says a ballistic ⁠missile fired Iran was destroyed by NATO air and missile defence systems in the ‌eastern Mediterranean Sea. The target of the missile was not immediately clear.
• A ⁠US submarine has sunk an Iranian warship with a torpedo in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast, says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
• Democratic lawmakers slam US President Donald Trump’s justifications for attacking Iran, warning the US may be heading for a ground assault and an “open-ended engagement with no end in sight”.
• Visit our live tracker for the latest on casualty figures from across the region.

• Some in Trump’s base feel ‘betrayed’ at prospect of prolonged war

  

  By Manuel Rapalo

  Reporting from Washington, DC

  How this conflict is being received in the United States goes down party lines, but that’s starting to change as rifts grow within President Donald Trump’s base.

  Immediately after these strikes, there was almost an understanding that Trump did not want a prolonged conflict. He understands the power of optics: He would not want a scenario that would include US service members returning in caskets, draped in US flags.

  But at this point, that messaging is starting to get lost. What we’re hearing is confusion over what exactly the military objectives are, and whether this could be a sustained conflict.

  The thing to underline is that the longer this conflict drags on, the more US service members are killed, and the more Trump will have to answer not only to lawmakers on Capitol Hill but also to his own base – many of whom feel betrayed.
• 2m ago

   (17:08 GMT)

  

  Hezbollah claims clashes with Israeli forces near Khiam

  Hezbollah says its fighters detonated an explosive device and clashed with Israeli forces near the southern Lebanese town of Khiam earlier today.

  In a statement, the group said the attack took place at about 16:30 GMT (6:30pm local time) after its fighters monitored what it described as an Israeli force attempting to advance towards the area.

  Hezbollah said the blast was followed by direct fighting and claimed casualties among Israeli troops, adding that clashes were ongoing at the time of the statement.

  In a separate statement, Hezbollah said it also fired a rocket barrage towards Israeli forces gathered in the town of Kiryat Shmona, in northern Israel. The incident took place at about 15:00 GMT (5:00pm local time), it said.

  The group said helicopters later intervened to evacuate wounded soldiers.
• 5m ago

   (17:05 GMT)

  Fears of energy crisis rattle Europe but no ‘immediate threat’

  

  By Osama Bin Javaid

  Reporting from Brussels, Belgium

  Europe’s gas coordination group has met in Brussels. They said there is no immediate threat but they are deeply concerned about the situation that is continuing to escalate in the Middle East.

  They’re going to watch a number of things, apart from the prolongation of the conflict, such as how far the damage goes and how much it’s going to affect the supply lines.

  The conflict has not directly impacted the supply of gas or oil to Europe yet, but it’s going to have an impact in the long run when it pushes prices further up.

  The Qataris have now stopped producing liquefied natural gas, and the largest oil refinery in Saudi Arabia has also stopped working.

  So it’s all about words of caution here in Europe.