Iran launched more missiles at Israel and U.S. bases as war in the Middle East enters a sixth day. Israel announced multiple incoming attacks early Thursday and said it was intercepting the missiles.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it began new strikes against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. At least eight people were killed there late Wednesday into Thursday according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry and the state news agency.

Tehran has warned of the destruction of the Middle East’s military and economic infrastructure, and the war has rattled financial markets, with most taking their cues from what the price of oil is doing. Early Thursday, oil prices resumed their ascent.

Here is the latest:

Azerbaijan accuses Iran of drone attack

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused Iran of carrying out a drone attack on its exclave of Nakhchivan.

The ministry said in a statement that one drone crashed near the airport in Nakhchivan, and another one near a school.

Two civilians were injured, the ministry said.

Azerbaijan “strongly condemns this incident,” the Foreign Ministry said in the statement, adding it “reserves the right to take necessary retaliatory measures.”

The ministry said it summoned the Iranian ambassador to lodge a protest.

“Such actions contradict the norms and principles of international law and contribute to increased tension in the region,” it said.

Iran has not acknowledged targeting Azerbaijan, but its attacks have spread erratically as the war has gone on involving regional countries and beyond.

Nakhchivan is territorially separated from the rest of Azerbaijan.

It accounts for about 6% of Azerbaijan’s territory, with a swath of Armenia about 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide between the exclave and Azerbaijan.

It also borders Azerbaijan’s close ally Turkey, and Iran.

France’s top diplomat speaks with Iranian counterpart

France’s foreign affairs minister has spoken with his Iranian counterpart and condemned Iran’s strikes on its neighbors after it retaliated to US-Israeli attacks.

Jean-Noel Barrot recalled “France’s commitment to stability in the Middle East, to de-escalation, and to the resumption of a demanding diplomatic dialogue, in compliance with international law, within which the use of force must be framed,” France’s foreign affairs ministry said Thursday.

Barrot also expressed “France’s ongoing concern” about the situation of its nationals detained in Iran during Wednesday’s call.

After more than three years in detention on spying charges, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris were released from an Iranian prison in November and transferred to the French Residence in Tehran.

Barrot “called for their immediate and unconditional release and reaffirmed the full and complete mobilization of the French authorities to that end.”

The families of Kohler and Paris said earlier this week that they are “very worried” about them, citing bombings which occurred not far from the French embassy.

China to send envoy to Mideast to help de-escalate tensions

China will send its special envoy on Middle Eastern issues to the region to help de-escalate tensions, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Zhai Jun will travel to the Middle East “in the near future and make active efforts to help de-escalate tensions,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a regular briefing in Beijing.

Since the start of the Iran war, China has conducted “intensive mediation efforts,” Mao said.

Among other things, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held phone conversations with his counterparts from Russia, Iran, Oman, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, she said.

In his talks, Wang “pointed out that military operations must cease immediately and that all parties should return to dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible so as to prevent further escalation of tensions and the spillover of conflict,” Mao said.

Alerts sound in Jerusalem

Israel’s military said Thursday morning it detected missile launches from Iran.

Alerts telling residents they’d soon be asked to enter bunkers sounded on phones in Jerusalem.

Israel’s rescue services said it did not have any immediate reports of casualties from the latest missile barrage fired by Iran Thursday morning.

The barrage also set off sirens in central Israel and parts of the north.

Spain repatriates more than 170 nationals

A Spanish military plane has successfully evacuated 171 Spanish citizens who were residing in the Middle East and wanted to escape the violence unleashed in the region after the American and Israeli attack on Iran.

The plane arrived at an air base near Madrid on Thursday morning after an overnight flight from Oman.

Spanish authorities are also evacuating citizens on commercial flights.

Spain’s government has refused to allow American military forces the use of two military bases for its operations against Iran.

Bahrain cracks down on filming related to its military

As Bahrain comes under intense attack from Iran, the island kingdom is cracking down on anyone filming anything related to its military.

The state-run Bahrain News Agency published a statement early Thursday for the country’s military, saying that there was a prohibition on “the photography, publication, or redistribution of any images, video footage, recordings, or information relating to its military installations, military operations, or defensive measures.”

It also included what the military described as the “unverified information ... pertaining to events, attacks and acts of aggression targeting the kingdom.”

That likely will further restrict reporting in Bahrain, which sits in the Persian Gulf off Saudi Arabia and is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Independent news gathering there has grown incredibly difficult there since its 2011 Arab Spring, with journalists having their accreditations or visas revoked.

Australia deploys ‘crisis response teams’ to help stranded citizens

Australia is deploying six crisis response teams and has already sent unspecified military assets near conflict areas in the Middle East in order to help bring stranded Australians home, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday.

Officials from the foreign affairs and trade department are “working around the clock” to handle surging consular requests, Albanese told Parliament.

“The government is deploying six crisis response teams to the region, and we’ve already deployed military assets as part of our contingency planning earlier this week,” Albanese said.

He did not specify what kind of military assets had been deployed.

Stranded South Koreans return home from Dubai

Dozens of South Korean travelers stranded in Dubai due to flight disruptions returned home on a flight routed through Taiwan.

Another group is expected to arrive later Thursday, but hundreds more are believed to remain in Dubai, as the war continued to squeeze regional air traffic.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said there are about 2,000 Korean short-term visitors in the United Arab Emirates.

Explosions reported in Doha

Al Jazeera reported several explosions heard late Thursday morning in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Cyprus says drone that hit a British air base took off from Lebanese capital

Cyprus says the Shahed drone that struck a British air base on the island nation’s southern coastline was launched from Beirut.

A Cypriot official confirmed Thursday the drone that damaged a hangar at RAF Akrotiri just after midnight Monday had taken off from the Lebanese capital.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he isn’t permitted to speak publicly about the attack.

Two more drones detected midday Monday were intercepted by British warplanes that took off from RAF Akrotiri.

There have been several false alarms regarding drone sightings since those initial strikes.

Israel’s military said it struck Hezbollah command centers in Beirut

Israel’s military said Thursday it struck additional command centers of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

“A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force completed a wave of intelligence-based strikes in Beirut against several command centers belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” read a statement by the military.

It added that among the targets was a command center used by Hezbollah’s aerial unit. The command centers were intended to be used by Hezbollah to attack Israeli military personnel and civilians, the military said.

Airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut on Thursday, though it wasn’t clear immediately what was hit.

Iran claims attack on US tanker in Persian Gulf

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed an attack Thursday on an American oil tanker in the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf.

The statement read on Iranian state television did not elaborate, but may be linked to an attack off the coast of Kuwait earlier in the day in which a tanker was targeted, according to a report from the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.

Iranian state TV airs ayatollah's call for the ‘shedding’ of blood from Israelis and Trump

Iranian state television aired a message Thursday from an ayatollah in Iran calling for the “shedding” of blood from Israelis and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The message came from Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli and represented one of the few clerical statements coming from Iran as it faces a combined airstrike campaign from Israel and the United States.

“We are now on the verge of a great test and we must be careful to fully preserve this unity, to fully preserve this alliance,” he said in the statement.

He called for “the shedding of Zionist blood, the shedding of Trump’s blood.”

“The Imam of the time says, ‘Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders,’” the ayatollah added.

An ayatollah is one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam. There are dozens in Iran.

The statement Thursday represented a rare call for violence by an ayatollah.

First two flights bringing back Israelis land in Tel Aviv

Israel’s airspace reopened for limited incoming flights Thursday after being closed since the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began.

Under the phased plan, one passenger flight per hour will be allowed in the first 24 hours, totaling about 5,000 people, with more later depending on security.

Outgoing commercial flights are still prohibited.

Red Crescent Society of Iran says strikes hit more than 170 cities

The Red Crescent Society of Iran said the U.S.-Israeli airstrike campaign targeting Iran has struck 174 cities in the country.

In a statement Thursday, the Red Crescent said it had recorded at least 1,332 attack so far in 636 locations.

It said residential areas had been hit in a number of cities.

It added seven Red Crescent bases and branches had been damaged, as well as three of its rescue vehicles and 14 medical and pharmaceutical centers.

Explosions also heard in eastern Tehran

Residents also heard explosions in the eastern reaches of Tehran.

Explosions heard in Tehran's west

Witnesses in Tehran heard explosions in the city’s west and in the direction of Karaj.

Iran’s foreign minister says US will ‘bitterly regret’ sinking of Iranian frigate

Iran’s foreign minister said Thursday that America “will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set” after a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka.

The comment by Abbas Araghchi represents the first time the Iranian government acknowledged the sinking of the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean.

Araghchi made the comment on X, saying “the U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores.”

“Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” he wrote. “Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set.”

Israel launches ‘large-scale wave of strikes against infrastructure’ in Tehran, military says

Israel’s military said Thursday morning it had begun a “large-scale wave of strikes against infrastructure” in Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Oman helps organize flights for stranded foreigners

Oman’s top diplomat said Thursday that the sultanate was working with countries around the world to organize flights home for stranded foreigners.

Badr al-Busaidi wrote the message on X, just after Qatar Airways said it would start flights from Oman’s capital, Muscat.

“For everyone hoping to fly home from the Gulf, the Omani government is working with your governments and international airlines to organize flights to get you home,” he wrote. “We mean everyone, whatever passport you hold. The citizens of all countries have the human right to safety and security. People matter. Let’s stop the war now.”

Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has come under attack off its coast and at its seaports, but has not seen a strike on Muscat International Airport in the war.

Qatar Airways to operate limited ‘relief flights’

Qatar Airways said Thursday it will start operating a limited number of “relief flights” as the war in the Middle East goes on.

The airline said on X that the flights will include departures from Muscat, the Omani capital, to Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Madrid and Rome. Another route will be from Riyadh to Frankfurt, Germany.

The flights will “support passengers who are stranded due to the current situation across the region.”

Airspace in Qatar remains closed over Iranian fire into the region.

Qatar Airways is a key East-West carrier.

Indonesia grants emergency stays for stranded foreigners

Indonesian immigration authorities in Bali have granted emergency stay permits and waived overstay fines for foreign nationals stranded after air route closures in parts of the Middle East disrupted international flights from the resort island.

Nearly 6,000 of passengers traveling from Bali to Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi had their flights canceled over four days at Ngurah Rai International Airport, immigration officials said.

Iranian and Israeli ambassadors trade accusations in South Korea

Ambassadors of Iran and Israel held separate news conferences Thursday in South Korea’s capital, trading sharp accusations as their countries continued an escalating war in the Middle East.

Speaking through an interpreter, Iran’s Ambassador to South Korea Saeed Koozechi demanded Seoul — a key U.S. ally — to be more vocal in demanding a halt to what he called an illegal aggression by U.S. and Israeli forces, which launched attacks despite active negotiations.

He said “many coffins would return to the United States” if it decides to deploy ground forces, and defended Iranian strikes on Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases as unavoidable.

The Israel ambassador in Seoul, Raphael Harpaz, said the joint U.S.-Israeli military operations aim both to destroy Iran’s nuclear development facilities and ballistic missile sites, and to help free Iranian people from oppression.

South Korea has supported U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions but has not explicitly endorsed the U.S.-Israeli attacks, instead calling for a swift restoration of dialogue.

Saudi Arabia destroys drone

The Saudi Defense Ministry said it destroyed a drone in the kingdom’s al-Jawf province, which borders Jordan.

Israeli strike targets Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon’s north, killing 2

The Israeli military struck a building in the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp in the coastal city of Tripoli, killing two people, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.

The strike, which hit the area without prior warning and marked the northernmost strike so far, wounded another individual, the Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military did not immediately say who it targeted in the strike.

Located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) north of Beirut and more than 180 kilometers (112 miles) from the Lebanese-Israeli border, Beddawi was targeted during the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024, the Israeli military said in July it struck a Hamas figure in the camp.

Israeli strike kills 3 in southern Lebanon

An overnight Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle on a coastal highway in southern Lebanon, killing three people, Lebanon’s state news agency said.

The highway connects the city of Tyre to Naqoura, a border town near Israel.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military warned residents to move north of the Litani River, which serves as a key buffer line with villages south of it lying closest to the Israeli border.

The number of people killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon in the four days since the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reignited has risen to more than 70, with over 430 people wounded, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Wednesday.

It is not clear how many of those killed in Lebanon were civilians, but the Health Ministry said Tuesday that they included seven children.

Officials with Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group were also killed.