US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the US launched its offensive against Iran because it knew Israel was going to attack and “that would precipitate an attack against American forces”.

The IDF has intensified its attacks on the city since beginning a war with Iran on Saturday Credit: AFP via Israel has launched a ground invasion of Lebanon, marking a major escalation of the war in the Middle East.

In the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning, Hezbollah opened a new front in the US-Israeli war against Iran when it launched “missiles and a swarm of drones” at a military base in northern Israel.

Israeli strike hits Hezbollah-aligned media building in Beirut’s southern suburbs following an evacuation warning.

Israel on Tuesday, March 3, ordered the military to take control of more positions in Lebanon, where the army pulled back some of its forces after Hezbollah attacked Israeli bases in support of its backer,

One person inside Iran says "every part" of the capital has been hit. Elsewhere, Israel says ground troops will advance in Lebanon, and Iranian strikes continue in the region.

Across Iran’s capital, explosions rang out overnight as the U.S. and Israel pounded Iran with airstrikes. Iran and its allies have hit back against Israel and neighboring Gulf states.

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck the Gerash region in southern Iran on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, reporting the tremor occurred at a depth of about 10 km (6.2 m) beneath the surface.