Middle East crisis live: fears of ‘disastrous consequences’ for region after US strikes

2.36pm GMT

Although Israel is focusing its push in the south, witnesses and militants told Reuters that fighting continued in Gaza City . Gaza health officials said two people were killed by sniper fire. Israeli forces carried out arrests in the southern suburb of Tel Al-Hawa .

The Israeli military said its forces killed dozens of Palestinian gunmen in northern Gaza.
“During targeted raids in the northern and central Gaza Strip over the last day, IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists and destroyed numerous anti-tank missile launchers,” the Israel Defense Forces said.

Hamas , Islamic Jihad , and other smaller militant groups said in a separate statement their fighters engaged in fierce battles with the army in the north and the south of Gaza.

“The more the occupation forces remain on the ground, the more we will get to them,” one Palestinian militant official said. “A martyr falls, another rises and takes the rifle, and we are ready to fight for many more months,” he told Reuters.

2.31pm GMT

18 killed in Rafah and Deir Al-Balah by Israeli airstrikes, say Gaza health officials

Israeli airstrikes killed 18 Palestinians in the Gaza cities of Rafah and Deir Al-Balah , Gaza health officials said on Saturday, reports Reuters.

Tens of thousands of people have arrived in Rafah, on southern border with Egypt , in recent days carrying belongings in their arms and pulling children on carts, since Israeli forces last week launched one of their biggest assaults of the war to capture nearby Khan Younis , the main southern city.

Health officials in Gaza said an Israeli airstrike on a house in Rafah killed 14 people including women and children. There was no confirmation from the Israeli military that it carried out the strike, says Reuters. A military spokesperson said: “In stark contrast to Hamas’ intentional attacks on Israeli men, women and children, the IDF follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.”

Gaza health authorities, who do not differentiate between militants and civilians in their tallies, say more than 27,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed since the start of the war, 107 of them in the past 24 hours, with thousands more feared lost amid the ruins.

In Khan Younis, witnesses told Reuters that the Israeli army blew up a residential district near the city centre. In the nearby city of Deir al-Balah , the second major concentration of displaced people, medics said four people were killed in an airstrike on a house earlier on Saturday.

2.15pm GMT

US forces shot down Houthi drones over Red Sea on Friday, says US military

US military forces shot down seven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the Red Sea on Friday evening, according to an update on X by the US Central Command (Centcom).

In its update, Centcom wrote: “At 9:20 p.m. (Sana’a time), USS Laboon (DDG 58) and F/A-18s from the Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group engaged and shot down seven UAVs over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported. These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy vessels and merchant vessels.”

The update also said that an UAV had been shot down over the Gulf of Aden at 10.30am ( Sann’a time) on Friday. There were no injuries or damage reported. Later that same day, at approximately 4.40 pm (Sana’a time), US military forces conducted strikes against four Houthi UAVS that were prepared to launch, said Centcom.

“US forces identified the UAVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region.” It said, US forces had subsequently struck and destroyed the UAVs in self-defence.

1.34pm GMT

US airstrikes were 'deliberately designed' to 'further inflame the conflict', says Russian foreign ministry

Russia has condemned the US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria , and believes the situation needs to be considered by the UN security council , Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Saturday, according to Reuters.

“It is obvious that the airstrikes are deliberately designed to further inflame the conflict. By attacking, almost without pause, the facilities of allegedly pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and Syria, the US are purposefully trying to drive the largest countries in the region into conflict,” Zakharova said in a statement.

The US launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and militias it backs, reportedly killing nearly 40 people, in retaliation for a deadly attack on US troops in Jordan .

Updated at 1.41pm GMT

1.22pm GMT

Iraq to summon the US embassy’s chargé d’affaires after airstrikes, says foreign ministry

Iraq ’s foreign ministry announced on Saturday it would summon the US embassy’s chargé d’affaires – the ambassador being outside the country – to deliver a formal protest over US strikes on “Iraqi military and civilian sites”, reports AP

The US air assault on Friday was in retaliation for a drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan last weekend, which the US has blamed that on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian -backed militias.

Iran, meanwhile, has attempted to distance itself from the attack, saying that the militias act independently of its direction.

1.17pm GMT

An Iraqi militia official on Saturday hinted at a desire to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East after retaliatory strikes launched by the US against dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, reports the Associated Press (AP).

Hussein al-Mosawi , spokesperson for Harakat al-Nujaba , one of the main Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, in an interview with AP in Baghdad condemned the US strikes, saying Washington “must understand that every action elicits a reaction.” But he then struck a more conciliatory tone, saying that “we do not wish to escalate or widen regional tensions.”

Mossawi said the targeted sites in Iraq were mainly “devoid of fighters and military personnel at the time of the attack.” Suggesting there was not too much damage could allow him to justify the lack of a strong response.

AP report that although Syrian state media reported that there were casualties from the strikes, no figures were given. Rami Abdurrahman , who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that 23 people were killed in the Syria strikes, all rank-and-file fighters.

Iraqi government spokesperson Bassim al-Awadi said in a statement Saturday that the strikes in Iraq near the Syrian border killed 16, including civilians, and there was “significant damage” to homes and private properties.

Iraqi spokesperson al-Awadi condemned the strikes as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, particularly since some of them targeted facilities of the Population Mobilization Forces (PMF). The PMF, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias, was officially brought under the umbrella of the Iraqi armed forces after it joined the fight against the Islamic State in 2014, but in practice it continues to operate largely outside state control.

The Popular Mobilization Forces said in a statement Saturday that one of the sites targeted was an official security headquarters of the group. In addition to 16 killed, it said 36 had been wounded, “while the search is still ongoing for the bodies of a number of the missing.”

Updated at 1.18pm GMT

12.43pm GMT

Updated at 1.05pm GMT

12.24pm GMT

Dr Sanam Vakil , the director of the Middle East and north Africa programme at Chatham House, has said any response from Iran in the coming days depends much upon the numbers of casualties on the ground.

She added that the role of new US sanctions and a reported cyber-attack on Iran could also be important.

She told CNN:

Iran, should it choose to respond, and it’s important to note that they have been consistently messaging that they are not seeking a broader escalation, could choose to pursue the cyber route in a response – and that might be a climbdown off of the escalation ladder.

She added:

Iran certainly has been the convener of these groups. It has nurtured the relationships; it has invested in individuals, built up capacity, transferred technology, drones, missile capability to these groups, helped them build their capabilities.

And over the years, particularly since [Qassem] Soleimani’s death in 2020, Iran has decentralised leadership control over these groups. It wants to take the onus of responsibility off Iran and it has empowered key commanders across the region.

It has also played a very important role in managing and coordinating among these groups. So, sometimes, of course, Iran presses ‘go’ or messages that the escalation is good for the ‘axis of resistance’ or to protect Hamas, or distract Israel and pressure the United States.

Updated at 12.41pm GMT

11.56am GMT

Red Crescent says 11 injured at its Khan Younis HQ as Israeli forces throw smoke bombs

Eleven people have been injured in the Palestine Red Crescent Society ’s (PRCS) headquarters in Khan Younis , due to Israeli forces throwing smoke bombs at displaced people, says the humanitarian organisation.

In another post on the PRCS X account, it asked for help locating its colleagues Yousef Zeino and Ahmed al Madhoun from the PRCS ambulance team, who went to rescue a six-year-old girl, Hind, more than four days ago.

Updated at 12.06pm GMT

11.40am GMT

Palestinian ministry warns of repercussions if Rafah is attacked, reports Al Jazeera

Palestine’s ministry of foreign affairs and expatriates has warned of the repercussions of a possible Israeli military operation on the city of Rafah . The ministry said such an operation would result in “the annihilation of about 1.5 million Palestinians, or an attempt to displace them”, reports Al Jazeera, citing a statement quoted by the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Comments made by the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant , that the Israeli army would turn its focus on Rafah were being viewed with “great seriousness”, said the ministry. It also criticised the international community, says Al Jazeera, for its failure to halt the war and ease the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.

Updated at 12.04pm GMT

11.28am GMT

Reuters has more from the Iranian foreign ministry’s statement on the US airstrikes on Iran -linked targets in Iraq and Syria.

In Tehran’s first response, the foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement that the strikes represented “another adventurous and strategic mistake by the US that will result only in increased tension and instability in the region”. He said they were “violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Syria and Iraq.

Kanaani said the US attacks were designed “to overshadow the Zionist regime’s crimes in Gaza”. He did not indicate if Iran would take any action in response. He also urged the UN security council to prevent “illegal and unilateral US attacks in the region”.

Before the US retaliatory strikes on Friday, the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi , said Iran would not start a war but would “respond strongly to anyone who tries to bully it”.

Kanaani said “the root cause of tensions and crises in the Middle East is Israel’s occupation and genocide of Palestinians with America’s unlimited support”.

Updated at 11.41am GMT

11.17am GMT

My colleague, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour , has written on Iraq warning that the US strikes will have disastrous consequences for the region. You can read the full piece at the link below:

The US reprisal strikes in Syria and Iraq will have disastrous consequences for the region, the military spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has warned. Gen Yehia Rasool’s response was one of many from inside the Iraqi government that furiously condemned a violation of its sovereignty.

The US military launched airstrikes on Friday against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the militias it backs, in retaliation for last weekend’s drone attack in Jordan that killed three US troops. Iraq’s Anbar Operations Command reported 16 fatalities and 25 injuries, but no official death toll has been issued.

Iran claimed the attacks would only hasten the withdrawal of US troops from both countries and insisted that no Revolutionary Guards had been present in the areas struck by US forces, a claim that will be tested in the hours ahead.

Related: Iraq warns US strikes on its soil will have disastrous consequences for region

Updated at 11.51am GMT

11.05am GMT

The US military’s Central Command released footage of a B-1 bomber taking off from a runway as strikes were launched against targets belonging to Iran -linked militias and Tehran ’s Revolutionary Guards.

The US president, Joe Biden , said the strikes had been launched in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan , adding: ‘Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.’

Updated at 11.44am GMT

10.47am GMT

There are differing reports on the number of people injured in the US airstrikes on Iran -linked targets in Iraq and Syria .

While Reuters reports that 25 people were injured, the latest from AFP says it is 23 people. AFP’s figure is attributed to a statement by the Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi on Saturday. The death toll of 16 remains the same in both reports.

In his statement, Awadi said that US strikes had hit “locations in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions, including areas where our security forces are stationed”.

Updated at 11.44am GMT

10.29am GMT

Israel continued its blistering assault in the Gaza Strip on Saturday as fears grew of a push into Rafah , the southern city teeming with civilians uprooted by the nearly four-month war, reports AFP.

A constant barrage of airstrikes and tank fire rocked Khan Younis overnight, an AFP journalist said of the main city in southern Gaza that has been the most recent focus of the Israeli offensive.

The Hamas -run health ministry in Gaza said more than 100 people were killed across the Palestinian territory overnight, mostly women and children. The Israeli army said its forces had killed “dozens of terrorists” in northern and central Gaza over the past 24 hours.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the fierce fighting have fled south to Rafah since the outbreak of the war, with their tents cramming spaces along streets and in parks, say AFP.

The city, which had been home to 200,000 people, now hosts more than half of Gaza’s 2.4 million population, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Witnesses in Rafah told AFP that 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a house owned by the Hijazi family. “They bombed without any warning,” said 45-year-old Bilal Jad, a neighbour whose house was damaged in the attack. “There’s no safe place anywhere. The airstrikes are everywhere.”

Civilians who fled to Rafah have been pushed up against the border with Egypt , trying to avoid parts of the city exposed to the fighting in nearby Khan Younis.

Updated at 10.37am GMT

10.11am GMT

107 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, says health ministry

The latest figures from the Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas , said 107 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes and 165 were injured in the past 24 hours.

According to the statement, at least 27,238 Palestinians have been killed and 66,452 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October.

The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.

10.07am GMT

US airstrikes 'will result only in increased tension' in the region, says Iran's foreign ministry

Iran ’s foreign ministry said the US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran-linked targets “represent another adventurous and strategic mistake by the US” that will “result only in increased tension in instability in the region”.

A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said the country strongly condemned the US military strikes as “violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Iraq and Syria.

Updated at 10.31am GMT

10.00am GMT

US airstrikes in Iraq killed 16 including civilians, says Iraqi prime minister's office

Sixteen people were killed, among them civilians, and 25 injured in overnight US airstrikes on pro- Iran targets in Iraq , the office of the prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani , said on Saturday, reports Reuters.

In a statement, it condemned the strikes as a “new aggression against Iraq’s sovereignty” and denied that they were coordinated by the Baghdad government beforehand with Washington , calling such assertions “lies”.

The presence of the US-led military coalition in the region “has become a reason for threatening security and stability in Iraq and a justification for involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts”, the statement added.

Updated at 10.30am GMT

9.51am GMT

'Unprecedented' destruction in Gaza will 'take tens of billions of dollars and decades to reverse', says UN

The “unprecedented level of destruction” in Gaza “will take tens of billions of dollars and decades to reverse”, says the UN .

In its preliminary assessment of the economic impact of the destruction in Gaza and prospects for economic recovery, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) say that even with the end of the military operation and the recent average growth rate of 0.4%, it would take Gaza until 2092 just to restore gross domestic product (GDP) to 2022 levels.

UNCTAD say that “even an optimistic scenario shows Gaza’s recovery will take over a decade” and warned that “if Gaza is to re-emerge with a viable economy, the military confrontation should end immediately, and reconstruction should begin in earnest and without delay”.

It added that “the international community needs to act now before it is too late”.

You can view the Guardian’s visual investigation into how the war has destroyed Gaza’s neighbourhoods at the link below. It uses satellite imagery and open-source evidence to lay bare the destruction to civilian infrastructure by Israel in its war on Hamas.

Related: How war destroyed Gaza’s neighbourhoods – visual investigation

Updated at 10.32am GMT

9.31am GMT

Further to claims by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq militants that the group had targeted al-Harir airbase hosting US forces in northern Iraq on Saturday, Reuters has now reported three security forces as saying no attack has been detected.

We will update with more details as they come in.

Updated at 10.33am GMT

9.20am GMT

Iraq warns of 'disastrous consequences' for region after US airstrikes

Iraq has called the US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran-linked targets a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty” that could have ‘“disastrous consequences” for the region, reports Reuters.

Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for Iraq’s prime minister, said:

These airstrikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, and pose a threat that could lead Iraq and the region into disastrous consequences.

Updated at 10.33am GMT

9.07am GMT

UAE allocates $5m to support UNRWA's Gaza efforts - reports

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has allocated $5m to support the efforts of the chief UN coordinator for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) , Sigrid Kaag , towards the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip , reports Reuters, citing the state news agency WAM on Saturday.

Major donors to UNRWA earlier suspended funding after allegations emerged that some of its employees were suspected of involvement in the 7 October attacks in Israel by Hamas .

Updated at 10.34am GMT

9.02am GMT

US airstrikes fuelling conflict in 'very dangerous way', says Syrian foreign ministry

Syria ’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned overnight retaliatory US airstrikes against more than 85 targets in Syria and Iraq linked to Iran ’s Revolutionary Guards and the militias it backs.

“What [the US] committed has served to fuel conflict in the Middle East in a very dangerous way,” Damascus’ foreign ministry said in a statement seen by Reuters.

9.00am GMT

UK calls US its 'steadfast' ally as it supports US 'right to respond to attacks'

The UK called the US its “steadfast” ally on Saturday and said it supports Washington ’s right to respond to attacks, after the US military launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran -linked targets, reports Reuters.

“The UK and US are steadfast allies. We wouldn’t comment on their operations, but we support their right to respond to attacks,” a British government spokesperson said in a statement.“We have long condemned Iran’s destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial and military support to a number of militant groups.”

The US and UK last month launched coordinated strikes across Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi forces who have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea .

Updated at 10.35am GMT

8.55am GMT

Syrian military says US occupation of Syrian territory ‘cannot continue’

The Syrian military said on Saturday that the US occupation of Syrian territory “cannot continue” after Washington carried out deadly strikes in retaliation for a drone attack that killed three US soldiers in Jordan , reports AFP.

The overnight strikes killed “a number of civilians and soldiers, wounded others and caused significant damage to public and private property”, the Syrian military said in a statement.

“The occupation of parts of Syrian territory by US forces cannot continue,” it added, affirming the army’s “determination to liberate all Syrian territory from terrorism and occupation”.

The US blamed Sunday’s drone attack in Jordan on Iran -backed groups, but did not strike inside Iranian territory, with both Washington and Tehran seemingly keen to avoid all-out war.

According to AFP, the US has about 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in neighbouring Iraq as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State group, a jihadist organisation that once controlled swathes of both countries.

Updated at 8.58am GMT

8.47am GMT

Top EU diplomat urges no Middle East escalation after US strikes

The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell ,has called on all parties to avoid further escalation in the Middle East after US strikes on Iran -linked groups in Syria and Iraq , reports news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“Everybody should try to avoid that the situation becomes explosive,” Borrell said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels .

Borrell did not address the US strikes directly, but repeated a warning that the Middle East “is a boiler that can explode”.

He pointed to the war in Gaza , violence along the Lebanese border, bombings in Iraq and Syria and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea . “That’s why we call everybody to try to avoid an escalation,” Borrell said.

The EU is aiming to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea later this month to help protect international vessels from attacks by Yemen ’s Houthis . Borrell said the mission would be “defensive” and not conduct any attacks on land against the Yemeni rebels.

Updated at 9.05am GMT

8.42am GMT

Islamic Resistance in Iraq militants targeted airbase hosting US forces in northern Iraq, says group

Islamic Resistance in Iraq militants on Saturday targeted al-Harir airbase hosting US forces in northern Iraq , the group said, reports Reuters.

It comes hours after the US carried out retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran -linked targets.

We will update with more details as they come in.

Updated at 9.06am GMT

8.39am GMT

My colleagues, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, and the Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger , have written a piece on the US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria . You can read it here:

Joe Biden has warned “if you harm an American, we will respond” as US forces attacked more than 80 targets in Iraq and Syria in a wide-ranging air assault on sites belonging to Iran-linked militias and Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard.

The US president said the strikes had been launched in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan , adding: “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

The US military’s Central Command said it had struck with more than 125 bombs in an attack that took place around midnight local time in what was described as the first of multiple attacks against the groups.

Related: US launches airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for deadly drone attack

Updated at 9.06am GMT

8.27am GMT

US strikes on Iraq and Syria are result of Iranian proxies 'playing with fire', says Polish foreign minister

Poland ’s foreign minister said on Saturday that US retaliatory strikes on Iran -linked targets in Iraq and Syria were the result of Iranian proxies “playing with fire”, reports the news agency Reuters.

“Iran’s proxies have played with fire for months and years, and it’s now burning them,” Radosł aw Sikorski told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels .

Updated at 9.36am GMT

8.21am GMT

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds force represent a 'direct threat' to Iraq and US, says US military

In an update on the US Central Command ’s (Centcom) X account, the US Centcom commander, Gen Michael Kurilla, said:

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds force and affiliated militia groups continue to represent a direct threat to the stability of Iraq, the region, and the safety of Americans.

We will continue to take action, do whatever is necessary to protect our people, and hold those responsible who threaten their safety.”

Centcom also posted a statement on the US strikes in Iraq and Syria . It says that at 4pm (EST) on Friday, US forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds force and affliated milita groups .

According to the statement, US military forces “struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from US”, and the “airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions”.

Updated at 2.00pm GMT

7.55am GMT

Syria’s defence ministry said the “blatant air aggression” of US forces led to a number of civilians and soldiers being killed and others being wounded and some significant damage to public and private property.

The comments on Saturday came after the US’s wide-ranging air assault on sites in Iraq and Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the militias it backs.

Reuters quoted the Syrian ministry as saying:

Occupying parts of Syrian lands by American forces cannot continue ... the Syrian army affirms continuing its war against terrorism until it is eliminated and is determined to liberate the entire Syrian territories from terrorism and occupation.

Updated at 8.18am GMT

7.34am GMT

Attacks reportedly leave 14 dead in 'pressure cooker’ Rafah

Deadly strikes were reported early on Saturday in the overcrowded Gaza border city of Rafah as international mediators readied a new push to seal a tentative truce deal between Israel and Hamas.

Agence France-Presse reports that hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have fled south to Rafah since the outbreak of the war, with the former city of 200,000 now housing more than half of Gaza’s population of 2 million-plus, a World Health Organisation representative said on Friday.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said it was deeply concerned about the escalation of hostilities in nearby Khan Younis which have pushed more and more people south in recent days.

“Most are living in makeshift structures, tents or out in the open,” OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said in Geneva.

Rafah is a pressure cooker of despair, and we fear for what comes next.

An AFP journalist in the city heard powerful explosions shortly after midnight on Saturday, with the Hamas-run health ministry later reporting 14 people killed in two strikes there.

The ministry said more than 100 people in total were killed across the territory overnight.

Abdulkarim Misbah , one of the many people seeking refuge in Rafah, said he had first left his home in the northern Jabalia refugee camp for Khan Yunis, only to be uprooted again.

“We escaped last week from death in Khan Younis, without bringing anything with us. We didn’t find a place to stay. We slept on the streets the first two nights,” the 32-year-old father said.

My four children are shivering from the cold. They feel sick and unwell all the time.

Winter storms and torrential rain lashed Gaza on Friday, with some people wearing hazmat suits left over from the Covid pandemic as protection against the harsh weather.

Updated at 8.00am GMT

7.02am GMT

US strikes Iraq and Syria as Israeli attacks reported in southern Gaza

Welcome back as we resume today’s live coverage of the Middle East crisis – it’s just passed 9am in the Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv and 10am in Baghdad and Damascus.

US forces have attacked more than 80 targets in Iraq and Syria in a wide-ranging air assault on sites belonging to Iran-linked militias and Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard.

At least 18 pro-Iran fighters were killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported.

The US president, Joe Biden, said Friday’s strikes were launched in retaliation for the drone attack that killed three US soldiers in Jordan and that “if you harm an American, we will respond”.

The US military’s Central Command said it struck with more than 125 bombs in an attack that took place around midnight local time in what was described as the first of multiple attacks against the groups.

For a summary of those events, see our previous post below.

Meanwhile, deadly attacks were reported early on Saturday in the overcrowded Gaza border city of Rafah as international mediators readied a new push to seal a reportedly tentative truce deal between Israel and Hamas.

Powerful explosions were heard in Rafah shortly after midnight, with the Hamas-run health ministry later reporting 14 people killed in two strikes in the city, which the UN called “a pressure cooker of despair”.

The ministry said more than 100 people in total were killed across Gaza overnight.

More on those stories here shortly. And here’s our full report on the US airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

Updated at 8.16am GMT

3.00am GMT

Summary

It’s 6am in Baghdad and Damascus and we’ll pause this live coverage for now. You can see our full report on the US airstrikes here . And here’s a rundown on the day’s events. Thanks for reading.

• US military forces have attacked more than 80 targets in Iraq and Syria in a wide-ranging air assault on sites belonging to Iran-linked militias and Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard. The US military’s Central Command said it had struck with more than 125 bombs in an attack that took place around midnight local time (4pm ET) in what is being described as the first of multiple attacks against the groups. The airstrikes took place over about 30 minutes on Friday, and three of the sites struck were in Iraq and four were in Syria, said Lt Gen Douglas Sims, director of the joint staff.

• Initial reports from the ground were limited. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said at least 18 Iran-backed fighters have been killed in strikes in eastern Syria. At least 26 important sites housing pro-Iran groups including weapons depots had been destroyed in raids striking a large swath of eastern Syria, stretching more than 100km (62 miles) from the city of Deir ez-Zor to Albu Kamal, near the Iraq border, the monitoring group told AFP.

• The US strikes had been launched in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan. The US said on Thursday it blamed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-linked militias, for the attack last weekend on the remote Tower 22 logistics base in Jordan, near the border with Syria and Iraq. Three US army reservists were killed after a living quarters was struck at night and more than 80 wounded.

• US officials have said there were no plans to bomb Iran, which would represent a significant escalation. US administration officials have repeatedly stressed that Washington does not intend to go to war with Iran, despite the accusation that it had armed the groups behind the Tower 22 attack.

• President Joe Biden warned after the attacks began that the US would retaliate if an American was hurt. His statement said: “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: if you harm an American, we will respond.” John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said the responses “began tonight. They’re not going to end tonight.”

• An Iraqi military spokesperson said US airstrikes were launched at Iraqi border areas, warning that the attacks could ignite instability in the region. Yahya Rasool said in a statement: “These airstrikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government and pose a threat that could lead Iraq and the region into dire consequences.”

• The US announced new sanctions and charges aimed at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard , apparently timed to coincide with the American strikes. The US Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions on six officials in the cyber-electronic command of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over activities targeting critical infrastructure and was hitting a network of suppliers providing “materials and sensitive technology for Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs”. As well, prosecutors said they had seized $108m used in an oil laundering scheme to fund the Guards’ elite Quds Force.

• Republican senator Roger Wicker , a ranking member of the armed services committee, criticised the Biden administration for the airstrikes coming “far too late”. The Democratic chairman of the Senate armed services committee, Jack Reed, said he supported Biden’s “robust action” and “Iran’s proxy forces in Syria and Iraq have been dealt a significant blow”.

Updated at 3.30am GMT

2.18am GMT

In the US, a Republican senator who is a ranking member of the armed services committee has criticised how long the US has taken to launch the attacks in Iraq and Syria.

Roger Wicker said:

These military strikes are welcome, but come far too late for the three brave Americans who died and the nearly 50 wounded.

Iran and its proxies have tried to kill American soldiers and sink our warships 165 times while the Biden administration congratulates itself for doing the bare minimum.

Instead of giving the ayatollah the bloody nose that he deserves, we continue to give him a slap on the wrist.

On the Democratic side, Reuters also reports, the chairman of the Senate armed services committee, Jack Reed , said:

Iran’s proxy forces in Syria and Iraq have been dealt a significant blow, and Iranian-linked militias around the Middle East should understand that they, too, will be held accountable.

I salute the brave US military members who carried out today’s strikes, and I support President Biden’s robust action. These strikes, in concert with wise diplomacy, send a clear signal that the United States will continue to take appropriate action to protect our personnel and our interests.

Updated at 2.19am GMT

1.32am GMT

The US strikes in Iraq and Syria appeared to stop short of directly targeting Iran or senior leaders of the Revolutionary Guard Quds Force within its borders as Washington tries to prevent the conflict from escalating further.

The Associated Press reports it is unclear what the impact of the strikes will be. Days of US warnings may have sent militia members scattering into hiding. With multiple groups operating at various locations in several countries, a knockout blow is unlikely, the news agency says.

One of the main Iran-backed militias, Kataib Hezbollah, said it was suspending attacks on American troops, but others have vowed to continue fighting, casting themselves as champions of the Palestinian cause amid the war in Gaza.

An Iraqi army spokesman said the city of al-Qaim and areas along the country’s border with Syria had been hit in the US strikes. The attacks “constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, posing a threat that will pull Iraq and the region to undesirable consequences”, Yahya Rasool said in a statement.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US alerted the Iraqi government prior to carrying out the strikes.

Just Friday morning, Iran’s hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi , reiterated earlier promises by Tehran to potentially retaliate for any US strikes targeting its interests. We “will not start a war, but if a country, if a cruel force wants to bully us, the Islamic Republic of Iran will give a strong response”, he said.

The US has blamed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a broad coalition of Iran-backed militias, for last weekend’s drone attack in Jordan which killed three American troops. Some of the militias have been a threat to US bases for years, but the groups intensified their assaults in the wake of Israel’s war with Hamas.

Updated at 2.30am GMT

1.06am GMT

US retaliation, when it came, was broad and deep, and telegraphed five days in advance.

The White House, the Pentagon and state department had spent the best part of a week talking about the response to Sunday’s drone attack on a US base in northern Jordan which killed three Americans and wounded more than 30.

They warned that retaliation against the suspects, primary among those the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia, would be “multi-tiered” and continue over many days, but when the opening salvo came in the early hours of Saturday Middle Eastern time , it still caused some surprise in its range and scale.

According to US Central Command, 85 targets were hit in seven facilities, four in Syria and three in Iraq, with more than 125 precision munitions, using a mix of drones and long range B1 bombers flying from US territory in a demonstration of the reach of the US air force.

“Tonight’s strikes in western Iraq eastern Syria are FAR bigger than any action undertaken before against Iran’s proxies – huge secondary explosions on both sides of the border suggest big rocket/missile depots have been hit,” Charles Lister , senior fellow of the Middle East Institute, said on social media platform X .

President Joe Biden said the targets were facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and “affiliated militia”, and he made clear that it was just the beginning. The full response for the attack on the Tower 22 base would “continue at times and places of our choosing”.

For more of this analysis, click here:

Related: US retaliatory airstrikes on targets in Iraq and Syria will not be the last

Updated at 1.53am GMT

12.33am GMT

US imposes sanctions over Iran cyber and missile programs, seizes $108m

The US announced new sanctions and charges aimed at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as Washington launched the retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.

They measures were among a number taken by Washington and apparently timed to coincide with deadly strikes on pro-Iran fighters.

Agence France-Presse reports the US Treasury Department said on Friday it was imposing sanctions on six officials in the cyber-electronic command of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over activities targeting critical infrastructure.

In a separate notice, the Treasury added it was also hitting a network of suppliers providing “materials and sensitive technology for Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs”.

In a third measure, prosecutors also announced they had seized $108m used in an oil laundering scheme to fund the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force.

The moves came shortly after President Joe Biden blamed “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq” for last weekend’s drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three American troops.

As the US launched Friday’s strikes, Biden warned that such attacks would “continue at times and places of our choosing”.

In issuing the latest US sanctions on Friday, the Treasury said IRGC-affiliated cyber actors recently hacked and posted images on screens of controllers manufactured by an Israeli company, Unitronics.

The department said:

Unauthorised access to critical infrastructure systems can enable actions that harm the public and cause devastating humanitarian consequences.

A State Department spokesperson added that “actors used default credentials to display an anti-Israel message” on the controllers’ interface.

• This is Adam Fulton picking up our live coverage – stay with us for all the latest

Updated at 2.21am GMT

12.05am GMT

Summary of the day so far

• US military forces have attacked more than 80 targets in Iraq and Syria in a wide-ranging air assault on sites belonging to Iran-linked militias and Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard. The US military’s Central Command said it had struck with more than 125 bombs in an attack that took place around midnight local time (4pm ET) in what is being described as the first of multiple attacks against the groups. The airstrikes took place over about 30 minutes on Friday, and three of the sites struck were in Iraq and four were in Syria, Lt Gen Douglas Sims, director of the joint staff, told reporters.

• Initial reports from the ground were limited. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said at least 18 Iran-backed fighters have been killed in strikes in eastern Syria. At least 26 important sites housing pro-Iran groups including weapons depots have been destroyed in raids striking a large swath of eastern Syria, stretching more than 62 miles (100km) from the city of Deir ez-Zor to Albu Kamal, near the Iraq border, the monitoring group told AFP.

• The US strikes had been launched in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan. On Thursday, the US said it blamed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-linked militias, for the deadly drone attack at the weekend on the remote Tower 22 logistics base in Jordan, near the border with Syria and Iraq. Three US army reservists were killed after a living quarters was struck at night and more than 80 wounded.

• US officials have said there were no plans to bomb Iran, which would represent a significant escalation. US administration officials have repeatedly stressed that Washington does not intend to go to war with Iran, despite the accusation that it had armed the groups behind the Tower 22 attack.

• Joe Biden warned in a statement released after the attacks began that “if you harm an American, we will respond”. The statement said: “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: if you harm an American, we will respond.” John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said the responses “began tonight. They’re not going to end tonight.”

• An Iraqi military spokesperson has said US airstrikes were launched at Iraqi border areas, warning that the attacks could ignite instability in the region. Yahya Rasool said in a statement reported by Reuters: “These airstrikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, and pose a threat that could lead Iraq and the region into dire consequences.”

Updated at 12.08am GMT

11.48pm GMT

The New York Times, citing Lebanese media, says blackouts were reported in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province after US airstrikes there.

11.39pm GMT

The US strikes were taken knowing that there would likely be casualties among those in the facilities, Lt Gen Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, told reporters.

“We know that there are militants that use these locations, IRGC as well as Iranian-aligned militia group personnel,” Sims said.

We made these strikes tonight with an idea that there would likely be casualties associated with people inside those facilities.

11.24pm GMT

US will not strike inside Iran, say officials

US officials have told CNN that the US had no plan to bomb Iran, which would represent a significant escalation.

Administration officials have repeatedly stressed that Washington does not intend to go to war with Iran, despite the accusation that it had armed the groups behind the Tower 22 attack.

Iran has also previously warned the US not to launch any direct strike on Iranian territory, saying if the US acts in this way its response will be swift and dramatic.

US officials have known for a few days now that the first strikes would happen tonight, the official told CNN.

A US defense official told the broadcaster that Air Force B-1 bombers were among the US aircraft that carried out strikes today.

11.15pm GMT

The airstrikes took place over about 30 minutes on Friday, and three of the sites struck were in Iraq and four were in Syria, Lt Gen Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Staff, told reporters.

John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesperson, said the targets “were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and based on clear, irrefutable evidence that they were connected to attacks on US personnel in the region”.

The strikes appeared to have stopped short of directly targeting Iran or senior leaders of the Revolutionary Guard Quds Force within its borders.

Updated at 11.20pm GMT

11.03pm GMT

White House says there will be 'additional responses' after initial strikes

John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said US airstrikes struck three facilities in Iraq and four in Syria.

Kirby, speaking to reporters, said the Iraqi government was informed prior to the strikes. He added:

These responses began tonight. They’re not going to end tonight. So there will be additional responses. There will be additional action that we will take, all designed to put an end to these attacks and to take away capability by the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp).

Updated at 11.05pm GMT

11.01pm GMT

Joe Biden has reiterated that the US does not seek conflict in the Middle East as he confirmed that he directed US military forces on Friday to strike targets in Iraq and Syria.

Posting to social media, the US president added:

To all those who seek to do us harm: We will respond.

10.54pm GMT

US strikes 'hit exactly what we meant to hit'

The US has said that the 85 targets were grouped in seven different locations – four in Syria and three in Iraq.

Lt Gen Douglas Sims , director for operations on the joint staff, said the timing of the strikes was determined by the weather, with the best weather appearing today.

“The initial indications are that we hit exactly what we meant to hit with a number of secondary explosions associated with the ammunition and logistics locations,” he said.

Updated at 9.09am GMT

10.52pm GMT

Iraqi military warns US strikes could lead to 'dire consequences'

An Iraqi military spokesperson has said US airstrikes were launched at Iraqi border areas, warning that the attacks could ignite instability in the region.

Iraqi military spokesperson Yahya Rasool said in a statement reported by Reuters:

These airstrikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, and pose a threat that could lead Iraq and the region into dire consequences.

10.48pm GMT

Death toll from airstrikes in eastern Syria rises to 18 – reports

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor has said strikes in eastern Syria have resulted in the deaths of “at least 18 pro-Iran fighters”.

At least 26 important sites housing pro-Iranian groups including weapons depots have been destroyed in ongoing raids striking a large swath of eastern Syria, stretching more than 62 miles (100 kilometers) from the city of Deir ez-Zor to Albu Kamal , near the Iraqi border, the monitoring group told AFP.

Updated at 10.54pm GMT

10.33pm GMT

'This is the start of our response': Austin says US forces struck seven facilities in Iraq and Syria

The US secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, has released a statement confirming that US forces conducted strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria.

A statement reads:

Following the attack on U.S. and Coalition Forces in northeastern Jordan this past Sunday that killed three U.S. service members, at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces today conducted strikes on seven facilities, which included more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias use to attack U.S. forces.

This is the start of our response. The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces. These will unfold at times and places of our choosing.

We do not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but the President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces. We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our forces, and our interests.

Updated at 10.40pm GMT

10.29pm GMT

At least 13 killed in airstrikes in eastern Syria – report

At least 13 Iranian-backed fighters have been killed in strikes in eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.

The airstrikes destroyed 17 positions sheltering Iranian militias in Al-Mayadeen and Al-Bokamal near the border between Syria and Iraq, in addition to airstrikes targeting positions near Deir ez-Zor city, it said.

Syrian state media said earlier that a number of sites on Syria’s desert areas and the Syrian and Iraqi border had resulted in a number of casualties and injuries.

Updated at 10.46pm GMT

10.20pm GMT

Six Iranian-backed militia members have been killed and four others injured as a result of airstrikes on Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

At least three of those killed were of non-Syrian nationality, the group said.

Updated at 10.25pm GMT

10.08pm GMT

Biden: US response to drone attack to continue 'at times and places of our choosing'

The White House has released a statement from Joe Biden following the news that the US launched airstrikes against targets in Syria and Iraq in response to Sunday’s drone attack on a US military base that killed three soldiers.

The statement reads:

This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces.

Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.

The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: if you harm an American, we will respond.

Updated at 11.03pm GMT

10.05pm GMT

Just minutes before the first reports on the strikes, Joe Biden attended a solemn ritual at Dover air force base in Delaware for the return of the remains of the three fallen US troops killed in last weekend’s drone attack in Jordan.

The US president and the first lady, Jill Biden, joined grieving families as they honored the three American service members killed: Sgt William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Sgt Kennedy Sanders of Waycross and Sgt Breonna Moffett of Savannah.

“They risked it all,” Biden said on Thursday. He did not speak at Friday’s event.

The defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, and Gen CQ Brown, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, also attended.

Related: Joe Biden meets with families of three US troops killed in Jordan drone attack

9.57pm GMT

Syrian state media is reporting that an “American aggression“ on sites in the country’s desert areas and the Syrian and Iraqi border have resulted in a number of casualties and injuries.

9.47pm GMT

US military says it struck 'more than 85 targets'

US Central Command has said its forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.

The airstrikes were carried out at 4pm eastern time on Friday, it said.

It said US military forces struck more than 85 targets including “command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities” belonging to militia groups and their IRGC sponsors.

Updated at 9.49pm GMT

9.43pm GMT

US warned it would carry out 'multi-tier response' to Jordan attack

The US had warned it will carry out a series of reprisal strikes launched over more than one day in response to the drone strike over the weekend.

The US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin , did not specify the timing or precise location of strikes during Pentagon press conference on Thursday, but said:

We will have a multi-tier response and we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on the situation … We look to hold the people responsible for this accountable and we also seek to take away capability as we go forward.

Austin insisted that a lot of thought in Washington had gone into ensuring that the US response did not trigger a major escalation.

The secretary of defense stressed the US was not at war with Iran and Washington did not know if Tehran was aware of the specific drone strikes on Sunday mounted by what he described as the axis of resistance.

9.36pm GMT

Three rounds of airstrikes targeted Iranian militia positions in parts of Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

There have been casualties as a result, NBC reported that the organisation said.

9.27pm GMT

US launched strikes on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria, say officials

The US launched an air assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias, in an opening salvo of retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US service members in Jordan last weekend, officials have told Associated Press.

The initial strikes by manned and unmanned aircraft were hitting command and control headquarters, ammunition storage and other facilities, according to AP.

US officials have told Reuters that the strikes targeted facilities linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the militias it backs.

Updated at 9.29pm GMT

9.23pm GMT

US begins to launch strikes in response to Jordan drone attack

The US has begun a wave of retaliatory airstrikes targeting militants in Iraq and Syria, according to reports, in response to a drone attack in northern Jordan which killed three American service personnel and wounded dozens more.

The strikes, reported by Associated Press and Reuters, come as Joe Biden joined grieving families at Dover air force base in Delaware on Friday as they honored the three US military personnel killed in the drone attack in Jordan last weekend.

The attack on Tower 22 was the first deadly strike against US troops since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.

Responsibility was claimed by the Iranian-backed umbrella group Islamic Resistance, and the US has made no attempt to disguise its belief that Iran was ultimately responsible. Tehran has insisted it had nothing to do with the attack.

Biden told reporters earlier this week that he held Iran responsible “in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons” to Kataib Hezbollah, the most powerful member of the Islamic Resistance group. However, the president added:

I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for.

Updated at 9.52pm GMT