War in Middle East – Latest

01:40 p.m.: Middle East Conflict: Foreign Ministry issues emergency contact numbers

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a set of emergency contact numbers for Sri Lankans in light of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.   

Accordingly, Sri Lankans residing in the Middle East can obtain information by using contact details of the missions/ posts.

 

01:29 p.m.: Middle East Conflict causes worst travel disruptions in years

Thousands of flights have been affected across the Middle East and beyond since the U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to data on FlightAware, a flight tracking platform.

Key transit airports including Dubai - the world’s busiest international hub - and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and Doha in Qatar, were shut or severely restricted as much of the region’s airspace remained closed.

Dubai International Airport sustained damage during Iran’s retaliatory attacks, while airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit.

Dubai and neighbouring Doha sit at the crossroads of east-west air travel, funnelling long-haul traffic between Europe and Asia through tightly scheduled networks of connecting flights.

With those hubs idle, aircraft and crews remained stranded out of position, disrupting airline schedules worldwide.

“It’s the sheer volume of people and the complexity,” said UK-based aviation analyst John Strickland.

“It is not only customers, it is the crews and aircraft all over place.” 

 

01:19 p.m.: From Pakistan to Iraq, protesters storm US Consulates over Khamenei’s death

Scores of men forced their way into the United States Consulate in Pakistan’s Karachi on Sunday, as tensions escalated in the Middle East after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was announced.

Visuals showed police clashing with protestors on the street outside the consulate. 

While protestors threw stones, police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse them. 

Another video showed scores of men inside the gate compound of the consulate, trying to break glasses of windows and doors to enter the main building.

 

12:50 p.m.: SL Embassy in Saudi Arabia urges Sri Lankans to remain vigilant amid evolving security situation

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Saudi Arabia has urged Sri Lankans residing in Saudi Arabia to remain attentive and cautious in light of the evolving security situation in the Middle East.

Issuing a special notice, the Embassy advised Sri Lankans to rely solely on official sources of information.

Sri Lankans have also been requested to strictly follow instructions issued by the authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as guidance provided by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General’s Office in Jeddah.

The Embassy further called on the Sri Lankans to refrain from spreading unverified information and to avoid traveling to areas where security advisories have been issued.

Sri Lankans have also been advised to keep their travel and identification documents easily accessible at all times.

To ensure the safety and welfare of Sri Lankans, the Embassy has introduced 24-hour emergency contact numbers.

Individuals can reach the Embassy via +966 54 947 7567 or +966 56 982 2700.

For WhatsApp or IMO messages, the number +966 56 975 3380 has been provided.

Information can also be obtained via email at slemb.riyadh@mfa.gov.lk

 

12:11 p.m.: China urges immediate ceasefire after US, Israel strike Iran

China’s ministry of foreign affairs has expressed concern over United States-Israeli strikes against Iran and called for an immediate ceasefire, urging all sides to avoid escalation and to resume dialogue and negotiation.

In a statement on Saturday (Feb 28), the ministry said Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected.

On Sunday, China’s embassy in Israel issued a notice advising Chinese citizens in Israel to evacuate to safer areas within the country as soon as possible or to leave for Egypt via the Taba border crossing.

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, targeting its military capability. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation, state media reported.

Separately, Hong Kong-based airline operator Cathay Group on Saturday suspended operations in the Middle East, citing regional tension following the strikes.

The suspension affects passenger flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh, as well as freighter services operating through Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, Cathay, the parent of Cathay Pacific Airways, said in a statement.

It said it is rerouting flights that typically pass over the affected area. 

 

11:42 a.m.: Iran speaker brands US, Israel chiefs ‘filthy criminals,’ warns of retaliation

Iran’s parliament speaker on Sunday called the leaders of the United States and Israel “filthy criminals” who will face “devastating blows” for their ongoing attacks on the Islamic Republic.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the comment in a televised address.

Qalibaf is the highest-ranking official to appear on camera since the attacks began Saturday. “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” he said. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”

 

11:16 a.m.: Sri Lanka’s fuel supply chain not from current conflict zone - CPC Chairman

There will be no delays in receiving fuel stocks ordered through April and May, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) stated.

Addressing a media briefing in Colombo, CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna noted that Sri Lanka’s fuel supply chain is not from the current conflict zone in the Middle East. Therefore, he said the fuel supply to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation will not be interrupted.

CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna noted that the relevant fuel shipments are scheduled to arrive from India and Singapore.

“We are making this statement responsibly. Therefore, there is no point in people waiting in queues. We were not originally scheduled to distribute fuel today (01). However, due to increased public consumption, we have called all fuel distribution staff back to work. Fuel issuance has now commenced. Although tomorrow (02) is a Poya day, fuel supplies will continue,” he said.

The CPC Chairman also noted that all filling stations have been instructed not to supply fuel into cans or barrels. He warned that legal action will be taken against anyone attempting to purchase fuel in bulk containers for resale.

 

11:13 a.m.: Continuous fuel distribution today and tomorrow: Petroleum Tanker Owners

Despite the ongoing war in the Middle East, the Sri Lanka Petroleum Private Tanker Owners’ Association has reassured the general public that there is sufficient fuel stock for the next 37 days in Sri Lanka, urging people not to panic unnecessarily.

Speaking on the matter, D.V. Shantha Silva, an executive committee member of the association, emphasized that fuel distribution will continue as normal today, Sunday, despite the holiday, and that fuel distribution will also take place tomorrow, which is Poya Day.

Silva further clarified, “Normally, Sundays are holidays, but due to the extended weekend, the Indian Oil Corporation had already made arrangements for regular fuel distribution. Even though fuel distribution typically halts on Poya days, the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Ltd. has confirmed that fuel will be distributed tomorrow (March 2). A sufficient number of tankers have been deployed for the task. There is absolutely no need to cause unnecessary alarm regarding fuel availability.”

 

10:44 a.m.: Iran launches new wave of strikes against Israel, US bases

Iran has launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes targeting US military bases in the region and Israel.

Twenty-seven US bases in the region, as well as Israel’s military headquarters and a defence industries complex in Tel Aviv, were among the targets, Iranian state TV said.

Blasts were reported in Dubai, the UAE, Doha, Qatar and in Bahrain’s Manama. 

An AFP journalist reported a thick black cloud of smoke over Doha after explosions were heard. 

The new explosions came after a day of deadly Iranian strikes in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, which saw military bases and infrastructure, including airports, hit across the Gulf - except for mediator Oman. 

 

10:39 a.m.: Khamenei’s Tehran compound heavily bombed

Iranian state media said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike targeting his compound in downtown Tehran.

Satellite photos from Airbus showed the site heavily bombed.

His death at his office “showed that he consistently stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities, confronting what officials call global arrogance”, state TV said.

Cheers could be heard on Tehran’s streets after reports first emerged from Israel of the death of Khamenei, as plumes of black smoke hovered over the district where he usually resides.

The attack came weeks after Iranian authorities ruthlessly put down mass protests, killing thousands.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed “severe, decisive” punishment for Khamenei’s “murderers”.

 

10:35 a.m.: All SriLankan Airlines flights to Middle East cancelled today

SriLankan Airlines has announced that all flights to the Middle East scheduled for today (01) have been cancelled in response to the ongoing situation in the region.

SriLankan Airlines announced yesterday (28) that all flights departing to the Middle East from Colombo have been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Accordingly, passengers have been requested to contact the airline’s Global Contact Centre 1979, visit http://www.srilankan.com, any SriLankan Airlines office or respective travel agent for rebooking options and further assistance.

 

10:35 a.m.: CPC assures adequate fuel supply; urges motorists to avoid panic buying

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has confirmed that the country has adequate fuel stocks to last for more than a month.

Accordingly, motorists are urged to refrain from panic buying.

The announcement comes in the wake of reports of long fuel queues at certain fuel stations in the country.

 

10:34 a.m.: Iran leader Khamenei killed

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday in air strikes that pulverised his central Tehran compound. 

The 86-year-old had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Iranian state media had also reported that Khamenei’s daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law were killed in the strikes.

The 36-year rule of Khamenei built Iran into a powerful anti-United States force, spreading its military sway across the Middle East, while using an iron fist to crush repeated unrest at home.

Under him, Iran and Israel also fought a shadow war for years, with Israel assassinating Tehran’s nuclear scientists and Revolutionary Guard commanders.

Urging Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers, the US launched “major combat operations” along with Israel against Iran early on Saturday.

The US is calling the operation “Epic Fury”, while the Israelis call it “Lion’s Roar”.

US President Donald Trump said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed.

It came two days after US-Iranian talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme ended without a deal.

Iran launched counter-attacks throughout the Middle East in retaliation to what its foreign minister called an “unprovoked, illegal” attack by the US and Israel.

Why did the US attack Iran?

Shortly after explosions were reported in the Iranian capital on Saturday, Trump took to social media to accuse Tehran of waging an “unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder targeting the United States”.

Trump argued Iran had rejected every opportunity to renounce its nuclear programme and claimed it was developing long-range missiles that could threaten Europe, US troops overseas, and even “soon reach the American homeland”.

He further cited the violent takeover of the US embassy in Tehran in 1979, resulting in dozens of Americans being held hostage for 444 days, as well as Iran’s proxies bombing a US Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 that killed 241.

The US president had also pledged in January to intervene when Iranian security forces crushed protests amid an economic crisis.

In June last year, the US bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran. Trump said the US Operation Midnight Hammer had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme.

Last summer’s US attacks paved the way for a ceasefire in a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.

Israel had launched air strikes on Iranian nuclear, military and infrastructure sites. Tehran had retaliated by firing hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel.

Is Iran’s supreme leader dead?

Yes.

Trump announced on social media that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had died, describing him as “one of the most evil people in History”.

Iranian state TV later confirmed the death of Khamenei, 86, who had ruled since 1989, and declared 40 days of mourning.

An intelligence source and a military source told the BBC’s US partner CBS that around 40 Iranian officials were also killed in the strikes.

BBC Verify obtained satellite imagery taken over Tehran that showed significant damage to part of Khamenei’s office in the Iranian capital.

Is the US at war?

In his video announcement, Trump described the US-Israel attacks on Iran as “major combat operations”.

Congress reserves the power to officially declare war, as written in Article I of the US Constitution, but it has not done so.

The Constitution does, however, give the president broad authority to engage in military action.

This grey area has been the source of much debate recently in Washington.

Reactions on Capitol Hill to the US-Israel attack on Iran have fallen largely along partisan lines. Republicans, who currently control both chambers of Congress, were mostly in support.

Kentucky Senator Lindsey Graham, who has long called for a US attack on Iran, wrote on X: “This operation is necessary and long justified.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said the Trump administration had notified the “Gang of 8” - a bipartisan group of congressional leaders - ahead of the strikes.

Democrats mostly denounced the attacks, accusing Trump of launching a war without congressional approval.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, on the Armed Services Committee, called the conflict “Trump’s illegal war”.

Democrats renewed calls for Congress to take up a war powers resolution, like the bill that failed last year for lack of Republican support.

If another war powers resolution were introduced and passed, it could block the president’s unilateral use of force without congressional approval.

But the odds of such a bill passing appear unlikely for now.

Few Republicans have indicated they would back such a measure, except for congressman Thomas Massie and Senator Rand Paul.

Will there be US boots on the ground?

The US has about 13 military bases across the Middle East, with 30,000 to 40,000 troops normally deployed between them.

But there is no indication that US combat troops will be deployed on the ground in Iran, not least because of the low appetite among the American public for a ground invasion.

The US military has been building its presence in the Middle East for weeks and has two aircraft carriers, USS Gerald R Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln, in the region.

BBC Verify tracked a total of 12 US ships in the Middle East and a large number of US aircraft, including F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, refuelling tankers, and surveillance aircraft. But US military action has amounted to air raids so far.

Does Iran have the capability to attack the US?

The Iranian regime has always denied it wants a nuclear weapon, but it has enriched uranium to a level that has no civilian use in a nuclear power programme, says the BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen.

So far Israel and the US have published no evidence that it was about to build the bomb, he adds.

There have been no public reports of a pending attack on the US mainland, but local authorities have said they are on high alert.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said emergency management officials were taking “proactive steps” in “sensitive locations” out of an abundance of caution.

On the west coast, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said police had stepped up patrols, although “there are no known credible threats at this time”.

How many have died?

Trump said “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost”, although the US military said it had received no reports of combat casualties so far.

More than 200 people have been killed across Iran and more than 700 injured, according to the Red Crescent on Saturday.

The first-aid organisation said that 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces had been hit. At least 108 people have died in an explosion at a school in southern Iran, according to a local prosecutor.

One person died and at least 20 were wounded when an Iranian missile hit several buildings in central Tel Aviv, reports the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

In counterattacks, Iran also fired drones and missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar the UAE, all of which have a US military presence.

One person was killed in Abu Dhabi, UAE state media said.

Trump warned bombing would continue throughout the week, so the death toll may rise.

(With agencies inputs)