British Airways has scrapped flights to and from the Middle East as the Iran crisis continues to cause major disruption around the world.
The airline announced on Tuesday that all flights to Amman in Jordan, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv have been cancelled until later this month, while flights to and from Abu Dhabi have been scrapped until later this year.
British Airways became the latest airline to indefinitely pause flights to and from the region as the Trump administration vowed to plod on with the war, asserting that Tuesday would see the most intense strikes of the war so far.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, a British Type 45 destroyer the HMS Dragon has left Portsmouth naval base headed for the eastern Mediterranean to protect Cyprus from further drone or missile attacks.
It comes as Washington continues to issue mixed signals on how long its war on Iran will last.
While US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said the US will “not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated”, Donald Trump promised this week that the war would be a “short-term excursion” that would finish “very soon”.
Exclusive | AI, a dead student, and US airstrikes: How a civilian became caught up in a new age of warfare
As debate grows over the role of AI in military strikes in the bombing of Iran, scrutiny has turned to civilians caught up in the destruction.
An investigation by The Independent and conflict monitoring group Airwars explores the death of a 20-year-old killed in a US strike in Iraq in 2024 – the first known victim of an airstrike in which the use of AI-assisted targeting was acknowledged.
AI, a dead student, and US airstrikes: The civilian caught up in a new age of warfare
War in Iran must not overshadow dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, says German foreign minister
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said in Jerusalem today that the war in Iran should not push the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza out of sight.
"We must not lose sight of the plight of the more than 2 million people there. The humanitarian situation remains dire,” he said alongside his Israeli counterpart at a press conference.
“Furthermore, there is still insufficient access for humanitarian aid workers.”
Wadephul said he also addressed the extremely tense situation in the West Bank during his discussion with Saar, during which he strongly condemned the deadly violence caused by radical settlers.
Death toll of Israeli attacks on Lebanon since 2 March rises to 570
The death toll from Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon has risen to 570, a state news agency has reported citing government figures.
The Israeli military launched heavy attacks on Lebanon, including on the capital on Beirut, last Monday.
It also advanced in southern areas of the country, ordering thousands of people to leave their villages.
Kremlin denounces 'unprovoked' US-Israeli aggression against Iran
The Kremlin on Tuesday condemned what it called “unprovoked aggression” against Iran from the US and Israel.
According to the Russian ministry of foreign affairs, Russia’s veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov called his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday to share “views” on the developing situation in the Middle East.
The ministry said the situation “has sharply deteriorated following the unprovoked aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran”.
On the call, Lavrov urged a quick de-escalation and a return to diplomacy, the statement said.
British warship sets sail for eastern Mediterranean
HMS Dragon has left Portsmouth naval base headed for the eastern Mediterranean to protect Cyprus.
The Type 45 destroyer is being sent to help protect Cyprus and the RAF bases there from further drone or missile attacks by Iran and its proxies.
On Monday, defence secretary John Healey told MPs the warship would sail from Portsmouth “in the next couple of days”.
Landing ship RFA Lyme Bay is also being prepared for a potential deployment to the region.
The vessel has aviation and medical facilities allowing it to assist in any evacuation effort.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “As part of prudent planning, we have taken the decision to bring RFA Lyme Bay to heightened readiness as a precaution, should she be needed to assist in maritime tasks in the eastern Mediterranean.”
‘Clearly my parents aren’t spies ... I’ll fight every day until they are home’
Thirteen months after being arrested in Iran on an around-the-world motorcycle trip, British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman have been convicted of espionage and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Lindsay’s son, Joe Bennett, tells Radhika Sanghani how this ordeal is affecting them all:
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei? Iran’s new supreme leader and son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei will replace his fatherAyatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader, Iran confirmed on Sunday.
Ayatollah Khamenei, 86, was killed in a US-Israeli strike on his personal compound on Saturday, setting off a wave of chaos in the Gulf. His clerical leadership of the Islamic Republic had lasted over 37 years.
Here’s what you need to know about the new leader of Iran - and how his appointment is an affront to Trump:
Missile impacts reported in Beit Shemesh
Emergency services are responding to reports of a missile impact in the Beit Shemesh area of Israel, following Iran’s latest blitz, according to local media.
