By The Associated Press
The U.S. military launched a rescue operation Friday after Iranian state media reported that an American fighter jet went down and at least one crew member ejected, according to an Israeli military officer. Israel is helping with the operation, said the officer, who was briefed on the information and spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a U.S. announcement.
Social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where the Iranian channel said at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet. It would be the first time the U.S. has lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the five-week war. The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command didn’t immediately respond to several messages seeking comment. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “President Trump has been briefed.”
The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles). An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to “shoot them if you see them,” referring to social media footage circulating of what appeared to be U.S. aircraft in the area.
The war now entering its sixth week is destabilizing economies around the world as Iran responds to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region’s energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will keep hitting Iran “very hard” in the next two or three weeks.
Here is the latest:
US officials are being informed about the rescue operation in Iran
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has been notified about the situation with the pilot in Iran, his office said.
The Defense Department has notified the speaker and said it would provide further updates.
The U.S. military has been conducting a search and rescue operation in Iran, according to three people familiar who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitivity of the situation.
Gas tanker affiliated with Japan makes it through the strait
A liquefied natural gas tanker co-owned by Japanese and Omani companies has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a first passage of a Japan-affiliated vessel through the waterway since the start of the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran, Japan’s NHK public television said.
The Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said the Panamanian-flagged tanker Sohar LNG, also owned by Oman Shipping Company, crossed the strait Friday and is now out of the Persian Gulf, NHK reported.
The tanker was among 45 Japanese-affiliated ships stuck in the area since the start of the war in the region. Mitsui did not disclose other details, such as the ship’s destination, citing security reasons, NHK said.
Four US planes had already gone down during the Iranian war
Four U.S. military planes had gone down during the Iran war before Friday’s search and rescue operation — three fighter jets hit by friendly fire over Kuwait and a refueling tanker plane that crashed in Iraq following an incident with another U.S. aircraft.
The KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq while supporting operations in Iran. All six crew members aboard the aircraft died. U.S. officials attributed the crash to an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and said the other plane landed safely.
Separately, three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly targeted by friendly Kuwaiti fire. All six crew members ejected safely.
US has launched a rescue operation after Iranian state media says American fighter jet went down in Iran, AP source says
The U.S. military rescue operation launched Friday after Iranian state media said an American fighter jet went down over southwest Iran and at least one crew member ejected.
Israel is helping the United States with the search and rescue operation, according to an Israeli military officer briefed on the information who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a U.S. announcement.
Social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where the Iranian channel said at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet.
It would be the first time the U.S. has lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the five-week war. It was not clear if the jet was shot down or crashed. The number of crew on board was not immediately known.
The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command didn’t immediately respond to several messages seeking comment. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “President Trump has been briefed.”
Bahrain cracks down on dissent as Iran war reignites internal unrest
A man detained in Bahrain as the island came under missile attack from Iran vanished for days, until his family was called to a military hospital to retrieve his body, covered in slash marks and bruises. The death of Mohamed al-Mousawi has become a flashpoint in the Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority country on the war’s front lines, where critics say authorities have revived tactics used to suppress Arab Spring protests in 2011.
Bahrain, a monarchy that hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, has arrested dozens of people for filming airstrikes and demonstrations or expressing support for Iran.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said al-Mousawi was arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran — allegations denied by his family — and that images of his wounds were “inaccurate and misleading.” A Bahrain government statement said the country is defending its national security and denied any sectarianism, saying authorities have acted lawfully and that independent bodies investigate allegations of abuse.
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Iranian motorcyclist describes a tale of two cities in wartime Tehran
A woman in her forties says she has made a point of riding a motorcycle around Tehran as “a form of civil resistance.” Cruising the capital’s streets has also shown her two faces of the wartime capital, she said.
Faced with years of protests, Iran’s Islamic rulers have recently eased enforcement of the mandatory veil and other restrictions on women, including harassing female motorcyclists.
A downtown resident, the woman said she rode uptown to the capital’s richest areas, where she found the cafes were packed.
“Now I’m outside on my motorbike. I stopped by the side of the street. There was an explosion. Several people sitting on chairs by the café, looked up, glanced at the sky and started drinking coffee again,” she messaged The Associated Press, communicating anonymously for her safety.
In other parts of Tehran, she said, “the streets where a building has been damaged and destroyed, or the houses around it, are different. It’s like Gaza. Silence. The smell of death.”
— By Amir-Hussein Radjy
Iranian authorities urge expanded search for ejected pilot
Authorities also urged Iranians to search for the American pilot in neighboring Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, in addition to Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.
Tehran resident says the fate of Iranians hangs between two powers that don’t care for the people
The 26-year-old Tehran resident fears an escalation in the war that targets infrastructure could leave civilians without power or water, but said the survival of the Islamic Republic’s theocratic rulers leaves her “more anxious than the bombing.” She spoke on condition of anonymity and through secure channels for security reasons.
“Based on what Trump has been saying, once again I realized that we, the people of Iran are nothing but tools and playthings between these two ideologies and powers of the world,” she said. “Neither our lives nor our well-being matters to anyone. Not to our rulers, who killed (thousands during the January protests) nor to the First World, which has always pursued its own interests.”
The young Pilates instructor has stopped her teaching, she said, because “My body doesn’t want to.” She said the mood in Tehran “is dark” as parts of the city feel empty during the new year holidays, which end Friday. “It is full of checkpoints and there is very little traffic.”
— By Sarah El Deeb
Israeli strikes kill 1,368 since Israel-Hezbollah war began
Over the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes killed 23 people and wounded 98, the Lebanese health ministry said Friday.
The ministry said that the overall death toll includes 125 children and 91 women, since Israel launched intense airstrikes across Lebanon after the Hezbollah militant group fired rockets toward northern Israel in solidarity with Iran on March 2. The strikes have also wounded 4,138 others.
Among those killed are 53 health workers, while Israeli strikes have targeted 83 emergency medical service facilities, the health ministry said.
Trump’s wartime presidency has Republicans in peril in upcoming elections
A year and a half after winning the White House by promising to lower costs and end wars, Donald Trump is a wartime president overseeing surging energy costs and an escalating overseas conflict that many in his own party do not like. And he offered little clarity to a nation eager for answers this week during his prime-time address.
It’s hard to overstate how dramatically the U.S. political landscape has shifted. At this time last year, many Republican leaders believed there was a path to preserve their narrow House majority and easily hold the Senate. Now they privately concede that the House is all but lost and Democrats have a realistic shot at taking the Senate.
“You’re looking at an ugly November,” warned veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse. “At a point in time when we need every break possible to hold the House and Senate, our edge is being chipped away.”
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United Arab Emirates defends against air attacks
The UAE ministry of defense said on Friday that its air forces engaged with 18 ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles and 47 drones, according to a statement posted on the social media platform X.
Trump calls for $1.5 trillion boost in defense spending alongside cuts in domestic spending
The increase in spending is the largest such request in decades as the president emphasizes U.S. military investments over domestic programs.
Trump’s plans for the Pentagon were confirmed in a White House outline of Trump’s 2027 budget proposal released Friday. The White House summary says Trump’s proposal would reduce nondefense spending by 10% by shifting some responsibilities to state and local governments.
Even before the U.S.-led war against Iran, the Republican president had indicated he wanted to bolster defense spending to modernize the military for 21st-century threats. Separately, the Pentagon last month proposed $200 billion for the war effort and to backfill munitions and supplies.
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Iran keeps attacking with missiles and drones
Israel’s military said Friday afternoon that missiles had been launched from Iran toward the country.
Bahrain’s state-owned news agency said Friday that the country’s air forces intercepted and destroyed 16 drones in the last 24 hours.
Explosion wounds three UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon
The explosion Friday inside a UN position near the southern town of El Adeisseh injured three peacekeepers, two of them seriously, according to a spokesperson for the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.
“All are currently being evacuated to hospital,” Kandice Ardiel said, adding that the origin of the blast remains unknown.
Two other peacekeepers were killed Monday when their vehicle was struck by an explosion of unknown origin, a day after another peacekeeper was killed in a separate incident in southern Lebanon, where intense fighting between Hezbollah and Israel is ongoing.
The UN has said the deaths are under investigation, while Israel has denied any involvement.
In another reversal, Trump expresses interest in the U.S. keeping Strait of Hormuz open
The president said in a post on social media Friday morning that “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A “GUSHER” FOR THE WORLD???”
Trump’s comments seem to fly in the face of his remarks over the past week, including days ago when he said that ensuring safe shipping through the vital waterway was ‘not for us” and instead lashed out at other nations, including America’s allies, for not stepping in to police the strait from Iranian attacks on vessels.
The president’s Friday comment seemed to reflect remarks he made in private this week in which he expressed a desire to continue the war and try to seize Iranian oil, but said it “is unfortunate” that there did not seem to be patience among the American people for such an effort.
Israeli strike hits worshippers leaving mosque in West Bekaa, killing 2
The drone strike also wounded 11 people as they were leaving Friday prayers in the town of Sohmor in eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
The Lebanese Health Ministry did not immediately release its official casualty count.
Iranian media show American aircraft over area where it said pilot ejected
Iranian state media soon after shared images online of what appeared to be American aircraft flying over the area, including helicopters, planes and drones.
The public request for help suggests the Iranian military, police and security services maintain a small presence in the rural region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles).
The province is mainly home to Iran’s Lur people, many of whom are farmers. The extreme south of the province is the start of Iran’s oil fields in the area.
Iranian state TV affiliate claims US pilot ejected over southwestern Iran
U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon and White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
This province is about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of Iran’s capital, Tehran. Its provincial capital is Yasuj. It is an intensely rural, mountainous area of Iran, home to around 600,000 people.
The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles). An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to “shoot them if you see them,” referring to social media footage circulating of what appeared to be U.S. aircraft in the area.
The Iranian channel showed metal debris in the back of a pickup truck while making the announcement. Iranian state media then shared images online of what appeared to be American aircraft flying over the area, including helicopters, planes and drones.
A major explosion from an airstrike struck Iran’s capital, Tehran, around the same time Friday afternoon. It wasn’t clear what had been hit.
At least 12 people were injured by missile shrapnel in UAE
Shrapnel from a missile interception in Abu Dhabi’s Ajban area on Friday left at least 12 people hurt. Officials said seven of those injured were from Nepal and five from India.
Churches in the UAE also announced they will be closed over Easter Sunday due to orders from the government as the war continued.
Israel says it will occupy new positions inside Lebanon in coming days
Israel’s military said Friday it will soon be able to say it has established new defensive lines in order to prevent direct fire on communities in northern Israel.
Army spokesman Nadav Shoshani said Israel will establish control and defense for its communities coming under “immediate fire” posing an “imminent threat.” Shoshani said Israel has killed at least 1,000 Hezbollah militants since the start of the operation.
French-linked container ship transits Strait of Hormuz
The CMA CGM Kribi, sailing under a Malta flag and operated by French shipping company CMA CGM, became possibly the first vessel with links to France to pass through the strait since Iran effectively closed it, according to the MarineTraffic website.
The ship departed waters off Dubai on Thursday and arrived Friday off Muscat, Oman, MarineTraffic data showed. CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping company, declined to comment when contacted by AP.
Traffic through the strait has dropped by about 90% since the start of the Iran war. Only about 150 vessels, including tankers and container ships, have transited the strait since March 1, according to data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Most were linked to Iran and countries including China, India and Pakistan.
Iran’s civilian casualties are mostly from strikes on state-linked sites, monitor says
Civilian casualties in Iran were clustered around strikes on government-linked sites “rather than indiscriminate bombardment” of urban areas, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, the U.S-based group known as ACLED.
Iran reported at least 1,973 people were killed since the start of the war. The deadliest attack was on Feb. 28 on a school near a Revolutionary Guard base in southern Iran, killing over 160 civilians, most of them children.
ACLED said most of the recorded incidents resulting in civilian casualties happened after strikes on security or military sites in densely populated areas. It documented under 100 such attacks.
Targeted assassinations of government and security officials were the second most documented cause of civilian casualties. ACLED said it documented nearly 50 strikes on specific floors or using heavy ammunitions that destroyed entire buildings. In nearly 40 incidents documented by ACLED, strikes on civilian sites repurposed by security forces, such as sports complexes where they sheltered as their bases come under attack, led to civilian casualties.
British prime minister condemns drone attacks on Kuwait oil refinery
Kuwait blamed Iran for the drone attacks that sparked fires at its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery Friday. There were no injuries reported.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated the U.K.’s support for Kuwait in his call with Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Sabah, his office said.
Britain’s defense minister said this week that it was deploying an air defense system to Kuwait as part of efforts to protect its interests in the region.
Ireland’s defense minister cancels trip to Lebanon
Helen McEntee had been due to meet with Irish troops serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon after her visit Wednesday to Kyiv, Ukraine. But she said the Irish military warned that it was too dangerous after three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed this week in southern Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Hezbollah.
Abu Dhabi shuts gas field over reported debris from interception
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shut down Habshan gas facilities Friday after a reported interception of a missile rained down debris and started a fire.
Ukraine says it’s willing to support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine could contribute to protecting maritime routes if invited, citing experience gained from keeping Black Sea shipping lanes open under sustained Russian attack.
“If we are invited, we will help,” Zelenskyy said, without elaborating. “The strait must be unblocked.”
Kyiv’s offer comes as it deepens cooperation with Gulf countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, shifting toward a long-term role as a security partner. Ukrainian teams have already been deployed to the region to advise on air defense, infrastructure protection and maritime security.
Amnesty warns Iran is recruiting children as young as 12
Amnesty International is warning Iran that its recruitment of children as young as 12 for the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force amounts to a war crime. The Guard has put out the call recently as the Basij finds its checkpoints under attack during the war with the United States and Israel.
Amnesty also said that eyewitnesses and its own analysis of video footage “show child soldiers having been deployed” to checkpoints and patrols, some armed with weapons including Kalashnikov-style assaults rifles.
“As U.S. and Israeli strikes hit thousands of (Guard) sites, including Basij facilities, across the country, including through drone attacks targeting security patrols and checkpoints, the deployment of child soldiers alongside (Guard) personnel or in their facilities puts them at grave risk of death and injury,” Erika Guevara-Rosas of Amnesty International said.
Kuwait says attack damaged a desalination plant
The attack came after an oil refinery was hit by drones Friday morning.
Kuwait said without elaborating that the attack on the desalination plant caused “material damage to some of the plant’s components.”
Desalination provides the majority of the water for the Gulf Arab states and Iran, drawing the salty waters of the Persian Gulf into drinking water for the desert region. About 90% of drinking water in Kuwait comes from desalination.
Desalination plants have become a major target in the war, with Iran initially accusing the U.S. and Israel of striking one before beginning to target them in the Gulf Arab states. Those states view attacks on desalination plants as a threat to their very livelihoods.
Zarif suggests low enrichment, regional nuclear facility for a deal
Iran’s former top diplomat suggested Tehran could down-blend its highly enriched uranium in a deal to end the war.
Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested Iran could enrich uranium below 3.67%, the level set by the 2015 nuclear deal Trump pulled America out of in 2018. Trump has maintained that Iran must have no enrichment at all.
Zarif also suggested the inclusion of China and Russia in any deal, to establish a single uranium enrichment site for the entire region, where Iran “would transfer all its enriched material and equipment to that space.”
That is a proposal suggested in previous rounds of talks.
Zarif also suggests Washington and Tehran could “explore dispatching diplomats to serve in their respective interest sections, restoring consular services and removing travel restrictions on each other’s citizens.”
The U.S. and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since 1980, when President Jimmy Carter severed ties over the hostage crisis.