AJ
Recap of the war between US-Israel and Iran, including the latest political news, and updates on attacks across the regions.
As Thursday night turned into Friday morning, reports were beginning to circulate through Tasnim News and Fars News Agency about the possible downing of a US F15 American fighter jet over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, later denied by US Central Command, who said that this is the sixth time Tehran has made such false claims.
However, around 12 hours later, helicopters and attack aircraft were refuelled over Iraq on route to the Middle East to perform a rescue operation, with reports from Iranian media of clashes between US and Iranian forces, as well as the downing of an helicopter and a plane, but none of this information was verified, until Axios reporter Barak Ravid confirmed the search and rescue operation was ongoing, and by this time, the operation had failed and been called off.
CBS eventually reported that one pilot had been rescued and operations were ongoing to find the other pilot, along with other outlets such as Israeli N12 and NYT, later confirming the pilots ejected safely and landed without injuries as the search continued.
A US Air Force F-16CJ flying out of Iran/Iraq airspace at around the same time as the search and rescue operation squawked 7700 – the universal code for a general in-flight emergency – indicating the crew was dealing with a serious issue, according to tracking specialists EGYOSINT., while War Spectators stated that the American F-16 was hit in the skies of Iran and managed to escape the territory and activated its transponder while in an emergency situation near the Jordanian border with Iraq.
Meanwhile, a Stratotanker that had taken off from Ben Gurion Airport in Israel also had to dump fuel over the Tel Aviv coastline before turning back to land having suffered a malfunction on take off, reported Israeli Channel 14.
Later, the Pentagon confirmed the downing of the F-15, as well as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said that President Trump had already been notified about the downing of the plane and the ongoing search and rescue efforts for the second pilot, as the WSJ confirmed the rescue operations were focused on Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran.
Spokesman of the Iranian General Staff (Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters) Ebrahim Zolfaghari said search operations were ongoing for the navigator of the crashed US F-15.
Bakhtiari tribes in Khuzestan picked up arms and headed to the mountains, searching for the missing American F-15 jet pilot/navigator, saying: “Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”
Iranian state media Mehr News Agency reported that an American helicopter was also hit by an Iranian projectile during the search operations for the missing pilot, but the helicopter didn’t appear to have crashed, as Newsmax later confirmed the Black Hawk was seen trailing smoke as it crossed into southern Iraq from Iran earlier on Friday.
Meanwhile, Iran’s initial reports that a second plane was hit had also been confirmed around 3 hours later by the New York Times, stating that an A-10 Warthog, seen supporting the helicopters initially as a main gunship, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, but the pilot was safely rescued without injury.
Iranian television reported that the IRGC were taking credit for the downing of an A10 Warthog that had occurred around the same time that the F15-E jet was shot down, but the rescue operation had already been carried out and the crew member was safe, as were the crews of two Black Hawk helicopters that had been attacked, according to NBC, stating that both helicopters managed to return to base, while a third Black Hawk allegedly went down in Iraq just after crossing the Iranian border.
A US military helicopter that was carrying the recovered F-15E pilot was hit by small arms fire over Iran, injuring crew members on board, according to CBS News, stating that the helicopter landed safely, and all personnel were now receiving medical care.
The House Armed Services Committee has been notified by the Pentagon that the status of the second F-15E crewmember is unknown, according to the Associated Press on Friday night.
President Trump revealed that the downing of the F15-E and A10 Warthog planes wouldn’t affect any future negotiations, noting that it was just war, but refused to discuss any ongoing search and rescue efforts, stating that it was war, to NBC News, but also expressed dissatisfaction with the media coverage of the incident, describing it as a ‘clearly sensitive and intense military operation.’
Israel suspended airstrikes on Iran while US search and rescue efforts continued for the downed US pilot, reported the AP, noting that an Israeli official also confirmed that Israel is sharing intelligence with the US to support search and rescue operations, but is not active in any on the ground rescue efforts.
General News From April 3rd:
Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnnel announced Army Chief of Staff Randy George has agreed to retire from his position effective immediately, which came hours after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth asked the General to stand down and accept early retirement in order to replace him with someone who was more in tune with Hegseth and President Donald Trump’s way of thinking. NYT later reported that Senior Army Officers reacted with anger and frustration to the news of General Randy George’s dismissal, characterising it as the latest blow to the service.
Florida-based Powerus, a US drone company backed by President Trump’s two eldest sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, are actively pitching military drone technology to the Gulf states amid the ongoing operation with Iran, raising ethical concerns about potential conflicts of interest, as the company currently conducts demonstrations across the Middle East to showcase interceptor drones designed to defend against Iranian attacks. Critics argued the arrangement could allow the President’s family to financially benefit from a conflict initiated under his administration, with a former White House ethics lawyer warning it risks unprecedented overlap between policy and personal business interests, wrote the AP.
Early morning airstrikes by US and Israeli forces targeted the Law Enforcement Command headquarters in Qom, reported Warfront Witness.
Soon after, Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles that targeted Israel, including cluster munitions that could be heard impacting in multiple areas, while one of the missiles reportedly fell into the sea, according to Israeli Channel 12, who published footage to verify the missile landed in the sea, but shrapnel impacts from the cluster munition were reported in the Dan Bloc area of Israel, with no reported injuries by the MDA, and two pieces of metal fell on cars in Petah Tikva.
President Trump took to X before heading to bed for the night, saying: “Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants! New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done FAST!”
US intelligence assessments indicate that roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers remain intact, along with thousands of drones, despite more than a month of sustained American and Israeli strikes on military targets, reported CNN, noting that according to the assessment, a large share of Iran’s drone arsenal and coastal defence cruise missiles remained operational, particularly as many systems have been hidden in underground tunnels and hardened facilities, making them difficult to destroy. Officials maintain that Iran’s military has been severely degraded and that operations are ahead of schedule, but intelligence sources caution that the remaining capabilities could prolong the conflict and complicate efforts to end the war within the timeline outlined by the White House.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning criticised US and Israeli attacks on Iranian infrastructure, stating that Tehran will not succumb to military pressure and that such actions only fuel tensions, adding that the attacks were carried out without UN Security Council authorisation and were inconsistent with international law, as Beijing called for a swift return to peace and stability in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global trade route for goods and energy.
Japan’s planned purchase of 400 US Tomahawk cruise missiles for March 2028 has been delayed as American stockpiles are depleted due to heavy usage in the ongoing war with Iran, reported Bloomberg, stating that Japan had inked the $2.35 billion deal in 2024, with the first shipments already being received this March, although the US has informed Japan that now their top priority is now the conflict with Iran. US Secretary of War Hegseth and Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi had discussed the issue of delay with supplies during a recent phone call.
Kuwait reported a drone hitting Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery on Friday morning, igniting fires in several operational units, but no injuries were reported, stated Warfront Witness, as AMK Mapping later updated that multiple Iranian Shahed-131/136 drones impacted at the refinery which caused the fires to break out.
Soon after, news broke that Iran had attacked a Kuwait power and desalination plant, causing damage, according to the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity, stating that technical and emergency teams were responding to ensure continued operation, in coordination with security agencies, but the IRGC later denied its involvement in the attacks on the plants in Kuwait, insisting that the ‘Zionist entity is the perpetrator.’
Meanwhile, US missiles were targeting Kurdish positions in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, with smoke visibly rising from the region in footage published by Naya news agency.
AWS removed Bahrain’s cloud computing instances from its docs after the AWS were bombed by Iran in Bahrain on Thursday night, while Dubai’s government media office took to X to deny reports that the IRGC had struck the Oracle data centre in Dubai at the same time.
An E-3 Sentry entered European airspace coming from mainland US, en route to the Middle East, which is a likely replacement for the destroyed plane at the Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia last week, bringing the total airframes deployed by Centcom AoR back to six.
US Air Forces also deployed B-52 bombers over Iran on Friday afternoon, reported Fox News, citing military officials, and soon after, TabzLive reported that US/Israeli airstrikes were being carried out on Tehran, Iran.
Democratic voters and activists are increasingly angry at the Party’s elected officials for not focusing enough on stopping the war in Iran and Trump Admin corruption, as the approval within the Party loyal towards its leadership remains at all time lows.
Bahrain’s Defence Forces announced it had intercepted 188 missiles and 445 drones targeting the country since the start of the ‘Iranian aggression.’
Jordanian Armed Forces said they had intercepted two missiles launched from Iran in the previous 24 hours, adding that two injuries were caused along with material damage in the governorates of Zarqa and Karak, in the east and south of the country, but IRGC reported there were casualties among the US military after their bases were targeted by missiles in Jordan, according to War Spectators.
Iran has reportedly shot down 156 drones over Iranian territory so far, according to Iranian state television, noting that these included multiple expensive reconnaissance drones which were supposedly capable of avoiding Iranian air defences.
UAE reportedly dealt with 18 ballistic missiles, 4 cruise missiles, and 47 drones, according to the UAE Ministry of Defence, reported Al Jazeera.
IRGC stated that the 92nd wave of Operation Truthful Promise 4 struck radar systems and naval equiment of US forces in the region and in Israeli territory, with targets including US amphibious vessels at Shuwalkh port, an AR-327 long-range radar at Bahrain’s Jebel Dukhan site, and Israel’s Ramat David airbase near Haifa, adding that more than 50 points in Tel Aviv were allegedly hit, and a second US fighter was allegedly shot down over central Iran, according to the claims.
32 Israeli fatalities and thousands of injuries have been reported since the start of the war due to Iranian rocket attacks and Hezbollah’s bombardment of Israel, reported Times of Israel and Quds News Agency.
ADNOC’s Habshan gas facilities in Abu Dhabi temporarily suspended services on Friday after a fire broke out due to an Iranian attack, as Abu Dhabi Media Office confirmed falling debris from a missile interception fell at the facilities and sparked a fire, adding that operations were suspended allowing authorities to respond and no injuries had been reported. The facility is the UAE’s main site for collecting and processing gas from onshore and offshore fields.
In an update from Abu Dhabi authorities, it was reported one Egyptian national died during the fire at the gas facilities following the debris fall from a missile interception, noting that two fires had broken out but emergency teams acted swiftly to bring the situation under control, adding that four individuals (two Pakistani and two Egyptian nationals) had sustained minor injuries, however, significant damage was caused at the facilities and an investigation was ongoing.
Iran launched a ballistic missile towards northern Israel at just before 11am local time, which was intercepted by Israeli forces, but multiple impacts from debris were reported in the Krayot area, as one of the impacts ignited a vehicle in a residential parking lot while another directly hit a building causing significant damage.
US military have evacuated 1,500 US Navy personnel, their families, and hundreds of pets from the Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain after a series of Iranian strikes, a Navy official told NPR.
Kuwait News Agency reported that a call had taken place between the Crown Prince and the British Prime Minister to discuss the deployment of a British air defence system in the Kuwaiti territory.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister told Al Jazeera that they continued to work with Pakistan and Turkey to prioritise diplomacy, stop escalation, and ensure the security and freedom of navigation.
Reports began to surface from Naya of explosions shaking the Emirati city of Ajman, with Al Jazeera later confirming the fall of the rocket fragments after a successful interception fell in the Ajban area, but Naya later reported that an initial toll of 12 injuries had been reported by Emirati authorities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday: “We are eliminating the commanders, bombing bridges and targeting infrastructure, and in full coordination between me and Trump, and between the IDF and the United States military, we will continue to strike Iran.
Trump announced new strikes on Iran, confirming they had attacked several bridges overnight and in the early hours, and that the next targets would be the energy sector, unless Iran agrees to a deal.
Residents of Hong Kong are currently facing the most expensive gasoline prices in the world, priced at 15.6 US dollars per gallon, due to the ongoing war with Iran, reported CNN.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on X: “Does threatening to send an entire nation back to the Stone Age mean anything other than a massive war crime? This was the question I asked my Finnish counterpart, who is a jurist. History is full of those who paid a heavy price for their silence in the face of criminals.”
Multiple violent explosions were reported in Kuwait due to a violent attack with rockets and drones, as reports began to surface from War Spectators that a direct hit had occurred near Kuwait International Airport.
US and Israeli strikes were carried out across different parts of Tehran this evening, targeting the Mehrabad areas in the west, Velenjak in the north, and areas to the east of the capital, which caused damage in multiple locations, including near the Shahid Beheshti University, allegedly targeting a warehouse next door to the Laser and Plasma Research Institute building, and targeting the Pardis Technology Park located 20km northeast of Tehran, as well as the Kharramdasht Industrial Zone.
Emirates Global Aluminium Company said its Al Taweelah complex in Abu Dhabi – one of the largest aluminium production complexes in the world – suffered major damage from the recent Iranian missile and drone attacks, forcing a full evacuation and emergency shutdown of the facilities including the smelter, casting house, power plant, alumina refinery and recycling plant. The company said restoring primary aluminium production could take up to 12 months, while some operations at the refinery and recycling plant may resume sooner depending on the extent of the damage.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni travelled to Saudi Arabia this weekend, with stops planned in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as the PM looks to assure regional partners that Italy was doing everything they could to support them, and to strengthen Italy’s energy security through closer ties with regional producers.
An Iranian missile crashed shortly after launch around 3pm Iranian time, pictured near the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, which was later verified with video footage showing the missile initially rising before falling immediately, and it appeared to have been fired from the southwestern part of the airport, where an ammunition depot and air defence site is located.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei demanded explanations from Saudi Arabia and the UAE regarding a Chinese-made Wing Loong II UAV that was shot down over Shiraz, stating: “This may be yet another conclusive piece of evidence of the involvement and active complicity of some regional countries in the crime of aggression and war crimes committed by the United States and Israel against Iran.”
Three heavy airstrikes were delivered to the headquarters of anti-Iranian Kurdish terrorist parties in the Koy Sanjaq area of Erbil in just tree minutes, reported Al Jazeera, Naya, and Fars News Agency, while further reports suggested the headquarters of the Iranian opposition party Komala was struck in the Koye district of the Erbil province.
Reports from intel specialists and OSINT teams stated that the target of Iran’s ballistic missile strike was a drone factory in Petah Tikva, but Israel failed to report that the missile had impacted, or that any damage had been caused, despite numerous videos and reports to the contrary.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf took to X to mock the US: “After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war that they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please? Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute Geniuses.”
Syria appeared to be entering the war on Friday evening, as a triple-sided barrage of rockets targeted Israel from Syria’s Jund al-Karrar brigades, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Iran’s IRGC, with missile debris reportedly falling in Kafr Kanna, northern Israel, that damaged military equipment that was near a building. Reports suggested that Iran had launched several missiles from Tehran, Qaemshahr, Semnan, Meybod, Shiraz and Khomein within a 30 minute period, despite repeated strikes on these launch sites through the war, showing that Iran continues to maintain the ability to carry out sustained missile launches from them. During the barrage, an interceptor struck a house in Gesher Haziv, reported Channel 12, stating the attack had been combined with Iran and Lebanon, causing massive damage.
Israel Army Radio was told by a senior Israeli official that there were many risks in Iran and they always take them into account, such as the possibility of aircraft being hit, because the Iranians were constantly firing at the aircraft, adding that the Iranians are creative in setting up ambushes against aircraft, so they needed to learn the methods and adapt.
Following the sound of explosions in Bagdad, reports surfaced from Naya stating that drone strikes had occurred at the Victoria Air Base near Baghdad Airport.
President Trump posted to X, saying: “With a little more time, we can easily open the Hormuz Strait, take the oil and make a fortune. It would be a gusher for the world.”
Efforts led by Pakistan to broker a US-Iran ceasefire have stalled, with Iran refusing talks in Islamabad and rejecting US demands, so Turkey and Egypt are now exploring alternative venues, including Doha and Istanbul, while proposing new ideas to revive negotiations, reported the Wall Street Journal.
An Iranian official later told Fars News Agency that the US had proposed a 48-hour ceasefire via a third country, stating that Iran had rejected it by continuing heavy attacks instead of ‘providing a formal response.’
Qatar is refusing to take a leading mediator role in the Iranian war, The Wall Street Journal reported, stating that the decision complicated further efforts to broker a peace deal.
Iranian state media Irib News reported that the death toll from yesterday’s US attack on the Middle East’s highest bridge, the B1 Bridge, in Karaj, had now risen to 13 deaths.
The Pentagon has added Operation Epic Fury to its officlal casualty database, noting that 365 people were wounded in action, including 247 Army, 63 Navy, 19 Marines and 36 Air Force personnel, while the death toll stood at 13 deaths.
Warnings of potential Iranian threats targeting American-affiliated universities in Lebanon amid the ongoing regional conflict was issued earlier, according to L’Orient-Le Jour, stating that several institutions, including the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University, temporarily shifted to online learning as a precaution, while Lebanese authorities increased security measures around educational facilities, and the warnings follow broader Iranian threats against US-linked universities in the region after recent strikes on academic institutions in Iran.
IRGC Navy Command took to X on Friday evening stating: “On behalf of your brothers in the Navy, we congratulate the self-sacrificing children of the Armed Forces’ Air Defence on today’s victories – it is time that, following the dismissals in the US Army, the commander of the US Air Force should also be added to that list.”
As Friday night came to a close, Israel resumed strikes on Iran, with several powerful explosions heard in eastern Tehran, before more were heard in Zafraniya, Fulanjak, and Karaj, soon after followed by several explosions that were heard in Tehran simultaneously with the activation of air defences, reported War Spectators and Irib News, as air strikes were also recorded on Ferdows and an explosion occurred in Pars. Despite the attacks that were ringing around Tehran, protestors still gathered in the streets chanting against the United States and Israel which coincided with the sounds of the explosions from the attacks. In the featured video, intense attacks were also recorded on the mountainous area near northern Tehran’s Jamshidiyeh neighbourhood.
Huge explosions were also reported in Bahrain as a Patriot missile interceptor from the American Patriot system fell on the Bahraini island of Sitra, specifically in the village’s residential area, with footage circulating showing major damage in the area. Shortly after the attack, the IRGC announced the destruction of the long-range early warning radar “327-AR” using suicide drones at Jabal Dukhan in Bahrain.
Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said: “After Trump mocked Macron, the latter got so upset he even said some smart things about the US operation in Iran being a futile adventure. Wait till Trump slams him harder. Maybe he’ll concede that Russia is right in its conflict with Banderite Kiev and sanctions are useless.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a statement saying that as the war continues in the Gulf, the prices of oil are skyrocketing all across the region – this oil price increase has also engulfed Pakistan: “My brothers and sisters, we all pray to God to end this war as soon as possible and to establish peace,” he said, adding: “The government of Pakistan, myself, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Field Marshal Asim Munir have been working day and night to establish peace with a sincere heart – we will continue to perform our duty until the flames of the fire are extinguished.”
Iran is rapidly digging out and repairing underground missile bunkers and silos, often restoring them within hours after US and Israeli strikes, according to the NYT, but despite claims of major damage, US intelligence says Iran still has a significant number of missiles and launchers meaning they can keep attacking, however, launch rates have dropped, which could mean Iran is conserving assets, hiding them underground, or using decoys, which makes it hard to fully assess or eliminate its capability.
Naya reported that Iranian Revolutionary Guards defensive forces managed to shoot down two cruise missiles, two MQ9 drones and a Hermes drone in the past 24 hours, along with the planes and helicopters that were targeted on Saturday.
Strait of Hormuz:
Three Omani vessels, which included two oil supertankers and one LNG carrier, were transiting through the Strait of Hormuz outside of Iran’s approved corridor on Friday morning, sailing unusually close to the Omani coast, according to Lloyd’s List, noting that if successful, they would be the first AIS-tracked vessels in nearly three weeks to pass through the Strait without using the Iranian corridor and would also mark the first LNG shipment to transit since the start of the war.
Japanese ship co-owner Mitsui OSK Lines said on Friday that a Japanese LNG tanker had also been allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which is the first Japanese vessel to do so since the war began.
French-owned CMA CGM container ship, CMA CGM Kribi, successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first French-linked container vessel to do so since the war began, which came following President Emmanuel Macron’s condemnation of Trump’s war, and the vote from France in the UN to veto the forceful opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which the leaders stated their positions coincide on the need for a prompt ceasefire in the Persian Gulf area.
