Samantha Granville
Reporting from Beirut

Social media video shows plumes of smoke rising over Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahieh.

Videos show bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching along the airport road and onto the main highways leading north, forming long lines late into the night. Honking has replaced the sound of explosions, but it’s still going to be a long night in Beirut.

Other pictures online show impact at the main road leading to the airport. Damaged cars and broken glass line the street but it’s unclear the extent of the damage.

A little earlier, we reported a statement from the Israeli military saying it was striking targets in Lebanon in response to projectile fire from Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has confirmed it has launched missiles and drones from Lebanon towards Israel.

The group says it's in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

The projectiles fell in open areas in Israeli territory, according to the Israeli military.

A Shia Muslim political and military group, Hezbollah has strong backing from Iran and opposes Israel's right to exist.

A British RAF base in Cyprus was targeted by a "suspected drone strike" on Sunday night, the British Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said the armed forces were responding to the attack at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at around midnight local time (22:00 GMT). The BBC understands there were no casualties in the suspected strike.

"Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people," the MoD said.

It comes as Defence Secretary John Healey said British troops and civilians in the Middle East were being put at risk from "indiscriminate attacks" by Iran after the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during US and Israeli air strikes.

Lebanon's prime minister, Nawaf Salam, has just posted a statement on X, warning against launching rockets from southern Lebanon.

"Regardless of the party standing behind it, the launching of rockets from southern Lebanon is an irresponsible and suspicious act that endangers Lebanon's security and safety and provides Israel with pretexts to continue its attacks on it," he says.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from Beirut

As we just reported, the Israeli military says it has begun striking targets belonging to Hezbollah across Lebanon, in response to projectile fire launched toward Israel.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces accused Hezbollah of acting on behalf of Iran and targeting Israeli civilians.

It said it would act against the group’s “decision to join the campaign” and would not allow Hezbollah to pose a threat to northern Israel.

The IDF added that Hezbollah’s actions risk bringing further destruction to Lebanon and said it would respond forcefully to continued attacks.

The Israeli military has just announced it has begun striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

The action is "in response to Hezbollah's projectile fire" towards Israel, a statement says.

Witnesses have reported strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs, according to the Reuters news agency.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

In the clear blue skies above Abu Dhabi, white contrails streak high above the sand-coloured villas and well-watered gardens.

These are no incoming Dreamliners or Airbuses bringing in the next manifest of tourists and guest workers. They are incoming ballistic missiles, launched by the Emirates' giant neighbour just across the Gulf: Iran.

As of Sunday afternoon, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defence ministry said it had so far "dealt with" 165 incoming ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and 541 Iranian drones.

These are not familiar scenes in this region, but since this conflict began on Saturday morning, Iran appears to have expanded its target set from just hitting military targets.

Red more here.

Donald Trump has ignored questions on Iran shouted by reporters as he arrived back at the White House.

The US president, who had been at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, instead commented on two new statues in the Rose Garden.

Image source, Getty Images

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

I was having a chat just now with a Tehran resident who could hear explosions in the distance as we spoke.

He said his “biggest fear” was that the US would make a deal with the current Iranian leadership. “Khamenei’s death was not enough, they [officials] all need to go,” he said.

He also said that he has seen security presence in streets on Tehran, but that the streets are mostly empty of people.

Due to internet restrictions right now, it’s very difficult to have a clear picture of what is going on inside the country.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Earlier, I spoke to a British-Kurdish woman who lives in Erbil, Iraq, and works for a local NGO. She asked to remain anonymous, “as we don’t want to attract more attention from the Iranians.”

“I have seen seven or eight attacks since this morning, and I am a bit shocked,” she says.

Most of the missiles were intercepted, but one hit a target on Sunday evening, which led to “10-15 minutes of constant explosions.”

US Central Command has said Erbil’s international airport is among Iran’s targets.

“I have never seen anything like this - it is very scary,” she says.

“I have a panoramic view of the city from my two balconies, and we overlook the airport. I see a light go up and boom.”

“I went to the market today, and people were out shopping as normal, but then suddenly we saw a missile interception above us. It was like in the movies.”

She says she lives in a compound that is usually bustling with cafes in the evenings, but tonight no one is out.

“We heard explosions on Saturday when my kids were in the playground - but Sunday was much more intensive.”

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council met on Sunday to discuss the immense damage from Iranian attacks on the GCC's member countries, which the group says included the targeting of civilian facilities and residential areas.

The GCC - which consists of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait- condemned the attacks, and accused Iran of violating their sovereignty and international law.

In the press release, the GCC urged Iran to halt its attacks and stressed the importance of advocacy and dialogue. However, the group also warned it would take "all necessary measures" to defend its security.

Regan Morris
Reporting from Los Angeles

In Los Angeles - home to the largest group of Iranians outside Iran - police closed the streets outside the federal building so Iranian Americans could dance on them in celebration.

Waving flags and thank you signs to President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranian Americans said they felt hope for the future of Iran.

A plane circled above, waving a banner - “THANK U TRUMP❤ FROM IRANIAN PEOPLE.

Hoda Zeaighamnia danced in the streets with her three adult children - one who was just days old when the family fled Iran.

Global oil prices have jumped after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran over the weekend.

Brent crude and Nymex light sweet oil both jumped by more than 10% when energy markets opened on Monday morning in Asia, before giving up some of those gains.

At the time of writing, Brent crude was up by almost 9% at $79.30 a barrel, while Nymex was around 8.5% higher at $72.70.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and top defence officials are to brief Congress on Iran on Tuesday, CBS News is reporting, citing a source familiar with the plans.

The BBC's partner organisation in the US says Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will also brief Congress.

The officials will talk to the Senate and the House in separate sessions.

Image source, EPA

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas says events in the Middle East "must not lead to further escalation that could threaten the region, Europe and beyond, with unpredictable consequences".

In a statement on X which condemns Iran's attacks as "inexcusable", she adds: "We are taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of EU citizens in the region.

"The EU expresses its solidarity with partners that have been attacked or affected.

"We will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and bring about a lasting solution to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."

She also shares a statement on behalf of the EU which says the bloc will "continue to protect EU security and interests, including through additional sanctions" on Iran.

The Israeli military's Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir says: "Many more days of combat lie ahead."

The IDF made the announcement in Telegram on Sunday, in which it said a situational assessment with the General Staff Forum had been concluded.

Zamir says the IDF will do everything it can to "accelerate our achievements" and is "sparing no effort".

Military experts speaking to the Wall Street Journal have noted that the US and Israel are racing to achieve their objectives as quickly as possible out of concerns of depleting their munitions stockpiles.

Also in the Telegram post, Zamir acknowledges the deaths and casualties in Beit Shemesh.

"Our hearts are with the injured and murdered," he says, before encouraging Israelis to exercise "patience" and "resilience".

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Reacting to Iran's missile and drone attack, a senior Bahraini official tells me that their national security "is inseparable from that of our Gulf neighbours and our strategic partners".

"An attack on Bahrain is not an isolated act — it is an attack on the collective stability of the GCC and on the broader international order that safeguards maritime navigation and regional security."

"Iran’s reckless missile adventurism will not alter Bahrain’s strategic posture.”

You can read more analysis from Frank Gardner here: Allies of US in the Gulf bear brunt of Iran attacks

In a fact sheet shared earlier today, United States Central Command (Centcom) said over 1,000 Iranian targets had been struck in the first 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury.

It listed the US military assets used in the operation, which included stealth bombers, drones, fighter jets and anti-missile systems.

It also listed Iranian targets, which included command and control centres, ballistic missile sites, and the joint headquarters of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

It echoes comments from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), which said earlier that the first day of the operation had brought "highly significant achievements".

Sarah Smith
North America editor

Whilst Donald Trump was monitoring the progress of Operation Epic Fury from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the vice president, JD Vance, was seen seated at the head of the table in the White House Situation Room, in a photo shared by the administration.

Despite his front row seat, he has shown no public support since the president decided to take action against Iran. There have been no commiserations about the service members who’ve been killed. No congratulations on the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. No public support since the president’s decision to take military action.

That is leading to speculation that he is unhappy about the decision to go to war.

When he was running for election, Donald Trump told his supporters that there would be “no more foreign wars”. And he railed against the folly of previous American attempts at regime change. JD Vance is closely aligned with the “America First” wing of the Republican Party, which does not want to expend blood and money on conflicts overseas.

The day before the assault on Iran began, he was playing down the prospect of a prolonged confrontation. Telling the Washington Post: “The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight — there is no chance that will happen.”

Mr Vance may be correct. There may not be a prolonged conflict. But at this point, there are no guarantees of that.

Last June, following the US strikes targeting nuclear facilities in Iran, he said in a TV interview, "I empathize with Americans who are exhausted of foreign entanglements in the Middle East.”

He continued: “The difference is that back then we had dumb presidents and now we have a president who actually knows how to accomplish America’s national security interests.”

The vice president has yet to say he believes President Trump is enhancing America’s national security by starting a conflict with Iran.

Perhaps Mr Vance's reticence explains that whilst Donald Trump had his Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Chief of Staff Suzie Wiles with him in Florida, his vice president was left behind in Washington.

Image source, Reuters