Iranian missile strike sparks hearth in Bahrain lodge, Saudi capital underneath drone assault and Dubai residents ordered to take quick shelter – reside updates

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the US-Israel war with Iran as the conflict enters its seventh day.

Here are your main developments:

• Donald Trump told the Iranian regime’s besieged military force to surrender or face ‘guaranteed death’ as his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned the US has ‘only just begun’.
• Trump added he was not currently considering sending US ground troops into Iran after saying he would ‘have to be involved’ in choosing Iran’s next leader
• US forces sent a massive Iranian drone carrier up in flames last night as part of its effort to sink the entire Iranian Navy
• Israel has declared a ‘next phase’ in the conflict with more airstrikes in Tehran while its military issued an unprecedented warning in Beirut, telling residents ‘save your lives and evacuate your residences’ immediately
• Iranian missiles struck two hotels in Bahrain with footage showing one on fire in the capital Manama
• Saudi Arabia said it destroyed three drones east of Riyadh today as Iran presses on with attacks across the Gulf
• The first government chartered repatriation flight leaving from the Middle East arrives back in the UK after the first attempt was delayed because of pilot working hours

Sri Lanka has begun transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel to shore today as tensions mount in the Indian Ocean.

Navy spokesman Cmdr. Buddhika Sampath said the sailors of the IRIS Bushehr were being brought first to the port of Colombo and the ship will later be moved to an eastern port on the island.

‘The disembarkation is in progress,’ he said, adding the sailors would be taken to the naval base at Welisara, about 12 miles north of Colombo, after medical exams and immigration procedures.

The move by the Sri Lankan government to take over the vessel came after the US sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s coast Wednesday.

The strike marked one of the rare instances since World War II in which a submarine sank a surface warship, and highlighted the expanding scope of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

Israeli airstrikes have caused huge destruction in Beirut’s southern suburbs today after the military claimed it had destroyed Hezbollah targets

The attacks came after the Israel issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for the area where hundreds of thousands of people live.

The Israeli military said that it carried out 26 waves of strikes on the area since Lebanon was dragged into the war four days ago, including overnight’s raids against ‘command centres and multi-storey structures in which were terror sites’.

It said forces struck ‘an executive council’s command centre and a facility storing UAVs (drones) utilised by Hezbollah for conducting attacks against the State of Israel’.

Here’s a picture of an Iranian missile with cluster munitions heading towards Israel after it was fired by Tehran last night.

Residents of Dubai have this morning received an alert on their phones urging them to shelter from potential missile threats, the AFP news agency is reporting.

According to reporters, Emirtati officials have instructed: ‘Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building and steer away from windows, doors and open areas.’

Yesterday, alerts were issued across the UAE after it confirmed it was struck with an Iranian ballistic missile and six drones following a barrage of 131 suicide drones in a furious ‘revenge’ attack by Iran.

Influencers had been captured posting videos of alarms ringing out of the city from rooftop bars, inside bomb shelters and even from a bubbling jacuzzi amid the deadly strikes

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran following a police probe into surveillance of members of the Jewish community in London.

The suspects, one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals were taken into custody by the Metropolitan Police at around 1am this morning.

The force said the men, aged 22, 40, 52 and 55, were arrested at addresses in Harrow, Watford and Barnet.

They were detained as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into suspected National Security Act offences.

The probe relates to suspected surveillance of locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community in the London area.

by Andy Crick and Eleanor Mann

The first Brits stranded in the Middle East to arrive back in the UK on a government chartered flight landed at Stansted Airport in the early hours this morning, some ‘traumatised’ by the ordeal.

After long waits on buses in the desert, dangerous border crossings, and many having panic attacks during the delays on board, the British citizens who were caught up in the Middle East conflict spoke about their horrific journey home.

While many were overjoyed to be reunited with their families, passengers also noted the apparent emptiness of the plane – supposed to have 400 people on board – which apparently saw only around 80 people getting off the plane.

It comes after the farce on Wednesday, which saw the first flight chartered by the UK Government grounded after the pilot had ‘exceeded his hours’ – meaning the flight did not take off until Thursday.

Brits who had been stranded in Dubai finally managed to get on board the Titan Airways plane chartered by the Government taking off from Muscat, Oman, on Thursday just before 2pm.

Saudi Arabia said it destroyed three drones east of Riyadh today as Iran presses on with attacks across the Gulf.

‘Three drones were intercepted and destroyed east of the Riyadh region,’ the Saudi defence ministry posted on X, quoting a spokesperson.

Fire burns at Hilton Hotel following an Iranian drone strike in Bahrain

Iranian missiles have struck two hotels in Bahrain, with footage showing a hotel in the capital Manama on fire.

Bahrain’s interior ministry said a residential building was also targeted in the attack.

The latest attack has caused ‘material damage but no loss of life’, the Ministry of Interior said in a post on X.

Earlier this week, the US Navy base in Bahrain was targeted by Iranian missiles.

Israel’s military chief has warned the war was moving to the ‘next phase’ as more airstrikes were carried out in Tehran and Beirut.

New pictures from Beirut’s southern suburbs showed mangled buildings and burned-out vehicles after heavy Israeli bombing overnight, with tens of thousands fleeing the destruction.

While powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday as Israel said it was striking ‘regime infrastructure’ in the city.

In a televised statement Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: ‘We are now moving to the next phase of the operation. We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose.’

US Central Command last night announced its forces have struck an Iranian drone carrier, which it said is ‘roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier.’

It shared footage of the attack, showing soldiers zeroing in on the ship.

Moments later, a large plume of smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from the center of the ship and debris starts to fall.

Another plume of smoke soon appeared on the other side of the ship as well, as CENTCOM said it was on fire.

‘US forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy,’ it warned.

Speaking at a press conference in Tampa on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the amount of US firepower in Iran is about to ‘surge dramatically’

Hegseth said: ‘We have only just begun to fight and fight decisively. If you think you’ve seen something, just wait.

‘Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation. Our munitions are full up and our will is ironclad.’

Hegseth also hit out at Sir Keir Starmer for not allowing the US to launch attacks from British bases from day one, before warning: ‘The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically.’

Hegseth said it was ‘unfortunate’ access wasn’t granted ‘from day one’.