'No French plan' to stop war on Lebanon, as Hezbollah in 'direct clashes' with Israel

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 Russia is supplying Iran with Shahed drones to use against the U.S. and Israel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told CNN in an interview excerpt aired on Saturday.

Zelenskiy told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that it is "100% facts" that Iran has used Russian-made Shaheds to attack U.S. bases.

Shahed drones have been linked to other attacks on countries in the region, although their manufacturers are not always clear.

Iran pioneered the Shahed drone, a much cheaper alternative to expensive missiles. They first saw mass use in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where thousands of them have been launched by Russian forces since fall 2022, according to the Ukrainians.

Although Iran initially provided the drones, Russia now manufactures its own Shaheds. The armed forces of other countries have since adopted Shahed-type drones, including the U.S. military, which has said they are part of the current campaign against Iran. 

 The U.S. State Department said on Saturday it had ordered non-emergency government employees and the family members of government employees to leave Oman, citing safety risks as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran continues. 

 The U.S. Department of Defence on Saturday identified the six U.S. airmen who were killed in a plane crash over Iraq.

The airmen were on a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker supporting U.S. attacks on Iran. The crash involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire and is under investigation, the military has said.

Three airmen were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida:

* Major John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama.

* Captain Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington.

* Technical Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.

The other three airmen were in the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio:

* Captain Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana.

* Captain Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio.

* Technical Sergeant Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio. 

Iraq will travel to Mexico for a playoff match ahead of the 2026 World Cup despite the challenge of traveling during a war that has engulfed the Middle East, the country's football association said on Saturday.

"The national team will depart at the end of the week to Mexico via a private plane," said Adnan Dirjal, the president of Iraq's football association, adding they had contacted FIFA to help facilitate the trip during the conflict in the region that has hampered flights.

The match date has been set for March 31 in the Mexican city of Monterrey.

Israel informed the U.S. this week that it is running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors as the conflict with Iran continues, Semafor reported on Saturday, citing U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

The U.S. has been aware of Israel's low capacity for months, the report said, adding that it is not running low on interceptors of its own.

Police have arrested three people in Kuwait for using camera drones, authorities said on Saturday, after the country warned against filming and spreading information about Iranian strikes.

"Three people were arrested for using aerial camera drones in violation of warnings and instructions," the government's communications centre said.

Explosions rang out over Bahrain's capital of Manama early on Sunday, two AFP journalists said, as Iran continued its strikes across the Gulf.

Bahrain said it has intercepted 125 missiles and 203 drones since the start of Iran's attacks, which have killed two people in the kingdom and 24 others in neighbouring Gulf nations.

Formula 1 and its governing body FIA canceled Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on safety grounds related to the Iran war.

Both countries have been struck during Iran’s response after the United States and Israel launched a wave of attacks on Iran.

The announcement was made early Sunday morning in Shanghai ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

F1 was due to race in Bahrain on April 12 and in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on April 19.

The FIA said the two races "will not take place in April" and that no replacements would be organised.

"The FIA will always place the safety and well being of our community and colleagues first. After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind," FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.

The FIA didn’t explicitly rule out rescheduling the races, and Ben Sulayem said: "Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season, and I look forward to returning to both as soon as circumstances allow."

Dubai's usually crowded markets, beaches and waterfront promenades are unusually quiet during what is typically the city’s busy tourism season.

The spillover of the Iran war has disrupted air travel across the Middle East, while Iranian drone and missile attacks targeting sites in the United Arab Emirates have dented the country’s image as one of the region’s safest destinations.

As a result, some of Dubai’s most popular tourist areas — including the Al Seef waterfront market along Dubai Creek and beaches near luxury hotels, such as the Burj Al Arab — have seen far fewer visitors than usual.

The top US broadcast regulator on Saturday threatened media outlets over negative coverage of the Middle East war, after President Donald Trump slammed critical headlines from the "Fake News Media."

The president, since his first term, has derided mainstream media as "fake news" and has sued major outlets over what he sees as unfair coverage.

Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) -- which oversees US radio, television, and internet media -- said broadcasters risked losing their licenses over news coverage.

"The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not," Carr said in a post on X.

"Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions -- also known as the fake news -- have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up."

Carr's statement did not single out any news outlet, but it included a Trump social media post in which the president called out "an intentionally misleading headline by the Fake News Media" on five tanker planes hit by Iran strikes in Saudi Arabia.

The head of the World Health Organisation said on Saturday that it has verified 12 doctors, paramedics, and nurses were killed in an Israeli strike on the Bourj Qalaouiyeh primary healthcare center in Lebanon late on Friday.

"The killings in the last 24 hours of 14 health workers in southern Lebanon mark a tragic development in the escalating Middle East crisis," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X, noting that earlier in the day two paramedics had been killed in an attack on a health facility in Al Sowana.

Israel has launched an extensive bombing campaign against Hezbollah, which has killed more than 770 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more, while Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets across the border.

Lebanese group Hezbollah said it was involved in "direct clashes" with Israeli forces in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam late on Saturday.

In a statement, it said the clashes were ongoing, having started at 9:20 pm (1920 GMT) and involved "light and medium weapons as well as rocket-propelled projectiles".

It said it had also targeted Israeli forces in three border villages.

Gaza's civil defence agency said on Saturday that Israeli strikes had killed six people over the past 24 hours, with the attacks coming against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

In a pre-dawn strike on Saturday, two policemen and a civilian were killed in the southern city of Khan Yunis, the agency reported.

A strike on a group of civilians on Friday evening in eastern Gaza City killed three people, whose bodies were taken to the territory's main Al-Shifa hospital, the agency said.

When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not offer an immediate response.

Israeli violence has continued on the Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire since 10 October, and even as Israel continues its air campaign against Iran since February 28.

Palestinian officials said that Israeli settlers shot dead a Palestinian man on Saturday in an attack on a village in the occupied West Bank.

Hani Odeh, mayor of Qusra village, told AFP that 28-year-old Amir Moatasem Odeh died from gunshot wounds, while two other local residents were injured.

"This evening, settlers attacked the area located on the western side of the village, and opened fire on residents who were trying to defend their homes," the mayor said.

The death in the village southeast of Nablus was also announced by the Ramallah-based health ministry in Gaza.

The Israeli military said it was checking the reports.

There has been a surge in deadly attacks by settlers in the West Bank in recent days.

France's foreign ministry said Saturday there was "no French plan" to stop the fighting in Lebanon between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.

"France has supported the Lebanese authorities' openness to direct talks with Israel and has offered to facilitate them," said a ministry statement sent to AFP.

"But it is for the parties, and only the parties, to set the agenda for these talks," it added.

Bahrain's interior ministry said on Saturday that six people were arrested for allegedly posting videos and spreading misinformation about Iranian attacks on the country.

"Six people were arrested and referred to the public prosecution for posting videos about the effects of the Iranian aggression, praising its hostile actions and spreading false news," the ministry said.

 Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned the United States on Saturday to move industries out of the region and urged people to stay away from factories in which the U.S. holds shares, Iranian state media said.

The warning follows strikes over the past 48 hours that killed several civilian workers at non-military factories in Iran, Iran's Press TV said.

Operations at the Lanaz refinery in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil have been suspended until a fire caused by a drone strike on Saturday is extinguished, provincial officials said.

Work will remain suspended until the extent of the damage is assessed, officials at the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Natural Resources told Reuters.

Iran's foreign minister said Saturday that there was "no problem" with the Islamic republic's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who US officials say was wounded.

On Friday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he believed Khamenei, who took power after his father was killed in a strike at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, "is wounded and likely disfigured."

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told MS NOW's Ayman Mohyeldin "there is no problem with the new supreme leader. He sent his message yesterday, and he will perform his duties."

Iranian officials have previously confirmed reports that the new leader is wounded but have given no further details.

Khamenei, 56, has not been seen in public since the airstrike that killed his father and predecessor as supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and several key family members.

But on Thursday, he issued a written statement, in which he said his wife, sister, her child, and his brother-in-law were killed. He vowed to avenge the deaths since the start of the war with the United States and Israel.

He also emphasised Iran's potential to cause havoc across the region by squeezing oil supplies and using regional proxies.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told MS Now in an interview on Saturday that there is no problem with Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed on Friday that he was wounded and likely disfigured.

Turkey's top diplomat said Saturday that Iran was denying responsibility for firing ballistic missiles towards Turkey despite evidence from technical data.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he had spoken with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi after NATO defence systems on Friday shot down another ballistic missile from Iran - the third in nine days.

"Once again, they are not taking responsibility for this incident. They claim they did not order any such attack, nor are they linked to it," Fidan said.

"Of course, there is technical data available... and we are discussing the discrepancy between their statements and the reality with them," he said, adding it was being discussed at a diplomatic and military level.

Turkey would resist all provocations, but as a nation, its deterrence capacities were "extremely strong", he warned, saying: "We always know exactly where and when to use our strength."

At least 15 people were killed when a missile strike hit a factory in the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Saturday, the semi-official Fars news agency said.

There were workers inside the factory, which produces heaters and refrigerators, when the strike hit, Fars reported.

The agency blamed the attack on the "American-Zionist (Israeli) enemy" and said it was caused by a missile.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.

Turkey expressed deep concern Saturday over Israel's ongoing strikes on Lebanon over concerns it would commit "a new genocide" under the guise of fighting Hezbollah.

"We are frankly concerned (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is moving toward a new genocide under the pretext of fighting Hezbollah," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, urging the international community to "take immediate action".

Two drones targeted an airbase in Kuwait housing US military staff, injuring Kuwaiti personnel and causing damage, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

"Three members of the armed forces sustained minor injuries" after the attack on Ahmed Al-Jaber Air Base, spokesperson Brigadier General Saud Al-Otaibi said in a statement. The base is near Camp Arifjan, a major US facility.

An attack on the US embassy in Baghdad saw two drones strike the compound, according to CNN, citing a security official. It is unknown what the extent of the damage is or if there are any casualties.

Iran's envoy to Ukraine, Shahriar Amouzegar, dismissed the support Kyiv has offered to the United States and its Gulf allies, advertising its expertise in destroying Iranian-designed drones launched by Russia.

"As for the actions Ukraine is taking in the Middle East against drones, we essentially consider them nothing more than a joke and a showy gesture," Amouzegar told AFP in an exclusive interview.

Iran will target the facilities of American companies in the region if its energy facilities are attacked in the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday.

"Iran will respond to any attack on its energy facilities," state television quoted him as saying after US attacks on military infrastructure on Iran's crude oil export hub of Kharg Island.

"If Iranian facilities are targeted, our forces will target American companies' facilities in the region, or companies in which the US holds shares," he warned, while vowing that Tehran would "act cautiously to ensure that densely populated areas are not targeted".

Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold direct talks in the coming days, their first since the start of the Iran war that has drawn Lebanon deeper into conflict, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Saturday, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will be involved in the talks that may be held in Paris or in Cyprus, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's confidant Ron Dermer leading the Israeli delegation, Haaretz said.

The negotiations were expected to focus on ending fighting in Lebanon and disarming the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, Haaretz said.

Total Iranian gas supplies to Iraq increased from 6 million cubic metres to 18 million cubic metres over the past week, Iraqi electricity ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa told Reuters, adding that the additional volumes were allocated to the country's southern region.

Lebanon's health ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 65 women and 106 children, since the start of the war with Hezbollah, adding that 2,009 others were wounded.

A ministry statement said 31 paramedics were among the dead, raising an earlier toll after the bodies of additional health workers were found following an overnight strike that authorities said hit a healthcare centre in the country's south.

Two Indian-flagged tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) have safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz, India's shipping ministry said Saturday, marking a rare exception in the critical naval chokepoint disrupted by the Mideast war.

Tehran has all but halted maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass.

"They crossed the Strait of Hormuz early morning safely and are en route to India," Rajesh Kumar Sinha, India's special secretary of the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways told reporters at a news briefing in New Delhi on Saturday.

The tankers "Shivalik" and "Nanda Devi", carrying around 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG, are expected to arrive in the next couple of days and are bound for the western ports of Mundra and Kandla.

India is the world's fourth largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and second-largest buyer of LPG, which is used for cooking and predominantly sourced from the Middle East.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said Saturday on a visit to Beirut that diplomatic channels remained open to end the war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah and urged the international community to support Lebanon.

"There is no military solution, only diplomacy, dialogue and full implementation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions. The diplomatic avenues are available, including through my special coordinator for Lebanon... and through key member states," he said.

"My message to the international community is simply step up your engagement, empower the Lebanese state and support the Lebanese Armed Forces to secure the capabilities and resources they need," he added.

President Trump on Truth Social says US and "many countries" will be sending ships to the Strait of Hormuz to keep it "open and safe".

The post adds the claim that the US "destroyed 100%" Iran's military capability and will continue to attack the shoreline.

Oil export operations from Iran's Kharg island in the Gulf were proceeding as normal Saturday after US strikes on the crude export hub which caused no casualties, a regional official said.

Activities of oil companies "at this export terminal are continuing as normal", said Ehsan Jahaniyan, deputy governor of Iran's southern Bushehr province, quoted by the IRNA news agency.

The Fars news agency, citing sources on the island, earlier reported there had been no damage to oil facilities after President Donald Trump said US strikes had destroyed only military targets.

Trump had threatened to target oil infrastructure on the island, a crucial hub for Iran, if Tehran continues to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iran has, in turn, threatened to target US-linked oil infrastructure.

Deputy governor Jahaniyan said that after the attacks "daily life and routine activities of the residents are also fully maintained."

The attack "did not cause any casualties among military personnel, company employees, or residents of Kharg island, he added.

The UAE slammed the targeting of its consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan for the second time in a week, the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement Saturday.

"The United Arab Emirates expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the treacherous terrorist attack by a drone, which targeted the UAE Consulate General in Iraqi Kurdistan, for the second time in a week, and resulted in the injury of two security personnel and caused damage to the consulate building," it said.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Saturday that Israeli strikes had killed six people over the past 24 hours, the latest bout of violence in the territory against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

In a pre-dawn strike on Saturday, two policemen and a civilian were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, the agency reported.

A strike on a group of civilians on Friday evening in eastern Gaza City killed three people, whose bodies were taken to the territory's main Al-Shifa hospital, the agency said.

When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not offer an immediate response.

Violence has continued in the Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire since 10 October, and even as Israel continues its air campaign against Iran since 28 February.

Lebanon's health ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes had killed 26 paramedics and wounded 51 others since conflict erupted between Israel and Hezbollah.

It came after Lebanese authorities said an overnight Israeli strike killed 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses working at a healthcare centre in the southern town of Burj Qalawiya, following another strike on the town of Sawaneh that left two paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally Amal dead.

The ministry statement also accused Israel of repeatedly "targeting ambulance crews while they were performing rescue duties", after the Israeli military on Saturday accused Hezbollah of using ambulances militarily.

A spokesperson for Iran's defence ministry said that the country will increase its usage of more advanced 'upgraded weapons', including different types of missiles with greater destructive power and precision, according to state media.

United States forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island in Iran on Friday night, the US Central Command said on Saturday.

"US forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure," CENTCOM said.

The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, the US military said in a post on X.

President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran's Kharg Island hub, unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said Saturday the war with Tehran was entering a "decisive phase", praising US strikes on what Washington called military targets on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub.

"The global and regional struggle against Iran, led by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is escalating and entering the decisive phase that will continue as long as necessary," Katz told military top brass in a televised statement.

Iran has allowed some Indian vessels to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran's Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali said on Saturday, ​confirming a rare exception to the blockade that has disrupted global energy supplies.

Fathali did not confirm the number of vessels that have been provided safe passage. He was speaking at broadcaster India Today's conclave in New Delhi.

Since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iran, Tehran has largely halted ​traffic through the strait, which runs past its coast and through which around 20 percent of global oil ​and seaborne liquefied natural gas is supplied.

Japan's industry minister Ryosei Akazawa on Saturday asked Australia, Japan's biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas, to boost output in light of the Middle East crisis.

Japan relies on the Middle East for around 11 percent of its LNG imports, with 6 percent shipped via the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed due to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Japan also depends on the region for about 95 percent of its crude oil supplies.

Some 20 percent of global LNG supply is offline as the US-Israeli war on Iran has shut QatarEnergy LNG facilities, disrupting energy supplies from the Middle East. It could take months to return to normal deliveries, Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said last week.

"For this unprecedented situation, the affordable and stable LNG supply from Australia is the lifeline of energy security in Japan and this region," Akazawa told Australian Resources Minister Madeleine King during their bilateral meeting.

"We would like to sincerely ask for your continued contribution to stable supply, including the possibility of increasing production as much as possible," Akazawa said.

France is ready to facilitate ceasefire discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X on Saturday.

He said that the Lebanese leadership was open to direct discussions with Israel and called on Israel to "seize this opportunity to launch ceasefire discussions, to find a lasting solution and to allow the Lebanese authorities to put in place their engagements for Lebanon's sovereignty."

He called on Israel to stop its offensive and on Hezbollah to stop its actions.

"Everything must be done to stop Lebanon from descending into chaos," he said.

President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said he had expressed gratitude to the Iraqi prime minister to taking measures to protect French forces, after a drone strike killed a French soldier in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

"Yesterday, I spoke with the Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani," Macron said on X.

"I thank him for his commitment to getting to the bottom of this attack and to strengthening measures to protect our forces, who are present in Iraq to fight, alongside the Iraqis, against the scourge of terrorism."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that US interests in the United Arab Emirates, including ports, docks and military locations, are legitimate targets after US forces attacked Iranian islands, Iranian state media reported.

In its statement, IRGC urged residents in UAE to evacuate ports, docks, and US military shelters to avoid civilian casualties.

The U.S. Embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad was hit in a missiles attack, Iraqi security sources told Reuters on Saturday.

The attack caused smoke to rise from the embassy's building, the sources said, without providing details on the damage.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has been "totally defeated" in the US-Israeli military campaign against the country and wanted a deal he would not accept, despite Iranian officials pledging to continue the fight.

"The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal - But not a deal that I would accept!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.

Trump's comments came after he said that Washington had heavily bombed military targets on Iran's oil hub Kharg Island and the US Navy would soon begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

But as the US strikes on Iran persisted, Tehran launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Israel and its Gulf neighbours.

The Israeli army told people in an industrial zone in the west of Iran's northern city of Tabriz to leave ahead of military operations on Saturday.

"Urgent warning to all people located in the industrial area west of Tabriz," the Israeli military posted on X, adding it would "continue to operate in the area in the coming hours".

Internet shutdowns in Iran since US-Israeli strikes late last month triggered a war in the Middle East meant that residents were unlikely to be able to access online evacuation warnings.

Some oil loading operations in the port of UAE's Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz, have been suspended after a drone attack and fire on Saturday morning, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday citing people familiar with the matter.