Live Reporting
Edited by Emily Atkinson, with BBC Persian and teams in Beirut, Doha, Jerusalem, Dubai, and on the Iran–Turkey border
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Iranian footballers being driven back to Iran from Turkeypublished at 10:15 GMT
Dan Johnson
Reporting from Van, Turkey, near the Iran border
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Iranian women’s football team landed in Igdir, in the east of Turkey, around noon local time (09:00 GMT) and are now being driven to the Iranian border crossing at Gurbulak.
They were seen arriving in Istanbul on Tuesday, wearing their national tracksuits, after a long journey flying from Australia via Malaysia and Oman.
Turkish media reports that after clearing customs and passport control they left the airport last night under police escort heading to a hotel.
Seven women initially claimed asylum in Australia after the team declined to sing the Iranian national anthem ahead of their opening Asia Cup match.
Five then changed their minds and decided to return to Iran with the rest of the team. Human rights groups say they may have been pressured by threats against their families.
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UN’s maritime organisation holds special meeting in Londonpublished at 09:54 GMT
Image source, ReutersAn extraordinary session of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) is being held in London this morning.
It comes after the head of the organisation, Arsenio Domingue, said that military escorts are not a long-term solution to opening up the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s busiest oil shipping channel.
Concerns are growing for the thousands of seafarers stranded in the Gulf. Today’s meeting will focus on what can be done to protect their safety and wellbeing.
At least eight seafarers have been killed by the fighting since the Israeli-US war with Iran began. The head of the organisation, Arsenio Domingue, has said he fears further “collateral damage”.
IMO regulations require ships to be “sufficiently and efficiently manned” and vessels in the Gulf remain potential targets.
This meeting may lead to a statement condemning what’s happening – but only an end to the fighting can truly protect those who remain stranded at sea.
- What is the Strait of Hormuz and why does it matter?
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Israel says Beirut strikes targeted Hezbollah’s ‘financial arm’published at 09:46 GMT
Image source, Getty ImagesIsrael says its strikes in Beirut overnight – which Lebanon says killed at least 10 people and injured another 27 – were targeting the financial arm of Hezbollah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it hit assets of al-Quard al-Hasan, which it claims funds Hezbollah’s military and payroll.
It also says its air force and navy carried out overnight attacks on “command centres” in southern Lebanon.
On Tuesday, it says it struck weapon storage sites that had been “deliberately embedded” within the civilian regions of the Lebanese city of Tyre.
Image source, Getty Images -
Beirut death tolls rises to 10 following Israeli strikes – state mediapublished at 09:27 GMT
Image source, Getty ImagesThe death toll from Israel’s overnight strikes in Beirut has risen to 10 from six, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
Citing the nation’s health ministry, it reports that the total number of wounded from the strikes has also risen to 27 – up from the 24.
- You can read more about Trump’s comments here.
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Funeral to be held for top Iranian officials killed in strikespublished at 09:08 GMT
Iran announced on Tuesday that both Larijani and Soleimani had been killed in Israeli strikes, with Iranian army chief Amir Hatami threatening “decisive” retaliation following the deaths.
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Trump has ‘completely misunderstood’ Nato, says former UK diplomatpublished at 08:50 GMT
Image source, EPAUS President Donald Trump has accused Nato members of making a “foolish mistake” by refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passed pre-war.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he had been informed by most allies that they did not want to get involved in the conflict.
“We don’t need any help” from Nato, but “they should’ve been there”, he said, calling their reluctance to send mine-sweeping vessels to the Gulf “unfair”.
Israel says 192 in hospital following Iranian strikespublished at 07:57 GMT
Image source, ReutersImage caption, It follows Iranian strikes that killed a man and a women in their 70s in Tel Aviv overnight
Israel’s health ministry says 192 people have been injured and taken to hospital in the past 24 hours.
The health ministry says four of those injured are in “moderate” condition, while 177 are being treated for “minor injuries”. It is not clear what condition the remaining 11 people are in.
IDF renews evacuation order for southern Lebanonpublished at 07:30 GMT
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has issued another evacuation order for residents of southern Lebanon who are south of the Zahrani river, about 40km from the border.
Israel’s military last week expanded its evacuation order for southern Lebanon, telling civilians to immediately move north of the river, about 40km from the border.
In a statement on X, IDF spokesperson Avichai Adraee said: “Hezbollah terrorist activities are forcing the IDF to operate forcefully against them in that area, and they have no intention of harming you…
“To ensure your safety we urge you to move immediately to the area north of the Zahrani River. Remaining south of the Zahrani River could endanger you and the lives of your families.”
It follows a wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon overnight and into this morning.
Buildings reduced to rubble in central Beirutpublished at 07:25 GMT
New images show the extent of damage following Israeli strikes on central Beirut overnight.
Lebanon’s health ministry has so far reported that at least six were killed and 24 injured in the attacks.
Beirut wakes to damage from overnight Israeli strikespublished at 05:40 GMT
These pictures from Beirut, Lebanon’s capital city, show the extent of the damage after Israeli strikes overnight.
The health ministry says at least six people were killed and 24 others injured – that number was given before another volley of missiles which came after Israel issued an evacuation warning.
Lebanon was pulled into this conflict a few weeks ago when Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia Muslim political and military group, launched rockets and drones into Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader and repeated Israeli strikes.
Death of Ali Larijani deepens crisis at heart of Iran’s leadershippublished at 05:32 GMT
Amir Azimi
Editor, BBC Persian
Image source, Anadolu via Getty ImagesThe Israeli air strike which killed Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, has removed one of the Islamic Republic’s most experienced and influential policy makers at a critical moment.
Larijani was not a military commander, but he was a central figure in shaping Iran’s strategic decisions.
As secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, he sat at the heart of decision-making on war, diplomacy, and national security.
His voice carried weight across the system, particularly in managing Iran’s confrontation with the United States and Israel.
His death comes amid a broader campaign in which several senior Iranian officials and commanders have been killed within a matter of weeks. This pattern suggests a sustained effort to weaken Iran’s leadership structure during wartime.
Despite his hardline stance against the West, Larijani was often described inside Iran as a pragmatist. He combined ideological loyalty with a technocratic approach, favouring calculated strategy over rhetoric.
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Trump has ‘completely misunderstood’ Nato, says former UK diplomatpublished at 08:50 GMT
Image source, EPA
US President Donald Trump has accused Nato members of making a “foolish mistake” by refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passed pre-war.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he had been informed by most allies that they did not want to get involved in the conflict.
“We don’t need any help” from Nato, but “they should’ve been there”, he said, calling their reluctance to send mine-sweeping vessels to the Gulf “unfair”.
Lord Peter Ricketts, a former permanent representative to Nato and ex-chair of the UK’s National Security Council, tells BBC Radio 5 Live this morning that Trump has “completely misunderstood Nato”, which was “set up as a defensive alliance”.
“[This] a war of US choosing. We were not consulted on it. And it was never part of the Nato deal that allies had to follow America into any war that it chose to undertake.
He adds: “What he means, of course, is that if we are going to support Nato countries in your area, then we expect your support everywhere else.” This is “a wake-up call to all European countries” to work more closely together.
