Iran war live: Israel attacks displaced in Beirut, Iraq shuts down oil port operations

Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned on Thursday attacks on the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a government umbrella organisation that oversees various paramilitary groups, including those close to Iran. 

The PMF have fired at US bases in Iraq during the Iran war and came under attack, with one fighter killed in the most recent attack in Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

Sudani is keen to maintain balanced ties between Tehran and Washington.

The Israeli military has been instructed to expand its operations in Lebanon, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday, after Hezbollah fired a heavy barrage of rockets at Israel overnight.

Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that if the Lebanese government could not prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel, Israel "would do it ourselves", according to a statement released by his office.

Iran's powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Thursday that Tehran will "abandon all restraint" if the United States and Israel attack any of its islands in the Gulf. 

"Any aggression against soil of Iranian islands will shatter all restraint. We will abandon all restraint and make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders," said Ghalibaf in a post on X. 

It was not immediately clear which islands he was referring to, but a recent Axios report cited US officials as saying that capturing Kharg was on the table as the war in the Middle East spirals.

Homeland or Death!

Any aggression against soil of Iranian islands will shatter all restraint.

We will abandon all restraint and make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders.

The blood of American soldiers is Trump's personal responsibility.

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) March 12, 2026

Air strikes killed at least nine Iran-backed fighters in Iraq on Thursday near the Iraqi-Syrian border, two senior security officials told AFP. 

Another 10 fighters were wounded in the strikes that targeted a base belonging to Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, the officials added on condition of anonymity, with one saying that the death toll could rise. 

"The base was destroyed, and the rescue teams who arrived at the site were also targeted," one of the officials said.

Dubai reported a drone attack and fallen debris in two locations on Thursday, while Kuwait's airport was damaged in yet another strike on the facility during Iran's Gulf campaign in the Middle East war.

The Dubai government's media office reported "a minor incident caused by debris from a successful interception that fell onto the facade of a building on Sheikh Zayed Road". 

Earlier, the media office reported "a minor drone incident in the Al Bada'a area".

Both incidents caused no casualties, it said in the statements on X.

An Indian crew member on a US-owned crude oil tanker was killed in an attack near Basra on Wednesday, India’s embassy in Baghdad said.

The embassy said in a post on X that the remaining 15 Indian crew members aboard the Safesea Vishnu, which sails under the Marshall Islands flag, have been evacuated to a safe location.

International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Fatih Birol said on Thursday that global energy markets are at a "critical turning point," after the agency on Wednesday recommended a coordinated release of global oil reserves in response to the Middle East war.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz prompted the IEA's announcement, he said at an Istanbul press conference.

The International Energy Agency, made up of major oil-consuming nations, recommended releasing 400 million barrels from global strategic reserves to dampen one of the worst oil shocks since the 1970s, the biggest such intervention in history.

Qatar has launched an urgent humanitarian response to support more than 40,500 families displaced by escalating military violence in Lebanon, the embassy of Qatar in Lebanon said.

“In light of the sharp military escalation in the sisterly Republic of Lebanon and the resulting massive displacement, the State of Qatar has announced an urgent humanitarian response to support affected families,” the embassy said in a statement.

The aid, provided through the Qatar Fund for Development with Qatar Charity and the Qatar Red Crescent Society, includes more than 12,000 food baskets as well as blankets, mattresses and hygiene kits.

Seven people have been injured in an attack on six “production units” in an industrial town in Iran’s Arak province, according to Mehr news agency.

Officials said two of them were in critical condition.

Israeli strikes previously targeted a nuclear complex in the town.

Iran's army said on Thursday it had targeted Israeli military bases and the country's security service Shin Bet as the war entered its 13th day. 

"The Palmachim and Ovda air bases of the Zionist regime, as well as the headquarters of Shin Bet, were targeted by drones from the Islamic Republic of Iran's army," the military said in a statement carried by state television. 

Explosions were heard in downtown Dubai, including a very loud blast, an AFP correspondent reported on Thursday, adding that they saw small plumes of smoke rise above a residential neighbourhood.

Italy will contribute nine million barrels to a coordinated release of strategic oil reserves, joining other International Energy Agency members, a government source said on Thursday.

Asked about the timing, the source said "availability was immediate".

The IEA recommended on Wednesday the release of 400 million barrels of oil, the largest such move in its history, to try to restrain soaring crude prices amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The sound of explosions have been reported in Jerusalem after the Israeli Home Front Command said it detected missiles launched from Iran targeting the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran towards the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the Israeli military said in a post on Telegram.

Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has called for “the protection of maritime routes” after deadly attacks that set two tankers ablaze off the coast of Iraq overnight.

“The security and safety of navigation in international maritime routes and energy supply lines must remain separate from regional conflicts and rivalries,” the ministry said in a statement carried by the Iraq News Agency.

The comments came after Iraq shut down port operations after the attacks.

مدير الموانئ العراقية يكشف تفاصيل استهداف الناقلة النفطية pic.twitter.com/KK1JdHbOmV

— شبكة الإعلام العراقي (@iraqmedianet) March 11, 2026