The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued a new evacuation order for residents of the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon in Lebanon ahead of air strikes.

In a post on X, the IDF's Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee says Israeli forces would be targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in specific areas of the cities in the near future.

The alert follows an earlier evacuation order for people in southern Lebanon, urging residents to move north of the Litani River ahead of strikes.

Israel's ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, says Israeli forces are "ahead of schedule on the war objectives".

Speaking to French broadcaster BFMTV, Zarka says their prediction that the war would last "a few weeks...hasn't changed".

"How many weeks exactly I can't tell you", he says.

On the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father as Iran's new supreme leader, the ambassador says he's not "who the Iranians wanted to choose".

"They’ve [the Assembly of Experts] chosen someone but we don’t know what his goals are or what his relationship with the Revolutionary Guards is," Zarka says. "If he continues to follow the same path of his father, he will also be added to the list of those who must be eliminated."

Image source, Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken about the war with Iran, saying Israel's military action is "breaking their bones".

He says Israel's goal is to free the Iranian people of the "tyranny" of the current regime, but says "ultimately it is up to them".

"There is no doubt that through the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones and we are still active," he says, via the Israeli prime minister's office X account., external

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Overnight, US-Israeli attacks overnight seemed to occur mostly on parts of Tehran and nearby Karaj.

They were worse than the previous night, residents tell us, with some saying they heard repeated attacks over a long period of time.

One Tehran woman in her 20s told me "it seemed different from the nights before".

"There was a strange white light in the sky last night," she said, adding, "when they hit, there were some fluctuations".

Nick Edser
Business reporter

Trading has just started on the London Stock Exchange and the FTSE 100 index has opened up 1.3%

Stock markets had begun to recover last night after Donald Trump’s comments raised hopes the US-Israeli war with Iran would not be a drawn-out conflict

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei share index closed up 2.9%, recovering some of Monday's heavy losses, while South Korea's Kospi gained 5.4%.

Image source, Reuters

On Monday - in his flurry of interviews and news conferences about the war - Donald Trump said the US was considering easing some oil sanctions to combat rising prices.

Trump told reporters on Monday: "We have sanctions on some countries. We're going to take those sanctions off till this straightens out."

"Then, who knows? Maybe we won’t have to put them on – there’ll be so much peace," he added.

Trump told reporters in the same news conference that he had had a "very good" call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Trump said he believes "wants to be helpful".

But Trump did not detail exactly which sanctions, or on which countries, he would look to lift - although the US has already temporarily eased sanctions to allow India to buy Russian oil stranded at sea.

Nick Edser
Business reporter

Following the sharp drop in oil prices overnight, the cost of gas has also seen a significant drop this morning.

As soon as trading got under way, UK wholesale gas prices fell more than 10% to about 123p a therm, which is well below the high of 171p it reached at one point on Monday.

Despite the recent price spikes, gas prices remain well below the 640p-a-therm peak reached in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Image source, Reuters

As the US and Israel continue air strikes on Iran, with Israel also hitting Lebanon, apparent retaliatory strikes from Iran continue to be intercepted by Gulf states:

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a ballistic missile and five attack drones overnight.

The Kuwaiti military says it successfully intercepted and downed six drones.

Following the death of a 29-year-old woman in an attack on Bahrain's capital Manama late on Monday, Bahrain has sounded its warning sirens, while urging residents to shelter.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) defence ministry announced early on Tuesday that it was continuing to intercept "missile and drone threats" from Iran and has deployed air defence systems and fighter jets.

The UAE also said its consulate in Erbil, northern Iraq, was targeted with a drone, causing damage but no injuries.

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iran's national energy company Tavanir has acknowledged that, following explosions overnight in Tehran and nearby Alborz provinces, there were "damage to parts of the power network facilities".

In a statement reported by local media, it said a "number of customers in these regions experienced a temporary power outage" but that "electricity was restored in less than two hours".

Earlier some of those living in these two provinces told the BBC about electricity outage.

Dearbail Jordan
Business reporter

To say oil prices have been rising and falling in the 11 days since the US-Israel war with Iran began would be a vast understatement.

On Monday, Brent crude came within a whisker of $120 a barrel - the highest since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago.

Prices then slid back to $83 as Donald Trump announced that the war is "very complete" yesterday evening. They have since ticked back up to $93 a barrel on Tuesday as the US president said: "We have won in many ways but not enough."

Where do oil prices go now? Who on earth knows.

But at the current rate, Brent crude is still $20 higher than it was before the conflict began on 28 February when it was trading at $73.

And drivers and businesses in the UK are already feeling that via higher petrol and diesel prices.

Image source, Getty Images

The US embassy in Beirut is urging its citizens to "shelter in place" if they are not leaving Lebanon.

In a security alert issued this morning, the embassy says US citizens "should strongly consider" leaving the country on Middle East Airlines flights departing Beirut Rafic Hariri airport, if they believe it is safe to do so.

Beirut and parts of southern Lebanon have been under consistent bombardment from Israel over the past week, which says it is targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Israel has ordered the urgent evacuation of southern Lebanon as it continues to hit the area with air strikes.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Avichay Adraee says Israel is acting "forcefully" against Hezbollah south of the Litani River due to the group's activities in the region.

"We reiterate our urgent appeal for you to evacuate your homes immediately and head immediately north of the Litani River," he writes on X.

On Monday, the IDF said it carried out a series of strikes in Lebanon against Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association (AQAH) targets, a financial association linked with Hezbollah.

The Lebanese health ministry said yesterday that 486 people had been killed since Israel began its offensive earlier this month.

After a tumultuous day in the markets, Trump's comments seemed to have the desired effectpublished at 06:35 GMT 10 March

06:35 GMT 10 March

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

President Donald Trump and his administration have so far offered mixed messages and contradictory explanations on the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

And Monday - the 10th day of an operation that has rattled allies and shaken markets - typified this confusion around the war's timeline and ultimate goals.

After a tumultuous morning during which US stock market indexes dropped and oil prices surged, the American president began speed-dialing reporters in an apparent effort to soothe nerves.

His comments, however, were lacking in clarity even when he was pushed for more detail.

"I have a plan for everything, okay?" he told a reporter from the New York Post when asked about spiking oil prices. "I have a plan for everything. You'll be very happy."

To CBS News, he said the war "is very complete, pretty much". "We're very far ahead of schedule," he added. You can see a summary of his comments in our previous post.

His telephone spree, at least in an economic sense, had the desired effect. Stock markets rallied, and the price of a barrel of oil – which had reached $120 earlier in the day - dropped below $90.

Just days ago, Trump said that he would not stop the war until Iran's "unconditional surrender".

But after his comments on Monday, it appeared as though an end to a military operation that has roiled the Middle East and led to the near complete shutdown of shipping traffic through the Straits of Hormuz could be in sight.

From interviewing with several news outlets to speaking at a Republican conference to delivering a formal press briefing, Trump made several comments Monday about the US war with Iran.

Here is a timeline of Trump's remarks throughout yesterday:

• He told CBS News "I think the war is very complete, pretty much", and said the US was "very far ahead of schedule"
• Speaking to NBC, he left open the prospect of acquiring Iranian oil, saying "certainly people have talked about it"
• In an interview with the New York Post, he said the administration was "nowhere near" making a decision on whether to order US troops into Iran
• Speaking to Republican lawmakers, Trump said the US was drawn into a "short-term" military operation in Iran to "get rid of some very evil people"
• He went on to say: "We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough"
• Trump told the New York Post he is "not happy" with Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, but at his press briefing later did not make clear who he wants to take his place - or how that will be achieved
• At his press briefing, Trump reiterated that the operation in Iran has been a "tremendous success", but also added that he wants to ensure Iran cannot develop nuclear weaponry "for a very long time" - a much bigger task
• The US still has targets in Iran, Trump told reporters, but they could be taken out "in one day"
• Still, he said the war will be over "very soon"
• Later, in a post on Truth Social, Trump said "Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon" Iran, if it stops the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz

On Monday Trump was asked if the US will accept any responsibility for a strike which hit a primary school near a military base in Minab, killing 168 people, 110 of whom were children.

The president responded by saying that Tomahawk missiles, which are made in America and are the type that appears to have been used in the strike, are used by several countries, including Iran.

Later, it was put to Trump that he is the only person in the administration seemingly suggesting that another country could have acquired a US-produced missile and struck the school.

Neither Israel nor Iran are known to possess Tomahawks, experts previously told the BBC.

"I just don't know enough about it," Trump said, adding again that the deadly strike is under investigation.

He added: "Whatever that report shows, I'm willing to live with that report."

You can read BBC Verify's investigation on the circumstances around the strike here. Experts told us the presence of a Tomahawk missile, along with evidence the area was hit with multiple strikes, indicates this was a US operation

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

Image source, Reuters

A leader who has never been fully tested takes the helm in Iran when its theocracy faces its greatest test in five decades.

Continuity and connections have pulled Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, to the top after the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the first salvos of this war.

But Iran's third supreme leader since its 1979 revolution takes charge as the Islamic Republic confronts an existential battle.

For those who still mourn the loss of the many thousands killed in that crackdown on those protests, a harsh, hardline regime seems set to become even harsher.

Mojtaba Khamenei worked for decades in his father's shadow; he knows all the details about how the deep state works when it confronts external threats and internal upheaval.

And this war is no longer just a political fight; it's intensely personal. It's also about revenge.

Mojtaba Khamenei lost not just his father in the Israeli strike on the supreme leader's compound, but also his mother, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, his wife Zahra Haddad-Adel, as well as a son, on that fateful Saturday morning.

Trump is warning that Mojtaba Khamenei "won't last long". He is in Israel's sights too, with Defence Minister Israel Katz calling him "an unequivocal target".

So Khamenei may still remain in the shadows for a while. It will deepen the mystery around this reclusive cleric.

• Read more of Lyse's analysis here

The fall in oil prices on Tuesday is a moment of respite for global markets, but it is not a return to normal yet, especially for drivers at the pump, industry analysts told the BBC.

Petrol prices are fast to rise but slow to fall because sellers will want to sell the fuel they have already bought at a higher cost before reducing charges, said Alberto Bellorin from InterCapital Energy.

"The relief at the pump will take much longer to materialise," he said.

Park Kee Hyun from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies said "uncertainty remains high" despite the drop in oil prices on Tuesday.

Fuel prices will remain "volatile" as companies will charge a premium for shipments to account for any risk of the situation worsening, said Park.

Prices of US-traded crude and Brent have both fallen by more than 6% on Tuesday after surging since the start of the conflict.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Five members of the Iranian women's football team have been granted humanitarian visas in Australia amid fears for their safety after the team declined to sing the national anthem ahead of their match against South Korea last week.

This prompted criticism in Iran, with one conservative commentator accusing the team of being "wartime traitors" and pushing for harsh punishment.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the women "were moved to a safe location" by Australian police. He said other squad members had been told they are welcome to stay in the country.

"They want to be clear they are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe," he said, adding that talks had been going on over several days.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Late on Monday, US President Trump issued another warning to Iran about disrupting 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 in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

About 20% of the world's oil passes through the strait and the war has severely reduced sea traffic and sent global oil prices soaring.

"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!" he said.

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

Monday was the most volatile day of oil trading in world history. The oil price spiralled to $115 (£86) a barrel at one point early in the day, but word soon emerged of an emergency meeting of the G7 finance ministers.

Reports suggested there could be a 300 million-barrel release of emergency stockpiles co-ordinated by the International Energy Agency.

The speculation alone was enough to temper the rise in prices a bit, but they remained much higher than pre-conflict levels.

Then, however, word emerged of what sounded like a pivot away from a long-run war by US President Donald Trump, and the oil price went into freefall, dipping below Friday's close. When Monday's trading day started in Asia the oil price was hovering around $90.

The spiral up can be of little surprise of course when millions of barrels of crude oil are shut in to the Gulf, and when most Gulf countries are now - at best - reporting a slowing of their production, and at worst declaring force majeure shutdowns - a clause freeing them from liability for failure to supply due to events outside their control.

Read more here.