Iranian barrages test allied interceptor reserves as US sounds alarm for Americans in region
Iran is continuing a steady stream of missile attacks against U.S.-allied nations in the region as Operation Epic Fury enters its fourth day on Tuesday. President Donald Trump has vowed to continue with "ferocious" resolve.
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Israel warns Iran’s next supreme leader will be ‘target for elimination’
Israel’s defense minister warned Wednesday that whoever is chosen to replace slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be considered “a target for elimination” if they continue policies threatening Israel, the United States and regional allies.
The statement comes as Iran’s Assembly of Experts moves to select a successor following Khamenei’s death in an Israeli strike at the outset of the war. Israeli forces have already targeted locations tied to Iran’s clerical leadership structure, signaling the campaign is aimed not only at degrading military capabilities but also at preventing the reconstitution of regime leadership.
The warning marks a dramatic escalation in rhetoric, underscoring Israel’s position that any future Iranian leader who maintains Tehran’s hostile posture could face direct military action. Iranian officials have not publicly responded to the threat.
Follow the latest updates in the war with Iran
Israel says F-35 shot down Iranian fighter jet over Tehran in first reported air-to-air kill
Israel’s military said Wednesday that one of its F-35 stealth fighter jets shot down a piloted Iranian Air Force aircraft over Tehran, marking the first reported air-to-air combat kill of a manned Iranian jet since the war began.
The Israeli military identified the aircraft as a YAK-130 fighter and said the engagement took place inside Iranian airspace as Israeli forces continued what they described as broad-scale strikes across the capital.
The incident would represent a significant escalation in the conflict, signaling that Iran has deployed piloted combat aircraft in response to ongoing U.S.-Israeli operations. It also marks the first shootdown in history of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35 fighter jet.
Iran missile strikes Al-Udeid base hosting US forces in Qatar, no injuries reported
Iran struck Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar with a missile Wednesday, Qatari defense officials confirmed, escalating Tehran’s campaign against U.S.-linked military sites across the Gulf.
No casualties were reported, and U.S. personnel assigned to the installation were accounted for, according to Qatari authorities. The extent of damage has not yet been disclosed.
Al-Udeid serves as a central hub for American air operations in the Middle East and houses forward elements of U.S. Central Command. The base has played a key role in coordinating air defenses and strike missions since the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
The strike comes amid a widening pattern of Iranian retaliation that has included missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, Gulf partners and diplomatic compounds in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. officials have not yet detailed whether additional defensive or retaliatory measures are being considered.
State Department orders evacuation of non-emergency government personnel from Pakistan
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday ordered non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel in Pakistan to evacuate due to ongoing security risks amid the conflict with Iran.
"The State Department updated the Travel Advisory for Pakistan to reflect the ordered departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel from U.S. Consulates Lahore and Karachi," the department wrote in a post on X.
There is no change to the status of Embassy Islamabad, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan said in a travel advisory.
The travel advisory also cautioned about terrorism and armed conflict in the region.
Pope again criticizes US-Israeli military campaign in Iran: 'Find solutions without weapons'
Pope Leo XIV continues to speak out against the U.S.-Israeli joint military operation in Iran, calling for peace and to find ways to resolve problems "without weapons."
"Pray for peace, work for peace, less hatred. Hatred keeps growing in the world," Leo, the first American-born pope, said while speaking to reporters.
"Find solutions, without weapons, to resolve problems," he continued.
The pontiff has repeatedly criticized the military strikes against Iran since U.S. and Israeli forces began their attacks over the weekend.
"I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time," he said on Sunday. "Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue."
"Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm," the pope added. "May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace."
State Department raises security threat for multiple countries, urging people to reconsider travel
The U.S. State Department on Tuesday issued updated travel guidance for Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The advisories for these four countries were increased to a "Level 3: Reconsider Travel."
Egypt remains at "Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution," reflecting that the department's "overall assessment of the security situation there has not changed at this time," the department said on X.
"The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans worldwide," the post reads.
State Department authorizes evacuation of non-emergency government personnel from Oman, Saudi Arabia
The U.S. State Department on Tuesday authorized non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel in Oman and Saudi Arabia to evacuate amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.
"The State Department updated the Travel Advisory for [these countries] to reflect the authorized departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel," the State Department wrote on X.
The U.S. embassies in both countries also urged people to reconsider travel to those regions due to the risk of armed conflict and terrorism.
