3h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 9:56am
Here’s the latest
The US and Israel launched a daytime attack on Iran, with the first strike happening near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Iranian media reported strikes nationwide, and smoke could be seen rising from the capital.President Donald Trump said in a social media video that the US had begun “major combat operations in Iran”.The United Arab Emirates has closed its airspace, triggering a major effect on global air travel. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Explosions are taking place across the region. Bahrain says several sites have been attacked, while blasts have been reported in Qatar and Kuwait. The headquarters of a US Navy fleet in Bahrain has been targeted in a missile attack.
2m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 1:21pm
Russia condemns the US and Israeli strikes on Iran
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the US-Israeli strikes on Iran as “a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state.”
It demanded an immediate halt to the military campaign and a return to diplomacy.
In a statement posted to Telegram, the ministry accused Washington and Tel Aviv of “hiding behind” concerns about Iran’s nuclear program while actually pursuing regime change.
It warned the attacks risked triggering a “humanitarian, economic and possibly radiological catastrophe” in the region and accused the US and Israel of “plunging the Middle East into an abyss of uncontrolled escalation.”
Reporting with AP
8m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 1:14pm
In pictures: Smoke rises following Bahrain attack
Smoke rises in the sky after blasts are heard in Manama, Bahrain. (Reuters: Stringer)(Reuters: Stringer)
16m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 1:07pm
Israel’s patients moved into underground hospital
Patients at Haifa’s Rambam Hospital are being moved into its massive underground wards.
The fortified wards are used as carparks during times of relative peace.
But during times of conflict, they become a sprawling subterranean complex.
The ABC went into the facility in mid-2024.
21m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 1:02pm
Oman’s foreign minister: ‘I urge the US to not get sucked in further’
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi says he’s “dismayed” by the US and Israel’s attack on Iran.
Oman had been mediating talks between the US and Iran, with more negotiations scheduled to be held next week.
The attack came just hours after Albusaidi said he believed peace was “within reach”.
“Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined,” he says.
“Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this.”
26m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:56pm
French president calls for urgent meeting of UN security council on Iran
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, saying the outbreak of a war between the US, Israel and Iran has “serious consequences” for international peace and security.
Macron spoke separately with leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and the president of the autonomous region of Kurdistan, his office said.
France was ready to deploy the necessary resources to protect its closest partners at their request, Macron said on X.
34m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:48pm
Breaking: Loud explosions heard in Jerusalem
The ABC bureau is hearing loud explosions in Jerusalem from the interception of missiles.
37m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:46pm
More advance warnings issued as sirens sound in Israel
The Home Front Command has issued another advance warning for missiles over Israel.
Red areas show places which are under advance warning for future missile launches. (ABC News: Matthew Doran)
More sirens can also be heard going off across the region.
Markers indicate locations where sirens are sounding. (ABC News: Matthew Doran)
43m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:40pm
Indonesia offers to mediate
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto says he is willing to travel to Iran to conduct mediation between the US and Iran.
In a statement, Indonesia’s foreign affairs ministry said Indonesia “deeply regrets the failure of negotiations between the US and Iran, which has resulted in military escalation in the Middle East”.
“The Government of Indonesia, particularly the President of the Republic of Indonesia, expresses his readiness to facilitate dialogue to re-establish a conducive security condition and if agreed by both parties, the President of Indonesia is willing to travel to Tehran to conduct mediation.”
“The increasing tensions in the Middle East has the potential to disrupt regional stability as well as world peace and security.”
President Prabowo recently attended US President Donald Trump’s first Board of Peace (BOP) meeting, with Indonesia committing thousands of troops for a BOP-led peacekeeping force in Gaza.
52m agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:30pm
Airlines cancel flights after US and Israel strike Iran
Dubai has suspended all flights at its international airport until further notice after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Global airlines have cancelled flights across the Middle East as the region has plunged into a new conflict.
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain and Jordan was empty early on Saturday, maps by flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed.
Below is the latest on what airlines have had to say.
Aegean Airlines: Greece’s largest carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon and Erbil in Iraq until March 2.
Air France: Air France cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel and Beirut in Lebanon for Saturday.
British airways: British Airways said it had cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until March 3 and its flight to Amman on Saturday.
Iberia express: The Spanish airline cancelled a flight to Tel Aviv scheduled for Saturday at 5pm, local time.
Lufthansa: The German airline suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon, and Oman until March 7 and flights to and from Dubai on Saturday and Sunday.
Norwegian air: The Nordic airline suspended all flights to and from Dubai until March 4, a company spokesperson said.
Qatar airways: The airline said it had temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
1h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:21pm
Iranians stockpile supplies as traffic builds on Tehran’s highways
In northern Tehran, supermarkets are seeing a surge of customers seeking bread and bottled water.
However, supply has been limited, and some of the items most in demand — including bread, eggs, bottled water and milk — are currently unavailable in certain stores.
Long queues have also been seen at gas stations across the city.
State television showed footage from one of Tehran’s highways, Soleimani highway, where extremely heavy traffic was visible on west-to-east routes.
AP
1h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:11pm
First look at the supreme leader’s compound
Israel says it targeted political and military targets in its first wave of strikes, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
This post on X from Christiaan Triebert, an open-source intelligence reporter with The New York Times, shows the damage to Khamenei’s compound.
We are seeking satellite imagery, including this one from Airbus, to confirm the damage across Iran.
1h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:09pm
In pictures: Aftermath of strike in Tehran
Screengrabs from videos verified by Reuters shows people gathering near burnt vehicles in Tehran, Iran.
(Reuters: Supplied)(Reuters: Supplied)(Reuters: Supplied)
1h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 12:02pm
Italy suspends some flights in Middle East
The Italian flag carrier has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
ITA Airways said it would not use the airspace of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Iran until March 7, and that flights to and from Dubai were suspended until March 1.
1h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 11:50am
Death toll from strike on girls’ school in Iran now 40, state media reports
The death toll from an Israeli-US strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to at least 40, the state-run IRNA news agency has reported.
At least 45 others were wounded in the attack in Minab, in Iran’s Hormozgan province.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has a base in the city.
Neither the US nor Israel has offered any details on the campaign so far.
Reporting with AP
1h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 11:41am
Pictured: Sea explosion in northern Israel
There has been an explosion in the sea in Haifa, a city in northern Israel, after Tehran launched missiles towards Israel in retaliation to Israeli and US strikes on Iran.
An explosion is seen in Haifa, a city in northern Israel. (Reuters: Rami Shlush)1h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 11:24am
Doha-bound Virgin flights heading back to Australia
Australian airlines are also monitoring the situation in the Middle East closely.
Virgin Australia has confirmed four Qatar Airways flights bound for Doha have turned around and are heading back to Australia tonight.
“Flights that have left Doha and are travelling to Australia are continuing as scheduled,” a Virgin spokesperson told the ABC.
“The safety of our guests and crew is always our top priority.”
Affected travellers should be contacted directly by their airline.
2h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 11:19am
Explaining Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the region
In covering this breaking event, we have been reporting the strikes happening across the region as Iran retaliates against the attacks by the United States and Israel.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp said “all Israel and US bases in the region” were attacked, but several of the nations where American assets are located said the Iranian strikes were not successful.
We want to explain the US presence in the region and the sites Iran is targeting, and add some extra context to all the reports you’re probably hearing about other countries being brought into this conflict.
There have been blasts reported in:
United Arab Emirates (UAE): Loud explosions were heard over Abu Dhabi, with the UAE confirming it intercepted several Iranian missiles. The US Al Dhafra air base is in Abu Dhabi, south of the city. Iranian state media is reporting the base was targeted. One person has reportedly died in the explosions. Qatar: There were explosions reported over Doha, but the country’s leadership said it had successfully dealt with missiles in its airspace, signalling the blasts were likely interceptions. The US Al-Udeid Air Base is located just more than 30 kilometres from central Doha. In June, after the US bombed its nuclear facilities, Iran attempted to hit Al-Udeid in retaliation. Qatar has said it reserves the right to retaliate. Bahrain: It appears there has been some damage in Bahrain. The country’s leadership said there were attacks inside its territory, noting the service centre of the US Fifth Fleet had been subjected to a missile attack, according to Reuters.Loading…Kuwait: There are several US military installments in Kuwait including the forward headquarters of US Army Central and the Ali Al Salem Air Base, roughly 40 km from the Iraqi border. There is also a US camp in Kuwait that acts as a staging post for army units deploying into Iraq and Syria. Kuwait was targeted by Iranian missiles. Its leadership said it dealt with all threats in its airspace, however it reserves the right to respond.Jordan: The country’s military said it had downed two ballistic missiles targeting its territory. In Jordan, the US has the Muwaffaq al Salti Air Base.Iraq: Reuters is reporting rocket attacks targeted a US military base in Iraqi Kurdistan. Erbil Air Base is situated in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq and serves as a hub for US and coalition forces.
We do know Iran is also sending missiles towards Israel in retaliation for Operation Lion’s Roar. The explosions being heard across Israel are likely intercepts by its Iron Dome defence system.
2h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 11:19am
Germany was informed in advance about Israel’s attacks on Iran
Germany was informed in advance on Saturday morning about Israel’s military strikes on Iran, according to a government spokesperson.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was the first foreign minister to be informed.
“He then began to inform his colleagues in the region and to coordinate and take further precautionary measures,” the official said.
The official said that Berlin was in close contact with its European partners about the situation.
Reporting with Reuters
2h agoSat 28 Feb 2026 at 11:12am
Russia calls for immediate halt to attacks
Russia on Saturday called for an immediate halt to US and Israeli strikes on Iran, saying the situation must be “returned to the path of political and diplomatic settlement”.
The foreign ministry said the international community should swiftly deliver an objective assessment of what it called irresponsible actions that risk further destabilising the region.
Moscow added it remained ready, as before, to assist in efforts to find peaceful solutions based on international law, mutual respect and a balance of interests.
