Iran news and live updates: Iran’s presidential offices hit as Hezbollah to fight ‘open war’ with Israel

The US embassy in Riyadh has issued a security warning urging American citizens in Saudi Arabia to remain indoors.

In a post shared on X, the embassy said:

The US Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting non-essential travel to any military installations in the region – we recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately.

The US Mission to Saudi Arabia continues to monitor the regional situation.

The alert was issued after a Saudi defence ministry spokesperson reportedly said two drones struck the embassy, sparking a fire.

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia has reportedly been struck by two suspected Iranian drones, according to sources who spoke to CNN.

No injuries were reported, said one of the sources.

The diplomatic compound, based in the Saudi capital Riyadh, is understood to be among several American facilities Iran has targeted as part of its retaliatory attacks linked to the ongoing US-Israel military campaign.

The alleged strike comes just hours after the country’s largest oil refinery, Ras Tanura, was forced to shut down.

Shrapnel from an intercepted drone reportedly ignited a fire that ripped through the site.

Anthony Albanese also addressed the outbreak of war in his remarks to the caucus.

He said it would be causing distress to the many Australians with family and friends in the Middle East.

“We stand with the people of Iran against an oppressive regime, and Iran, through the IRGC, had organised attacks on our own soil,” he said.

Penny Wong has told colleagues the fact the major transport hubs in the Middle East had been attacked is massively hindering the ability to help stranded Australians.

The Foreign Minister gave a comprehensive update on the Middle East situation to a small committee of Labor MPs on Tuesday morning, then a briefer version to the full caucus meeting.

“The major transport hubs have previously been part of a solution in getting people home - this time, they are part of the problem,” she told the larger meeting, according to a senior Labor source.

“The hubs being hit means the number of people affected has massively increased and our capacity to help them has been massively reduced.”

The Israeli military says it has killed Islamic Jihad’s top commander in Lebanon.

“Abu Hamza Rami carried out hundreds of terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, including recruiting and training terrorists and procuring weapons,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday. the IDF said on X.

Rami has “managed the movement of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists along the Syria-Lebanon border and their activities against IDF troops in southern Lebanon,” the IDF said.

“His elimination has significantly degraded PIJ’s ability to carry out terrorist operations against Israel.”

Kuwaiti locals have captured video of the moment they assisted an American F-15 fighter pilot who had been shot down in a friendly fire incident.

The images that have been verified by The New York Times shows the dazed pilot near theor parachute with the fiery wreckage of the aircraft in the background.

The US confirmed the incident after the Kuwaiti military shot down three American jets on Monday, with all six crew members able to ejected safely.

“You’re fine?” a man asks the aviator.

“No problem, you’re safe. Thank you for helping us,” the man adds after the pilot confirms she is OK.

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Australians stranded in the Middle East because of flight cancellations and airspace closures will probably find it fastest to rely on commercial flights resuming to get home, the Government says.

The best advice was for people not to cancel flights themselves, but keep in close contact with their airline and travel agent, as well as registering on Smartraveller, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite said.

“It wouldn’t be practical to try and fly a hundred-odd thousand Australians out on military aircraft. So, the best option will be commercial flights,” he said.

“Once the airspace begins to open, we’ll begin advising Australians in the different parts of the region the best place to go to get those commercial flights.”

The State Department has issued urgent warnings for US citizens in the Middle East to leave immediately due to “serious safety risks”.

The latest advice has been issued for people currently in Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Australia is considering contingencies on how to bring home tens of thousands of citizens stranded in the Middle East as the US-Israel war on Iran widens.

There are about 115,000 Australians in the region, with most unable to leave due to the closure of air spaces as a result of the conflict.

US and Israeli air strikes launched on Iran killed its leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior officials.

Defence Minister Richard Marles described the situation as a “very significant consular challenge”.

Read the full story here.

The Strait of Hormuz is closed and Iran will fire on any ship trying to pass, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards senior official says.

It’s Iran’s most explicit warning since telling ships it was closing the export route on Saturday, a move that threatens to choke a fifth of global oil flows and send crude prices sharply higher AAP reports.

“The strait (of Hormuz) is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guards and the regular navy will set those ships ablaze,” Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the Guards commander-in-chief, said in remarks carried by state media on Monday.

The strait is the world’s most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.