Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Beirut

We’ve been speaking to people at the scene of the overnight strike by the beachfront here in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Mohamad Ali says he fled from his home in Beirut’s southern suburbs when the war began and headed further north into the capital, looking for safety.

“We were sleeping here peacefully and didn’t feel anything until something exploded and we woke up in a panic,” he says. “They said one strike had happened so we went back to sleep, thinking the targeting was over, but then the second strike happened - people started saying that civilians were being targeted and everyone started running,” he adds.

Mohamad says he grabbed two of his children and rushed them away from the area.

He says schools that have been transformed into displacement centres in the city are already full, leaving few options for people who have fled from their homes.

“Where should we go? There’s nowhere to go,” he says.

Israel has not yet commented on the strike but says its military action in Lebanon is targeting the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. Over the weekend, the Israeli military said it had targeted Iranian commanders at a central Beirut hotel. The Iranian government condemned the strike, calling it a "cowardly terrorist assassination of four diplomats”.

Nick Edser
Business reporter

After climbing above the $100-a-barrel mark earlier on Thursday, the price of Brent crude oil has now slipped back to about $97.40 – although that’s still rise of nearly 6% for the day.

The increase comes despite the International Energy Agency (IEA) saying on Wednesday it would release a record 400 million barrels of oil.

Bill Farren-Price, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, tells me the IEA’s move had a limited impact as it had been widely expected and "it is a sticking plaster on a much bigger problem”.

He adds: "The problem is we're losing about 20 million barrels a day of supply from the Gulf and 400 million is a lot but, in the context of a global market that consumes over 100 million barrels of oil per day, you can see the scale of the challenge."

The Strait of Hormuz, the shipping route crucial to global energy supplies, is effectively closed over concerns that vessels could be attacked.

Earlier this week, the boss of Saudi Arabia's Aramco, the world's ‌biggest oil exporter, warned of "catastrophic consequences" for the oil market if the strait remained blocked.

Dearbail Jordan
Business reporter

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says that his country’s navy is not ready to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

He wasn’t saying that on Tuesday. In fact, 48 hours ago, he declared on social media that the US Navy had successfully escorted a tanker through the key waterway.

Oil prices dropped at the good news, only for the tweet to disappear minutes later before the White House confirmed that no, the navy had not accompanied a vessel carrying oil through the strait.

And oil prices shot up again.

On Thursday, Wright told CNBC: “It’ll happen relatively soon but it can’t happen now. We’re simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities.”

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iranian state TV says the first message from new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will be published soon.

In a post on Telegram, it says: “This strategic message, which was issued in seven important sections, contains special points regarding the martyred leader of the revolution, the role and duties of the people, the armed forces, the executive bodies and the resistance front and the countries of the region and confronting the enemies.”

It is not apparent at this point whether this message is in a video or as a written statement - or when it will be released.

In recent days there's been a growing number of reported attacks on ships in the Gulf region.

Three ships were hit by "unknown projectiles" overnight. Two occurred near Iraq, while the third took place near the UAE.

Iran has previously said it will "not allow even a single litre of oil" heading for the US, Israel and their partners to pass through the Strait of Hormuz - a key artery for the movement of global energy supplies.

Usually, about 20% of global oil and gas passes through the narrow shipping lane in the Gulf. Following the outbreak of the war, the oil price has soared.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was responsible for an attack on a US-owned vessel in the Gulf on Thursday morning, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reports.

Fars, which is affiliated to the IRGC, says the American vessel was hit this morning in the north of the Gulf.

Two oil tankers were struck near Basra, in Iraqi waters. One of them, the Safesea Vishnu, is US-owned and sails under the Marshall Islands flag.

Fars has shared a video that it says shows the moment the Safesea Vishnu was attacked. In the video, a massive explosion occurs on a ship on the water during the middle of the night.

Indian authorities earlier said the Safesea Vishnu was struck by a “white-coloured unmanned speed boat carrying explosives” which “rammed into it, resulting in a major fire onboard”. One person was killed and the rest of the crew were rescued.

Fars says the ship "failed to comply" with warnings from the IRGC.

Image source, Fars

American military officials have told Congress that the first week of the war with Iran has cost the US around $11.3bn (£8.4bn), the BBC's US partner CBS News reports., external

The figure is a low-end estimate and does not include the build-up costs of moving military assets ahead of the first strike on 28 February, it says.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons told reporters on Wednesday: "I expect that the total operating number is significantly above that."

For context: The US defence budget for 2026 is around $900bn (£670bn) - in the 2025 fiscal year the US government spent around $7tn.

US-Israeli forces zeroing in on banks and militia checkpointspublished at 11:37 GMT 12 March

11:37 GMT 12 March

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

In the past 24 hours there’s been a sharper focus in US-Israeli targeting. They’ve been zeroing in on national infrastructure and security forces.

Yesterday, Iran's oldest bank, Bank Sepah, was struck by an air strike in Tehran. It’s said to play a key role paying the salaries of Iran's military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

And it’s the crucial run-up to the Persian New Year on 21 March - when salaries and bonuses are paid. That matters to the families of security forces but also for Iranians preparing for this important holiday.

The Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned of retaliation; major international banks in the Gulf states, including Citibank and HSBC, temporarily closed their offices.

And in Tehran last night there were more drone strikes on small street checkpoints of the Basij, a volunteer militia which has played a key role in brutally suppressing protests.

There have been repeated US-Israeli pledges that they'd “create the conditions” for Iranians to take to the streets.

Some would welcome that possibility. But we're hearing from residents that it's also amplifying their anxiety and fear as this war intensifies all around them.

Image source, Supplied

Esme Stallard
Climate and science reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Much of the commentary over the last week on the Strait of Hormuz has focused on the impact on global oil trade.

But blocking this waterway has also stopped supplies of sulphur and sulphuric acid.

It's probably not an element you've thought about before, but it's used in fertiliser, semiconductors - the computer chips used in all electronic tech from mobile phones to electric vehicles - nickel refining, and copper smelting (one of the most-used metals in the world).

About half of global sulphur that is transported by ship goes through the Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf region is one of the largest global manufacturers because sulphur is a byproduct of a particular type of oil, known as sour crude oil.

Last week, prices in China - which takes a lot of global sulphur supply - jumped by 15%, according to commodity analysts Argus.

Earlier, we reported that two shipping tankers were hit by an "unknown projectile" near Iraq.

Fresh photographs taken on Thursday show smoke rising from one of the damaged tankers, which leans to one side in the water.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Image source, Supplied

BBC Persian has seen several screenshots of mass text messages sent to people inside Iran since the start of the war on 28 February.

The messages vary, but include warnings against any upcoming protests and calls for people to unite against the “enemy”. Some were signed by organisations such as the IRGC - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

One message, signed by the IRGC’s Intelligence Unit on 2 March, says that “considering the enemy’s plan for street riots… any movement that disrupts security will be regarded as an example of direct cooperation with the enemy.”

A man in Karaj, a city near Tehran, says: “I don’t watch state TV that often and every time I watch it I hear the same things. The worst thing is that you can’t block some of these numbers to stop receiving texts from them."

Iran earlier this year saw a wave of nationwide anti-establishment protests, that started in late December, prompting the deadliest crackdown in the Islamic Republic's history. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) said it had confirmed the killing of at least 7,000 people during that wave.

Iran Police Chief Ahmadreza Radan warned two days ago on state TV that Iranians who might protest on the streets against the establishment are doing so “at enemy’s bidding” and they will be treated as the “enemy”.

His comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a direct message to the Iranian people, urging them to stand up against the establishment.

What equipment are US and Israeli forces using for strikes?published at 10:59 GMT 12 March

10:59 GMT 12 March

Chris Partridge
BBC News weapons analyst

The US and Israeli military have released dozens of videos of strikes on Iranian equipment and facilities in this war.

Many of the weapons used include GBU-31 JDAMs - 2,000lb penetrating munitions better known as 'bunker-busters'.

Often these are delivered using satellite guidance, but on Wednesday night we saw evidence of how the US military also use laser-designation for placing bombs on target.

This morning US Central Command (Centcom) released a video of strikes on Iranian aircraft at an airbase.

In the video we clearly see the laser hitting the top of the targets. The laser sits in a pod on the attacking aircraft and is pointed at the target by the pilot(s).

Image source, Centcom

The munitions - likely GBU-24s / GBU-54s - once released from the attacking jet, home in on the laser spots by moving control surfaces on the weapon. With the bomb dropped from many thousands of feet, accuracy here is within one or two metres.

Laser-designation is also useful as it can track moving targets. But it is not always best.

Cloud and other atmospheric conditions can greatly degrade the targeting effectiveness, which is where GPS guidance comes in. There are weapons which have both laser and GPS targeting too, so the most appropriate targeting method can be used.

More now from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which says it has struck a "nuclear weapon development compound" during strikes in the "past days in Tehran".

It says: "The ‘Taleghan’ compound was utilized by the regime to advance critical capabilities for developing nuclear weapons."

The site was used to develop explosives and conduct experiments for a "covert nuclear weapon development programme" in the 2000s, the IDF says.

In a statement on Telegram, the IDF says previous strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June 2025 had caused "significant damage" to the programme.

"As such, the IDF has recently identified that the regime has taken steps to rehabilitate the compound after it was struck in October 2024", it says.

For context: Iran has repeatedly denied it is seeking to produce a nuclear weapon and says its programme is only for peaceful purposes, though the country is the only non-nuclear-armed state to have enriched uranium at near weapons-grade level.

The Israeli military says it has struck a "nuclear weapon development compound" in Tehran, Iran, during attacks in "the past days".

We'll bring you more on this in a moment.

What we know about the ships attacked in the Gulf overnightpublished at 10:22 GMT 12 March

10:22 GMT 12 March

By Shruti Menon

BBC Verify has been using ship-tracking data to get more details on three vessels attacked in the Gulf overnight.

Two oil tankers were struck near Basra, in Iraqi waters.

The first, Safesea Vishnu, is US-owned and sails under the Marshall Islands flag, according to ship-tracking website Marine Traffic. It was heading for India.

The second, Zefyros, is Greek-owned and Maltese-flagged and was heading to another Iraqi port, officials said.

A third vessel, the China-owned, Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Source Blessing, was also attacked according to the UK body that monitors shipping in the Gulf (UKMTO). It was struck closer to the Strait of Hormuz, near the United Arab Emirates.

At the time, it was transmitting “China Owner” on its tracking system, a signal some vessels have used during this conflict in an attempt to avoid being targeted by Iranian forces.

Safesea Vishnu was struck by a “white-coloured unmanned speed boat carrying explosives” which “rammed into it, resulting in a major fire onboard”, Indian authorities said.

One person was killed on Safesea Vishnu and the rest of the crew were rescued. There were no reported injuries on the other vessels and their crews are understood to be safe.

Image source, Reuters

With the US-Israel war with Iran now in its 13th day, strikes across the region continue. Here's the latest:

• Israel has announced that it has begun a "wide-scale wave" of attacks on Iran. It has also issued fresh evacuation orders for parts of eastern Lebanon, after officials said at least eight people were killed in strikes in the capital Beirut

• Iranian attacks targeting several countries in the region have continued. Italy says its base in Erbil, northern Iraq was hit overnight, and there have also been reports of drones near Kuwait's international airport
• Meanwhile, three cargo ships were attacked overnight - two off the Iraqi coast and one off the coast of the UAE - with flames seen lighting up the night sky
• And oil prices rose again on Thursday - reaching $100 a barrel at one point, before easing slightly

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

Democrats in the US Senate have written to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers about the strike on a girls' school in Iran at the start of the war, that Iranian officials say killed 168 people - including around 110 children.

US media has reported that US military investigators believe American forces were likely responsible, but have not reached a final conclusion. The Pentagon has said it is investigating.

The letter is from nearly every Democrat in the Senate. It asks Hegseth a series of detailed questions about the strike in Minab – starting with whether the US carried it out.

It questions whether old or faulty target analysis could have led to the girls' school building being hit, and highlights Hegseth's vow that there would be no "stupid rules of engagement" in the war, asking if he had complied with rules to prevent the commission of war crimes.

The strike, if a US role was to be confirmed, would amount to one of its worst single cases of civilian casualties in decades of US conflicts in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump has said without citing evidence he believes Iran carried it out, despite video showing a US Tomahawk missile hit the Iranian military base near to the school (see above).

Asked by the BBC about the strike, Hegseth said last week the US did not target civilians and was investigating it - you can see the exchange below. The Pentagon has been approached for comment about the Senators' letter.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Beirut

I’m at the seafront in the Lebanese capital Beirut, where Israeli strikes hit overnight.

A large area has been cordoned off as officials inspect the scene here today. One military official tells me personnel were still working to deal with unexploded ordnance.

As we have been reporting, Lebanon's health ministry says at least eight people have been killed here after what appeared to be a direct hit on a car, with reports of a second strike after people had gathered to help, causing further casualties.

One man who has been displaced from his home in southern Lebanon and is now staying in the area says he was woken from his sleep by the sound of explosions.

"When I came this morning to see what had happened I saw military and journalists here," he says.

The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strike, which locals say came without warning.

The Israeli military says it has begun a "wide-scale wave" of attacks on Iran.

The strikes are targeting Iranian regime infrastructure across the country, the Israel Defense Forces says in a post on Telegram.

Several drones have targeted Kuwait International Airport, according to the country's state news wire service citing the Public Authority for Civil Aviation.

In a post on X it says the attack caused "material damage without any human injuries".