An intercepted drone strike hits one of the largest oil storage facilities in the Middle East, suspending some operations at the port of Fujairah
Huge clouds of smoke rise over the UAE complex - here's why it is significant
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says military targets on Iran's key oil island, Kharg, have been "totally obliterated"
In response, Tehran warns oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that co-operate with the US will be "turned into a pile of ashes" if Iran's energy facilities are attacked
The US striking this small but vital island in the northern Gulf is like going for Iran's economic jugular vein, writes our security correspondent
Elsewhere in the Middle East: the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, has been hit by a missile, and at least 12 medical staff have been killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon
Two weeks into the war, we've taken a look back at how the conflict has escalated
Hezbollah launched missiles towards Israel following the killing of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
This week Israel said it carried out around 70 strikes in Beirut against what it called "terrorist infrastructure" in the city.
The Lebanese health ministry said on Friday that 773 people have been killed since Israel began its offensive on 2 March.
Image source, ReutersFrench President Emmanuel Macron has urged Israel to hold direct talks with Lebanon and has offered to host ceasefire talks in Paris.
In a post on X, he says he has spoken with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, adding that "everything must be done to prevent Lebanon from descending into chaos".
He calls on the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah to not escalate and for Israel to refrain from its "intensive bombing campaign" and "large-scale offensive" which has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee the bombardments.
"The Lebanese executive branch has expressed its readiness to enter into direct talks with Israel," he says, insisting that Israel should try to reach a ceasefire.
He adds that France is prepared to hold the talks in Paris.
Samantha Granville
BBC News, Middle East
A spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) tells the BBC one of their positions has been hit, "likely by heavy machine gun fire".
They say a fire started following the attack on their base near Meiss el-Jabal, which is situated around 70 miles (114 kilometres) away from the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
"One peacekeeper on his way to the shelter was lightly injured. We have launched an investigation. We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers at all times," the spokesperson adds.
Jacob Phillips
Live reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesSmoke and flames rise from an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah
The US has gone for Iran's economic jugular vein as the conflict in the Middle East enters its third week, writes our security correspondent.
The US says more than 90 military targets on Iran's Kharg Island have been destroyed in overnight strikes. The vital island in the northern Gulf is the terminal for close to 90% of the Iran's oil exports.
Tehran, however, says there has been no damage to its oil infrastructure and no fatalities.
Israel says the attack delivered a "severe blow" to the regime as its defence minister warns the conflict with Iran is now entering a "decisive phase".
Meanwhile, thick plumes of black smoke have been rising from one of the largest oil facilities in the Middle East at the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
The port is a key location for fuelling ships as it sits just past the Strait of Hormuz - meaning vessels do not need to navigate through it as it remains practically cut off.
Earlier, the US embassy in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, was attacked while Israel continues to trade strikes with Iran and militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Plumes of smoke seen rising over UAE port city
Image source, ReutersAerial footage of the oil terminal at Kharg Island taken five days before the US attack
US Central Command (Centcom) has just shared further details on last night's strike on the Iranian oil island of Kharg.
US forces hit "more than 90 Iranian military targets" on the island, while "preserving the oil infrastructure", it says.
The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, it adds.
This aligns with earlier comments from Iran, which said oil facilities "remain intact" with exports "fully under way".
The Iranian military says it reserves the right to defend its territory and target US interests in the Middle East, Iran's state media reports.
Colonel Ebrahim Zulfiqari, a spokesman for the Khatam Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, says Iran has a legitimate right to target American missiles in shipping ports and docks in the UAE as well as US soldiers' "hideouts".
He calls for Muslim people to evacuate cities in the UAE so that they are not harmed.
Image source, ReutersIsraeli Defence Minister Israel Katz pictured earlier this year
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says the conflict with Iran is entering a "decisive phase". He made the comments at a situational assessment this morning.
Katz also congratulated Donald Trump on delivering a "severe blow" to Iran's key oil island of Kharg last night, calling it an "appropriate response to the minefields of the Strait of Hormuz".
Earlier this week, the US said it had struck mine-laying vessels operating close to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has denied it is laying explosives in the shipping channel.
In his comments this morning, Katz added that the Israeli Air Force was "continuing a powerful wave of attacks on Tehran and throughout Iran", but said only the Iranian people can put an end to the conflict by overthrowing the regime.
In the United Arab Emirates, smoke has been seen rising above the port of Fujairah, one of the largest oil storage facilities in the region, after it was targeted by a drone strike.
Elsewhere a fire raged through an apartment building in the Haret Saida area of Sidon, southern Lebanon, following an Israeli strike.
Residential areas of Israel have also been damaged in recent attacks.
The roof of a building in Shoham, central Israel, has been completely destroyed following a strike. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it detected Iranian missiles targeting Israel overnight.
Image source, Getty ImagesSmoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the port of Fujairah
Image source, ShutterstockSmoke billows from a building after an Israeli airstrike hit the Haret Saida area of Sidon in southern Lebanon
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockA damaged building after a reported overnight missile strike hit a residential area near the city of Shoham in central Israel
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a new wave of Iranian missiles had been fired towards Israel at approximately 12:41 local time (10:41 GMT).
It was the first attack in 10 hours.
The IDF has since confirmed that people are allowed to leave protected spaces but is urging the public to continue following safety instructions.
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
Ehsan Jahanian, political deputy to the governor of the Bushehr province in southern Iran, acknowledges US attacks on Kharg Island but says that oil exports are “fully under way” and oil facilities “remain intact” following the strikes.
Jahanian says that “the process of exporting oil from the Kharg oil terminal is fully under way, and the activities of companies based on the island are continuing without interruption”, according to a report by the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)-affiliated Tasnim News Agency.
He adds that “parts of the military facilities and Kharg Airport” were damaged, but that “no military personnel, oil company employees, or island residents suffered casualties in the attack, and all sectors are continuing their routine activities".
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, reporting from Riyadh
In the battle of wills between Tehran on the one hand and the US and Israel on the other, the stakes have just been raised.
The US striking this small but vital island in the northern Gulf is like going for Iran’s economic jugular vein.
Kharg is the terminal for close to 90% of Iran’s oil exports because its waters are deep enough to load that oil onto tankers known as Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs).
If President Trump decides to go one step further and destroy its actual oil facilities – as opposed to just the Iranian troops guarding them – then that is likely to drive oil prices even higher.
More worrying is how hard Iran will hit back. Two weeks into this war it still has the capacity to launch large numbers of low-cost, high explosive drones at its Gulf Arab neighbours as well as at shipping.
It could, potentially, expand those targets to include vital infrastructure like desalination plants that provide drinking water to millions.
Nick Beake
Europe Correspondent, reporting from Dubai
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesSmoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in Fujairah
The port of Fujairah, which was targeted by a drone strike earlier, is a very significant location for the United Arab Emirates and one of the largest oil storage facilities in the Middle East.
It’s also a key location for bunkering - the refuelling of ships.
Fujairah sits on the Gulf of Oman, rather than the Persian Gulf, and so vessels don’t need to navigate the Strait of Hormuz - which has been practically closed to marine traffic since this war began a fortnight ago.
Footage shared online today shows huge clouds of smoke rising across the complex on the UAE’s eastern coast.
It comes as Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps said US interests in the UAE, including ports, docks and military locations had become legitimate targets in light of American attacks on Kharg island, which is so crucial to Tehran’s oil industry and the wider economy.
Katie Williams
Live reporter
Image source, ReutersTwo weeks into the US-Israel war with Iran, the impact of the conflict has spread across the Middle East. The conflict has quickly escalated and Gulf countries have found themselves in the firing line.
As the war enters its third week, we've taken a brief look back:
Strikes, counter-strikes and Iranian leadership
Wider repercussions
For more on how the bombing of Iran sent shockwaves around the world, our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams has taken a closer look.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued an update in the last few minutes, saying it hit Hezbollah command centres in Beirut in strikes carried out yesterday.
It says it has struck approximately 110 command centres since the start of the war.
"Prior to the strikes, measures were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians," the IDF says.
It has issued sweeping evacuation orders in southern Lebanon in recent days, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents.
Image source, EPAWe're seeing some new images from Shoham, central Israel, where an overnight missile strike hit a residential area, taking the roof off a building.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it detected Iranian missiles targeting Israel overnight.
Home Front Command members and emergency services can be seen inspecting the damage at the scene.
Image source, EPAHamas has called for Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries and called for nations and international organisations to work towards halting the war immediately.
The Palestinian militant group says it is following the ongoing war in the Middle East with "deep concern" and adds that it "threatens peace and security in the region and the world".
Hamas adds that the US-Israeli aggression against Iran violates international law and international humanitarian law in a statement on Telegram, and urged all states in the region to co-operate and stop the aggression.
Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation by the US, UK, Israel and many other countries.
The media office of the government of Fujairah, in the northwest of the United Arab Emirates, says the local civil defense is working to contain a fire in the area.
Authorities say the blaze is the result of "falling debris following the successful interception of a drone by air defenses". "No injuries were reported," they add in a post on Facebook.
The statement comes after Bloomberg reported that some oil loading operations at the port of Fujairah, which is located just off the Strait of Hormuz, had been suspended after a drone attack and a fire.
Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Doha
Shortly after midnight in Doha, people living in the central Musheireb district got phone alerts to evacuate immediately to the "nearest safe place" as a "precautionary measure".
Some residents and hotel guests rushed into underground car parks for shelter.
Then around 01:30 (22:30 GMT) a thunderous boom echoed across the city. A member of the BBC's team here saw the explosion as the missile was intercepted, briefly lighting up the city skyline. That was followed by distant bangs in the opposite direction.
Later this morning, the Qataris shot down a second missile.
If you look at the areas receiving evacuation orders, it seems the aim was to protect places which host US economic interests. Iran said earlier this week these were legitimate targets.
Offices for Google and American Express are located in Musheireb, as are some Qatari government offices.
Parts of a 12-acre campus known as Education City were also evacuated, possibly because Microsoft has a presence there, as do branches of six American universities.
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
I’ve been hearing from residents in the north, east and west of Tehran who tell me that the Iranian capital was "hit hard" last night.
"Something exploded nearby and it shook the house to the core. It was never like this. My heart was pounding," said a woman in her 20s in Tehran last night.
"I was trying to sleep and woke up with the sound of explosion," added a man in his 20s.
"I didn’t go out at all. It seemed to be such a dangerous day," said a man in his 30s.
While a woman in her 40s told me:"“It’s like calm before the storm right now."
Jacob Phillips
Live reporter
Image source, ShutterstockRescuers work at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the Haret Saida area of Sidon in southern Lebanon
On Friday, Donald Trump announced that the US "totally obliterated" military targets in Iran's Kharg Island, which he called the country's "crown jewel".
The island, situated 22 miles (35km) off the coast of Iran, is a critical economic lifeline for Tehran as one analyst says around 90% of Iran's oil exports pass through the island.
Iranian state media says there were more than 15 explosions on the island but no damage to oil infrastructure has been reported.
On Saturday, the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings in western Iran while Tehran's state media says the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps have launched their 48th wave of attacks against Israeli targets.
Across the Middle East, strikes continued overnight.
Earlier the US embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad was attacked, with flames and thick smoke filmed rising from the building.
The Lebanese health ministry says at least 12 medics were killed in the town of Burj Qalawiya when a healthcare centre was hit.
Meanwhile, residents in the heart of Doha have received phone alerts telling them to immediately evacuate.
