Iran-US warfare newest: Israel strikes Tehran for sixth day as UK’s first evacuation flight fails to take off from Oman
Israel launched airstrikes on Iran for the sixth straight day today and also attacked Lebanon as the conflict in the Middle East continued to escalate.
Loud explosions were reported in Tehran early on Thursday after the Israeli military claimed it had dismantled dozens of assets linked to the Iranian ballistic missile programme.
The UK government’s first flight to evacuate Britons stranded in the region failed to take off as scheduled from Oman, Sky News reported.
The US-Israeli attacks have killed over 1,000 people in Iran while Iranian strikes on American military installations in the Gulf have killed at least six US soldiers. A US submarine on Wednesday torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 sailors. The ship was returning after participating in naval exercises in India.
Meanwhile, a tanker anchored off Kuwait was hit by a “large explosion”, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said. The vessel was taking on water and oil was seen leaking from a cargo tank.
In the US, the Senate blocked an attempt to curb president Donald Trump’s war against Iran, voting down the war powers resolution 47-53.
UK’s foreign office confirms flights did not leave Oman as planned
The Foreign Office has finally confirmed the charter flight to repatriate its citizens did not leave Oman as planned last night.
A spokesperson says: “The UK government charter flight was not able to depart from Oman yesterday as planned due to technical issues. The flight is now expected to depart later today.”
Israel releases video of strike on Iran’s ‘ballistic missile launcher’
The IDF has struck targets in Qom and Isfahan in Iran.
The IDF said IAF aircraft struck and dismantled an armed ballistic missile launcher in the area of Qom “that was ready to fire at Israel”.
In an update on X, IDF said: “An Iranian aerial defense system was also struck in Isfahan. Prior to the strikes, the IDF took multiple measures to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians.”
The mask slipped during Karoline Leavitt’s press conference on Iran
For anyone who’s trying to keep up with the endless twists and turns in our This Is Not A Forever War, there’s been another development. No, I’m not talking about the mass evacuations or the six dead American service members (there’ll be more probably, says Donald Trump, but hey, to quote the man himself, “that’s the way it is” when there’s a war. So get used to it!).
No, this development is more homeland-facing: the appearance, finally, of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt after a five-day absence while Trump launched a war in the Middle East. Leavitt opened her presser today with strident energy — like Trump and Hegseth before her, she began with a hundred-mile-per-hour history lesson on every single bad thing Iran has ever done to America, going back five decades. The Iranian regime, she added, is now “paying for their crimes against America and they are paying in blood.”
Read our full analysis.
Heathrow arrivals empty as delayed rescue flight leaves stranded Britons waiting
The arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport was deserted in the early hours of Thursday morning, as many stranded Britons thought to be landing at around 4am never left Muscat.
The Independent expected to arrive to a mob of people waiting for their family and friends to return on the government’s first repatriation flight from the Middle East.
Instead, we arrived at an almost-empty airport to find only a small number of airline staff who were just beginning their day.
It’s likely a stark contrast to Muscat International Airport, where Britons are scrambling to get a flight back home.
One unnamed passenger due to board the repatriation flight described the situation as shambolic.
There has been no information from the Foreign Office on why the flight did not depart, and staff at both Heathrow and Muscat International Airport were unable to provide any update.
Passengers set to board the government’s chartered flight may now be wishing they had flown commercial, with a British Airways flight from Muscat set to touch down at Heathrow at around 8.15am on Thursday.
The passenger told Sky News that the plane would be taking off later on Wednesday after the pilot had rested
Thousands stranded in Middle East as war enters sixth day
Tens of thousands of travellers remain stranded across the Middle East as the US-Israeli war with Iran enters its sixth day, grounding most commercial flights across the region.
The first UK government rescue flight and a British Airways service from Muscat were expected to land in Britain early on Thursday, bringing home some of the Britons caught in the crisis. However, reports said the government-chartered flight was delayed due to a technical issue and may depart later in the day instead.
Muscat in Oman has become a key evacuation hub, as airspace restrictions linked to the conflict have forced the cancellation of most commercial flights from major regional airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Around 138,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the Middle East with UK authorities.
The British government has announced additional charter flights from Oman in the coming days. British Airways is also planning further services from Muscat to London Heathrow on Friday and Saturday.
Other airlines have begun limited evacuation efforts.
Qatar Airways said it would run a small number of relief flights on Thursday from Muscat to cities including London Heathrow, Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, as well as a service from Riyadh to Frankfurt. Most of its normal services remain suspended because Qatari airspace is closed.
Alongside the travel chaos, shipping has also been affected. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said a tanker anchored near Kuwait reported a large explosion nearby, with oil leaking from a cargo tank, though the crew were reported safe.
The situation remains highly volatile, with governments racing to organise evacuations while airlines struggle to operate flights amid the expanding conflict.
Israel launches ‘large-scale wave of attacks’ on Iran
The Israeli military said it has begun a “large-scale wave of attacks” against Tehran, targeting what it described as infrastructure linked to the Iranian regime.
Explosions were reported in the capital as well as in the north-central city of Karaj shortly after the announcement.
In an earlier overnight update, the Israeli military said its air force had also carried out intelligence-based strikes on Hezbollah command centres in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
It said one of the sites targeted belonged to Hezbollah’s aerial unit.
“The command centres that were struck were intended to be used by Hezbollah to plan and carry out various attacks against Israeli troops and civilians,” the Israeli military said.
Iran says US will bitterly regret strike on Dena warship in Indian Ocean
The United States struck the Iranian frigate Dena in international waters without warning, Iran’s foreign minister said on X on Thursday.
The vessel, carrying nearly 130 sailors, had been a guest of India’s navy, Abbas Araqchi said.
He said the vessel was a “guest of India’s Navy”.
“The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores,” he said, striking “in international waters without warning”.
“Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
The Iranian frigate was hit by a US submarine strike off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, thousands of miles from the Gulf.
First UK government chartered flight from Middle East did not take off, reports say
The first flight chartered by the UK government to bring Britons back from the Middle East amid the US-Israeli war on Iran did not take off from Oman on Wednesday, according to reports.
Sky News reported that the flight, due to depart Muscat at 7pm on Wednesday, remained on the ground on Thursday morning.
Some 130,000 Britons have registered their presence in the Middle East and the Foreign Office has said it is working with airlines to bring people home.
But there was no sign of the flight arriving at Heathrow on Thursday morning and it did not appear on flight tracking services or the arrival boards at the London airport.
Early morning arrivals included those from South Africa and Nigeria as planned, but the arrivals area remained quiet.
Commercial flights from the Middle East are due to arrive at Heathrow’s terminal 5 this morning, with one from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, landing just after 6am.
A commercial British Airways flight from Muscat, due to arrive at 6.25 this morning is delayed until 8.13am, according to arrival boards in the terminal.
The Independent has approached the Foreign Office and the British Embassy in Oman for comment.
Iran denies firing missile towards Turkey, says it respects sovereignty
Iran’s armed forces said they respect Turkey’s sovereignty and denied launching any missiles towards Turkish territory, according to a statement.
It comes after Turkey’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that a ballistic missile fired from Iran towards Turkish airspace, after passing through Syria and Iraq, was destroyed by Nato air and missile defence systems over the eastern Mediterranean.
Iran and Israel envoys trade accusations in Seoul
The ambassadors of Iran and Israel held separate press conferences in South Korea’s capital on Thursday, trading sharp accusations as the war between their countries continued to escalate in the Middle East.
Speaking through an interpreter, Iran’s ambassador to South Korea, Saeed Koozechi, urged Seoul – a key US ally – to speak out more strongly against what he described as illegal aggression by US and Israeli forces, which he said launched attacks despite ongoing negotiations.
He warned that “many coffins would return to the United States” if Washington decided to deploy ground troops, and defended Iranian strikes on Gulf states hosting US military bases as unavoidable.
Israel’s ambassador to South Korea, Raphael Harpaz, said the joint US–Israeli military operations were aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites, as well as helping free the Iranian people from oppression.
South Korea has supported US-led diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions but has stopped short of endorsing the US–Israeli strikes, instead calling for dialogue to resume quickly.
Source: independent.co.uk
