Issued on: 02/03/2026 - 06:50Modified: 03/03/2026 - 07:15
Israeli and US air strikes pounded Iran in an escalating campaign that US President Donald Trump said Monday would likely take several weeks. Tehran and its allies retaliated across the region, striking Israel and a variety of targets inside Gulf states, including energy facilities in Qatar and the American Embassy in Saudi Arabia. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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Israel army issues new evacuation warnings for dozens of locations in Lebanon
The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for dozens of locations in Lebanon on Tuesday, including a warning for residents in two southern Beirut neighbourhoods to stay away from several buildings ahead of imminent military action.
"Urgent warning to the residents of Lebanon, specifically in the villages which names are shown. For your safety you must evacuate your homes immediately," said a statement by the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee on Telegram, which listed 50 locations.
"You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the IDF will operate in the near future," he told the residents of southern Beirut neighbourhoods Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik in another evacuation warning.
Trump officials say Israel's plans helped lead the US into Iran war
Saudi defence ministry says 8 drones intercepted near Riyadh, Al-Kharj
Netanyahu on Iran: peace between Saudi Arabia and Israel would be possible due to action against Iran
Israel says will reopen a Gaza aid crossing on Tuesday
Netanyahu says Iran conflict won't be 'endless war'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the US and Israel's war against Iran will not be an endless one and that it will involve quick and decisive action.
"This is not an endless war, this is the gateway to peace" Netanayahu said on Fox News' "Hannity" program.
"Yes I do," Netanyahu said, when asked if he saw a lasting path to peace in the Middle East.
Oil rises as expanding US-Israeli conflict with Iran elevates supply risks
Attack by two drones on US embassy in Saudi capital sparks 'limited' fire
Trump suggests US to retaliate 'soon' over embassy strike in Riyadh
President Donald Trump suggested Monday that the United States would retaliate "soon" after its embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh was struck by two suspected Iranian drones.
Speaking to the NewsNation network, Trump said "you'll find out soon" how the United States would respond, without providing further detail, after the US embassy confirmed a drone attack that caused "a limited fire and minor material damage."
After the attack, the embassy issued a shelter in place notification for US citizens in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran.
Netanyahu claims Iran nuclear program would have been beyond attack in months
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Iran had been building new nuclear weapon sites that would have been impossible to attack within months, creating urgency for strikes on the country.
"They started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers, that would make their ballistic missile programs and their atomic bomb programs immune within months," Netanyahu told Fox News.
"If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future."
Further explosions heard in Riyadh
New explosions were heard in Riyadh early on Tuesday, an AFP journalist and residents said, as Iran pressed on with its campaign of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.
The explosions could be heard in the centre of the Saudi capital with one resident saying they "heard a bang and the house shook". Earlier in the morning, Saudi's defence ministry confirmed two drones had struck the US embassy in Riyadh, starting a small fire.
Rubio will brief members of US senate and House on Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon, says State Dept
US Congress to debate Trump's war powers
The US Congress is scheduled to vote this week on motions seeking to curb President Donald Trump as he wages war against Iran, but the Republican majority will probably shield him.
Trump has sought to expand executive power drastically since returning to the White House in 2025, overshadowing the legislature.
Trump: You'll soon find out response to Riyadh embassy attack, NewsNation reports
US President Donald Trump told NewsNation that you'll find out soon what the retaliation will
be in response to an attack on the U.S. embassy in Riyadh and over the deaths of US military personnel during the Iran conflict, a reporter at the media outlet posted on X on Monday, citing an interview with him.
Rubio says planned Israeli action against Iran prompted US strikes
Planned Israeli action against Iran that would have seen retaliation against American forces prompted the United States to launch its weekend strikes against Tehran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday.
"We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," Rubio told reporters.
US embassy in Saudi Arabia issues shelter in place notification for citizens in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran
Saudi defence ministry says US embassy in Riyadh hit by two drones resulting in 'limited' fire and minor material damage
An attack by two drones early Tuesday on the US embassy in Riyadh sparked a small fire, a Saudi defence ministry spokesman said in a statement, while Iran pressed on with its campaign of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.
"The US Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two drones, according to initial assessments. The attack resulted in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building," the statement said after witnesses told AFP they had seen smoke over the building housing the US diplomatic mission.
Qatar defence ministry says intercepted two ballistic missiles bur-ceg
This morning's key developments:
The Israeli military said it launched “large‑scale strikes” on Tehran on Monday, two days since the start of a US–Israeli campaign against Iran.
"I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic and take back your country," US President Donald Trump said in a video on Truth Social. "America is with you."
The Israeli military said it had intercepted projectiles that were launched from Lebanon early Monday morning, in what could be the first sign of Lebanon's Shiite Muslim armed group Hezbollah, long one of Tehran's principal allies in the Middle East, entering the conflict.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
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