President Donald Trump has claimed the Iran conflict could soon be over and insisted the US is “far ahead” of its “initial timeline”.
Trump said the US has “already won” the Iran war, but added it hasn’t “won enough”.
"We're knocking them out. We know where they all are. We're knocking them out very quickly. We're ahead of our initial timeline by a lot,” he said, giving an update from Florida.
Speaking to House Republicans earlier on Monday, he also said Iran was going to attack all of the Middle East and Israel, claiming: “Israel would have been wiped out.”
It comes after Israel launched new wide-scale strikes against Iran as fighting intensified on Monday.
Nato shot down an Iranian ballistic missile in the alliance’s airspace, Turkey’s defence ministry confirmed. Air defences in the eastern Mediterranean were activated after a missile fired from Iran entered Turkey’s airspace.
The ministry said it would take all necessary steps to protect itself without hesitation. Iran denied firing a missile towards Turkey last week.
Iran has elected Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as its new leader, more than a week after his father was killed in an airstrike.
Key Points
- Oil prices fall after Trump signals war will end ‘very soon’
- Trump says US is 'ahead' of its timeline for Iran war
- Who is Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei?
- Trump warns Iran not to stop the flow of oil in Strait of Hormuz
- RAF fighter jets shoot down and intercept drones heading towards Jordan and Bahrain
- Macron to deploy eight warships to the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East
Trump again suggests Iran struck elementary school
04:25 , Maroosha MuzaffarDonald Trump has again suggested, without evidence, that Iran bombed an elementary school in Minab on 28 February, killing 175 people, including many children.
Video evidence verified by The New York Times shows a Tomahawk missile struck a naval base near the school.
Tomahawks are developed by the United States, and only a few allies possess them; Iran does not have Tomahawks but has its own distinct domestically produced cruise missiles.
Earlier, US Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, admitted America “made a mistake” when a girls’ school in Iran was bombed.
US military investigators reportedly believe American forces were likely responsible for the strike in Minab late last month.
The critical infrastructure that’s so vital to Middle East nations – and vulnerable to Iranian attack
04:18 , Maroosha MuzaffarAttacks on desalination plants mark a dangerous escalation in the Middle East conflict.
Read more here:
The critical infrastructure that’s most vulnerable to Iranian attack
Senator admits US 'made a mistake' with Iranian girls' school bombing
04:00 , Rachel DobkinUS Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, has admitted America “made a mistake” when a girls’ school in Iran was bombed.
"It was terrible. We made a mistake,” he told NBC News’ Sahil Kapur. "Other countries do that sort of thing intentionally, like Russia. We would never do that intentionally. I think the department is investigating it now, and I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry it happened. It was a mistake”.
US military investigators reportedly believe American forces were likely responsible for the strike in Minab late last month, which officials say killed dozens of people, including many students.
US President Donald Trump has claimed Iran was behind the attack.
WATCH: Trump on Iran: 'We're gonna go further'
03:50 , Rachel Dobkin.@POTUS on Iran: "They have no navy, they have no air force... and they have no leadership... We could call it a tremendous success right now as we leave here... or we could go further... but the big risk on that war has been over... we wiped them out in the first two days." pic.twitter.com/uszgOpHZSr
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 9, 2026
Oil prices fall after Trump signals war will end ‘very soon’
03:40 , Maroosha MuzaffarGlobal oil prices dropped sharply in early Tuesday trading in Asia, with Brent down about 8.5 per cent to $92.50 a barrel and US oil down around 9 per cent to $88.60.Prices remain roughly 30 per cent higher than before the war began.
The fall followed Donald Trump’s comments that the war will end “very soon”.
The dip boosted Asian markets, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 up 2.8 per cent and South Korea’s Kospi rising over 5 per cent.
Iran claims missiles growing more powerful and refutes declining numbers
03:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarAn Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps spokesman, Ali Mohammad Naeini, accused US president Donald Trump of falsely claiming that Iranian missile launches were declining.
According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, he claimed that Iran’s missiles were growing more powerful and larger than in the early days of the war.
A New York Times tally shows that Iran has launched over 2,000 drones and 500 ballistic missiles at American allies in the Middle East since the war began, with strikes continuing into early Tuesday.
This count does not include launches at Israel, where authorities have not shared such details.
Five members of Iranian women's football team in Australia granted humanitarian visas
03:21 , Maroosha MuzaffarFive members of the Iranian women’s football team were granted humanitarian visas in Australia after their Asian Cup exit.
US president Donald Trump publicly urged Australia to “give asylum” to the women’s football team. “The US will take them if you won’t,” he added.
He later said he spoke with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, and wrote on his social media that “five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way”.
“In any event, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!” Trump said.
Australia's immigration minister Tony Burke earlier said that the women "were moved to a safe location" by the police.
Australia’s humanitarian visa program provides permanent protection to refugees and individuals in urgent need, allowing them to live, work, and study freely in the country.
Trump says there will be ‘fire and fury’ if Iran disrupts Strait of Hormuz shipping
03:10 , Maroosha MuzaffarDonald Trump has said there will be “fire and fury” if Iran disrupts the shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
"If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far," Trump said online.
"Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!" Trump added.
Oil prices soared to $115 a barrel on Monday but have fallen dramatically in early trading today after Trump’s claim that the war will be over "soon".
White House war promo videos marry action movies, sports and video games to real-life combat footage
03:00 , Associated PressPeaceful and violent, in video game screenshots and movie clips and on professional playing fields, the icons come fast and furious in quick-cut footage — some of the most renowned slivers of 21st-century American popular culture, harnessed by the Trump administration to promote the freshly launched war with Iran.
The White House's social media feed has issued a series of pumped-up videos that mix real Iran war explosions with movie action heroes, gaming footage and bone-crunching football tackles, leading critics like a top cleric of the U.S. Catholic Church to condemn a trivialization of deadly real-life conflict.
Clips from Braveheart, Superman, Top Gun, Breaking Bad and Iron Man. All appear cut between declassified imagery of what is presumably the Iran war. Even the cartoon likeness of SpongeBob SquarePants is spliced in, asking, “You wanna see me do it again?” in between images of buildings, planes and vehicles blown up by American bombs. The caption on one bomb-heavy post: “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” — the title of a post-9/11 Toby Keith song about war that is subtitled “The Angry American."
The fiction-meets-reality product of the White House's aggressive social media team cuts a wide swath through cultural touchstones that resonate with young men, including the video games Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Halo. Two videos feature NFL and college football tackles and Major League Baseball home runs — with the cracks of bats interspersed with explosions.
Read on...
White House war promo videos marry action movies, sports and video games to real-life combat footage
Egypt increases fuel prices up to 17 percent
02:45 , Rachel DobkinEgypt has increased fuel prices up to 17 percent, the Associated Press reported, citing the Petroleum Ministry.
The price of crude oil surged more than $100 a barrel Monday amid the war in Iran.
IRGC: 'Iran will determine when the war ends'
02:30 , Rachel DobkinAli Mohammad Naini, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has said, “Iran will determine when the war ends,” the Associated Press reported, citing Iranian state media.
US President Donald Trump has said its military campaign in Iran may be “pretty well complete”, noting America has “wiped every single force in Iran out, very completely”.
Democrat US sentors demand hearings with defence and state secretary
02:00 , Rachel DobkinA group of Democratic US sentors have demanded hearings with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio amid the Iran war.
“We’re demanding to have a real, transparent oversight of what’s going on with this war and ask the hard questions,” Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey said in a video posted to X Monday.
The Senate must do our job and ensure there is public debate and accountability for this war. pic.twitter.com/kf1CXpkuFS
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) March 9, 2026
“We are demanding a real fight in Congress, a real debate, real oversight, real checks and balances. And if not, I’m saying no more business as usual in Congress”, Booker added.
A War Powers Resolution aimed at stopping US President Donald Trump from launching future attacks on Iran without congressional approval failed last week in the Republican-led Senate.
US senator says Trump 'has no plan or vision' for Iran war
01:45 , Rachel DobkinUS Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has said President Donald Trump “has no plan or vision” for the Iran war.
“He can’t articulate a plan or a vision because he has no plan or vision. He can’t even decide whether or not the country is at war. He’s risking the world economy and the lives of millions on whims and vibes”, Schumer wrote on X Monday night.
Schumer’s comments come after Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth gave different outlooks on the timeline of the Iran war.
Trump told CBS News Monday he thought the war was “very complete.” But Hegseth told the network that it’s “just the beginning.”
Iran to impose duties on oil tankers: report
01:30 , Rachel DobkinIran is planning to impose security duties on oil tankers and commercial ships of US allies in the Persian Gulf, an Iranian source with knowledge on the matter told CNN.
“We hold the screw of the global oil price in our hands and for a long time the US will have to wait for our actions to control the price”, the source said. “Energy prices have become unstable and we will continue to fight until Trump declares defeat.”
The price of crude oil surged more than $110 a barrel Monday amid the war in Iran.
In pictures JD Vance and Pete Hegseth oversee transfer of US service member killed in Iran war
01:18 , Rachel DobkinUS Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have overseen the dignified transfer of the seventh US service member killed in the Iran war.
Sergeant Benjamin Pennington, a 26-year-old from Glendale, Kentucky, was injured in an attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and later died.
29-year-old Bahraini woman dies in Iran strike: officials
01:00 , Rachel DobkinBahrain’s Interior Ministry has announced that a 29-year-old woman was killed in an Iranian strike on a residential building in Manama.
Eight others were injured in the attack, according to Bahraini officials.
MO:A 29-year-old Bahraini woman died and eight people were injured as a result of the blatant Iranian aggression against a residential building in Manama.
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) March 9, 2026
Trump warns Iran not to stop the flow of oil in Strait of Hormuz: 'Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them'
00:40 , Rachel DobkinUS President Donald Trump has warned Iran not to stop the flow of oil in the Strait of Hormuz or else “Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them.”
Read Trump’s full Truth Social post:
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.
“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!
“This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait.
“Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Majority of American voters oppose military action in Iran and 77% expect it will result in a terror attack on US soil, poll shows
00:30 , Rachel DobkinA majority of American voters are opposed to the recent military action in Iran and 77 percent expect it will result in a terror attack on U.S. soil, a new poll shows.
It’s been over a week since the U.S. and Israel began launching strikes against Iran. Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads the U.S. Central Command, has said the goal is to “eliminate Iran's ability to threaten Americans” as President Donald Trump claims the Middle Eastern country was rebuilding its nuclear program and planning to attack U.S. forces.
At least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the war, the Associated Press reported, citing officials in the country. The strikes also killed the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has taken over as Iran’s supreme leader.
A Quinnipiac University poll taken over the weekend found 53 percent of U.S. voters oppose the military action in Iran and just 40 percent support it. Looking along party lines, 89 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of independents oppose the strikes, and 85 percent of Republicans support them.
Read on...
Majority of American voters oppose military action in Iran, poll shows
Trump says Australian PM has offered Iranian women's football team asylum
Monday 9 March 2026 23:59 , Maira ButtUS president Donald Trump has offered the Iranian women’s football team asylum in the US amid fears for their safety.
Trump warned the players could risk death if they return to Iran after they refused to sing their country’s national anthem.
The American leader said that he had spoken to Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese, who had informed him that five of the group had been “take care of” while the rest were being discussed.
“I just spoke to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, of Australia, concerning the Iranian National Women’s Soccer Team,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Monday afternoon.
“He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way. Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return. In any event, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation.”
Trump says he’s willing to accept more US deaths to ‘finish the job’ in Iran
Monday 9 March 2026 23:57 , Rebecca Whittaker
Trump says Iran war ‘is very complete’ and teases a quicker ending
Watch Sam Kiley: Iran’s new supreme leader shows the US is not winning this war
Monday 9 March 2026 23:30 , Rebecca WhittakerWatch: Russia’s secret help to Iran that could enrage Trump
Monday 9 March 2026 23:00 , Maira ButtTrump blames 'Iran or somebody else' for Tomahawk missile that hit a girls school in Iran
Monday 9 March 2026 22:23 , Rebecca WhittakerAndrew Feinberg, the Independent’s White House Correspondent reports:
President Donald Trump has claimed Iran could have fired the Tomahawk missile that hit a girls school in Iran.
"Whether it's Iran or somebody else ... a tomahawk, is very generic. It's sold to other countries, but that's being investigated right now,” he said giving an update on the Iran war from Florida.
"Because I just don't know enough about it. I think it's something that I was told is under investigation, but tomahawks are are used by others. As you know, numerous other nations have tomahawks. They buy them from us. But I will certainly whatever the report, I'm willing to live with that report,” he added.
State media reported that the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, was destroyed in an attack last week during a joint US-Israeli bombing campaign.
The US has said it is looking into reports of the attack on the school, which has been condemned by Unesco as a “grave violation of humanitarian law”.
Watch: Flight schedules update as Middle East conflict enters day 10
Monday 9 March 2026 22:12 , Rebecca WhittakerTrump has said the US will protect oil shipping
Monday 9 March 2026 22:11 , Rebecca WhittakerAndrew Feinberg, the Independent’s White House Correspondent reports:
President Donald Trump has said the US will protect oil shipping and help to keep energy and “oil flowing to the world.”
"I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe's oil supply,” he said giving an update on the Iran war from Florida.
“If Iran does anything to do that, they'll get hit at a much, much harder level. I will take out those targets that were easy and that I mentioned just before will take them out so quickly they'll never be able to recover ever.
“If they want to play that game, they better not play that game. In the long run, oil supplies will be dramatically more secure without the threat of Iranian ships, drones, missiles, nuclear menace, or anything so the Strait of the of Hormuz is going to remain safe."
Trump says US is 'ahead' of its timeline for Iran war
Monday 9 March 2026 22:04 , Rebecca WhittakerAndrew Feinberg, the Independent’s White House Correspondent reports:
President Donald Trump has said the US is “ahead” of their “initial timeline”.
"We're knocking them out. We know where they all are. We're knocking them out very quickly. We're ahead of our initial timeline by a lot,” he said giving an update on the Iran war from Florida.
“I would say that we probably would not have thought after a month we'd be here, in addition to the fact that we've taken out the leadership twice and maybe three times, and we, as you know, we want to be involved one another president that maybe wouldn't be willing to do what I'm willing to do for the good of the world, for the good of our nation, to be stuck with the situation in five years or 10 years from now.
“So we think they should put a president in, or the head of the country in, that's going to be able to do something peacefully for a change."
G7 holds off on releasing emergency oil reserves amid Iran war price surge
Monday 9 March 2026 22:00 , Maira ButtG7 countries have not yet decided whether to release emergency oil reserves, despite prices surging above $119 a barrel due to the Iran war.
France's finance minister, Roland Lescure, stated after an online G7 meeting that there is currently no immediate oil supply shortfall in Europe or the United States.
Oil prices reached levels not seen since mid-2022, driven by supply cuts from major producers and fears of prolonged shipping disruption.
G7 finance ministers agreed to use any necessary tools, including the potential release of stockpiles, to stabilise the market if required.
Western economies coordinate their strategic oil stockpiles through the Paris-based International Energy Agency, established after the 1970s oil crisis.
Trump claims the US has carried out 'most powerful and complex military strikes' the 'world has ever seen'
Monday 9 March 2026 22:00 , Rebecca WhittakerAndrew Feinberg, the Independent’s White House Correspondent reports:
Donald Trump is giving an update on the Iran war from Florida.
He has claimed that over the weekend the US military and the Israeli Defense Forces “continued operation, epic fury, very successfully”.
“Over the past nine days, we've carried out some of the most powerful and complex military strikes and manoeuvres the world has ever seen,” he said.
“Now you add that up to all of the other things, Midnight hammer getting rid of the nuclear threat from Iran, which was a big moment in history, in my opinion, and the great success we've had in Venezuela and all other places, every place we've gone, we've had tremendous success.
“But while we're doing all of these things, we're achieving major strides toward completing our military objective, and some people could say they're pretty well complete. We've wiped every single force in Iran out very completely. Most of Iran's naval power, power has been sunk.
“It's on the bottom of the sea. It's almost 50 ships. I was just notified as 51 ships. I didn't know they had that. Many didn't last very long. And these are fighting vessels. They're meant to fight but they're not meant to fight against us."
RAF jets shoot down drones as fighting intensifies in Middle East
Monday 9 March 2026 21:30 , Rebecca Whittaker
RAF jets shoot down drones as fighting intensifies in Middle East
Trump claims Iran was 'going to attack all of the Middle East and Israel'
Monday 9 March 2026 21:16 , Rebecca WhittakerAndrew Feinberg, the Independent’s White House Correspondent reports:
US president Donald Trump has claimed Iran was "going to attack all of the Middle East and Israel".
“You know, Iran was supposed to be this big, powerful country, we rapped the hell out of them. And, you know, I don't know when they cry uncle, but they should have cried it two days ago, right? But they don't have anything left,” he said speaking to House Republicans.
"This was always a dark cloud hanging over, not only Israel, which was going to get wiped out. That b2 attack, Israel would have been wiped out. They would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks after that.
“And even now, I think they were looking to take over the Middle East, because when you look and we have pretty good proof, all of those missiles that were so stupidly aimed at Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, they were all aimed at others and countries that were sort of like, leave us alone."
Australia to deploy military surveillance aircraft to UAE
Monday 9 March 2026 21:13 , Rebecca WhittakerAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would deploy a military surveillance aircraft to the Middle East.
It comes after a request from the United Arab Emirates and send medium-range air-to-air missiles to help protect civilians.
Mr Albanese said his government would not deploy Australian troops on the ground in Iran. He added Australia's military support would help the Gulf nations to defend themselves against what he called unprovoked attacks from Iran.
'We've already won in many ways' claims Trump
Monday 9 March 2026 21:06 , Rebecca WhittakerAndrew Feinberg, the Independent’s White House Correspondent reports:
US president Donald Trump has claimed the US has “already won”.
He told House Republicans: "We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough. We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long running danger once and for all 47 years.
“It should have been done a long time ago. World would have been a different place had some president had the courage to go and do it. They should have done it many, many times."
Trump says US Navy has sank 46 Iranian ships
Monday 9 March 2026 21:04 , Rebecca WhittakerAndrew Feinberg, the Independent’s White House Correspondent reports:
"The Navy is gone. It's all lying at the bottom of the ocean. 46 ships. Can you believe it?” US President Donald Trump told House Republicans.
“In fact, I got a little upset with our people. I said, What quality of ship? Excellent, sir. Top of the line. I said, why did we just capture the ship? We used it. Why did we sink them? He said, It's more fun to sink them. And he said, they they like sinking them better.
“They say it's safer to sink them. I guess it's probably true. But think of it. We knocked out 46 it actually took three and a half days."
Starmer warns Iran conflict will hit UK economy
Monday 9 March 2026 21:00 , Maira ButtKeir Starmer has issued a dire warning that Donald Trump’s war on Iran will hit the UK economy and cost of living as the cost of oil and gas hit their highest levels for almost four years.
The prime minister’s bleak admission came while he visited a community centre in London with his government making preparations for dealing with spiralling household energy and fuel bills
With the Tories calling for a vote on chancellor Rachel Reeves’ plans to increase fuel duty by 5p in the midst of the crisis, pressure was mounting on the UK government as the price of oil soared above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022.
Qatar lashes out at Iran for ‘dangerous miscalculation that has destroyed everything’
Monday 9 March 2026 20:40 , Rebecca WhittakerQatar’s prime minister has lashed out at Iran for its “dangerous miscalculation” of retaliatory strikes on Gulf countries, describing a sense of “betrayal” among Tehran’s neighbours.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was speaking after Qatar had suffered several missile and drone attacks by the Tehran regime along with our countries across the Middle East. A retaliation to US-Israeli strikes, which has sparked an ongoing 10-day conflict in the region.
Read more here by Alex Croft:
Qatar lashes out at Iran for ‘dangerous miscalculation that has destroyed everything’
Watch: Huge US B-52 bomber lands at UK air base
Monday 9 March 2026 20:20 , Rebecca WhittakerGasoline prices have already jumped 17% since Iran attacks started with oil prices continuing to soar
Monday 9 March 2026 20:00 , Maira ButtGas prices have risen almost 17 percent since the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran began just over a week ago.
Prices climbed again early Monday, hitting an average cost of $3.48 per gallon according to the American Automobile Association.
There are currently big regional variations in how much drivers are being asked to pay at the pumps, however, with California motorists paying as much as $5.20 per gallon, compared to their Kansas counterparts on $2.92,
Gasoline costs are closely tied to oil prices and the latest explosion of violence in the Middle East has badly disrupted the flow of crude oil from the Persian Gulf, sending oil soaring beyond the $100 per barrel mark for the first time since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
Gas prices have already jumped 17% since US attacks on Iran started
'I think the war is very complete,' Trump claims in interview
Monday 9 March 2026 19:31 , Rebecca WhittakerUS president Donald Trump has said the US is “very far” ahead of his initial four to five week estimated time frame, according to CBS correspondent.
In a phone interview, Mr Trump told Senior White House Correspondent for CBS Weijia Jiang, the war could be over soon.
In a post on X she reported that the president said: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force.”
NEW—In a phone interview, President Trump told me the war could be over soon: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force.” He added that the U.S. is “very far” ahead of his initial 4-5 week estimated time frame.
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) March 9, 2026
Nearly 700,000 people in Lebanon including 200,000 children have been forced to flee their homes
Monday 9 March 2026 19:10 , Rebecca WhittakerBel Trew Chief International Correspondent in Beirut reports:
Nearly 700,000 people in Lebanon including 200,000 children have been forced to flee their homes under Israel’s intense bombardment, the United Nations said on Monday.
Many of them have ended up camping in schools, stadiums and makeshift tents along Beirut’s seafront.
There, Ibrahim Nassar, a 42-year-old father-of-three from Aleppo in Syria, said his family had nowhere to go after they escaped Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut that has been the focal point of Israel’s firey campaign.
His family fled bombing and war in Syria in 2014 and have been displaced multiple times since then, most recently last week when an Israeli bomb brought down a building a few doors from them.
They fashioned a tent out of blankets, cardboard and bits of wood and have been camping using sea water for a week.
Now they told The Independent the Lebanese authorities have instructed displaced people to leave the waterfront area and go to one of the designated temporary shelters.
But Ibrahim and his wife Iman say they have been turned away from shelters because they are not Lebanese.
“When the explosion happened it was 2.30am last week. The dust and smoke was black and we couldn’t breathe, so we grabbed the children who were screaming and ran here,” he told The Independent, clutching his youngest who is just four yeras old.
“We have tried to go to the shelters in schools but have been told we can’t.
“We don’t have a car, we don’t have any money, there is nowhere for us to go and no way for us to even go back to Syria.
“If we have to leave here, then we will just be on the road or have to go back to Dahiyeh, which is being bombed.”
Israel continued to pound Dahiyeh on Monday and issued fresh warnings to residents to vacate.
Iran to increase force and frequency of missile attacks, say Revolutionary Guards
Monday 9 March 2026 19:09 , Rebecca WhittakerThe force and frequency of Iranian missile launches will increase, and their range will become wider, state media cited the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force as saying on Monday.
From now on, no missiles will be launched with warheads lighter than one ton, Majid Mousavi said.
Macron to deploy eight warships to the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East
Monday 9 March 2026 19:06 , Rebecca WhittakerFrench president Emmanuel Macron described his naval deployment in response to the Iran war as "unprecedented".
He said he would deploy eight warships, two helicopter carriers and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, during a visit to Cyprus.
Cyprus came under attack on 1 March after the start of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran.
Delay in sending Royal Navy ship 'undermined Britain’s international standing' says shadow defence secretary
Monday 9 March 2026 18:38 , Rebecca WhittakerThe delay in sending a Royal Navy ship to the Mediterranean during the Iran conflict has “completely undermined Britain’s international standing”, the shadow defence secretary said, as he criticised the Government’s response.
Conservative shadow minister James Cartlidge said: “Despite the Secretary of State just saying, and I quote, ‘Since January he has been moving military assets to the region’, there isn’t a single Royal Navy warship present, and our Type 45 HMS Dragon hasn’t even set sail.”
He added: “Last week the Cypriot foreign minister said, and I quote, ‘There are questions about the future of the UK’s military bases on the island’.
“Isn’t the reality that Greece, France and Spain are all sending ships and that Labour’s failure to deploy the Royal Navy to the eastern Mediterranean has completely undermined our international standing, not just in the eyes of our many allies in the Middle East, but also in the eyes of those who can now exploit such weakness?”
Defence Secretary John Healey replied by calling Mr Cartlidge an “armchair general”.
Mr Healey said: “While we have been building up that significant military presence in the Middle East since January, which he, for the first time, has recognised and welcomed, it is totally right that as circumstances change, so should our military posture.”
He criticised the Conservatives’ record in government with the Royal Navy and added: “We only have HMS Dragon available to go to the Middle East today because the Labour Government commissioned it before 2010.”
Embassy staff in the United Arab Emirates withdrawn due to 'security situation'
Monday 9 March 2026 18:30 , Rebecca WhittakerThe UK has “temporarily” withdrawn the dependents of embassy staff in the United Arab Emirates “as a precautionary measure”, the Foreign Office said.
In an update to its travel advice, the Foreign Office said: “Due to the ongoing security situation, as a precautionary measure we have decided to temporarily withdraw the dependents of British Embassy staff from the United Arab Emirates. Our embassies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai continue to operate as normal.”
37,000 British nationals have been evacuated since the start of the crisis
Monday 9 March 2026 18:26 , Rebeca WhittakerDefence Secretary John Healey told MPs that 37,000 British nationals have been evacuated since the start of the crisis in the Middle East and “we will not stop until our people are safe”.
He said: “Many of us as MPs have constituents with friends and family that are caught in the region, worried for the safety of their loved ones, and the Foreign Secretary and the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) teams are working as fast as possible to get our people out of the region.
“Three chartered flights have now taken off, with more to come this week.
“More than 170,000 people have registered their presence, which has allowed us to get them information and support and advice that they need.
“More than 37,000 British nationals have been evacuated since the start of the crisis response, and as the Prime Minister said last week, we will not stop until our people are safe.”
First US bomber landed at RAF Fairford on Friday
Monday 9 March 2026 18:24 , Rebecca WhittakerDefence Secretary John Healey has confirmed that the first US bomber landed at RAF Fairford on Friday, after the UK gave the US permission to use British bases for specific defensive operations.
He told MPs: “I can also confirm to the House that, having given the US the go ahead to use British bases for specific defensive operations into Iran last Sunday, the first US bomber landed at RAF Fairford on Friday”.
He reiterated that these missions are to destroy Iranian missiles at source and are in accordance with international law.
Mr Healey told MPs that the UK is “leading this response to Iranian threats in close coordination with our allies”.
BREAKING: RAF fighter jets shoot down and intercept drones heading towards Jordan and Bahrain
Monday 9 March 2026 18:18 , Rebecca WhittakerRAF fighter jets have carried out military action to defend Jordan and Bahrain overnight, the Ministry of Defence said.
In a post on X the Ministry of Defence said it intercepted a drone that was heading in the direction of Bahrain.
An update on UK operations in the Middle East, 09 March 2026. pic.twitter.com/dXbvxEn1iT
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 9, 2026
Iran’s new supreme leader signs his name on missile aimed at Israel
Monday 9 March 2026 18:00 , Maira ButtMojtaba Khamenei, 56, was appointed the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Sunday.
In one of his first moves in power, a picture of a projectile which featured the words “At your service, Sayyid Mojtaba”, was posted on the state broadcaster IRIB’s Telegram channel.
Mojtaba’s appointment follows the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike more than a week ago, on 28 February.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the political council, the Assembly of Experts, have since pledged allegiance to the new leader over the weekend.
