US-Iran war live updates: Israel bombards Beirut and Tehran as US says strikes on Iran to ‘surge dramatically’

Al Jazeera has reported that Israel’s military chief has warned that the US-Israeli campaign against Iran was moving to “the next phase” and would “further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities.”

“We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.

Zamir issued the statement as a wave of new attacks were reported in Tehran in the early hours of Friday.

China is in negotiations with Iran to allow ships carrying crude oil and Qatari gas safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources.

the war between Israel, the US and Iran has left hundreds of ships at a standstill around the channel which is a critical waterway for about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas. Energy prices have rocketed.

Residents of Dubai have been receiving mass text messages warning them about their use of social media.

According to AP, a message attributed to Dubai police said that “photographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability.”

It comes after Bahrain issued a similar, but sterner warning as war rages across the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump says Iranians have the choice of just two things as he wages war: immunity, by overthrowing the regime, or “guaranteed death”.

Mr Trump said that there had been “47 years of horror” with Iran, and that he refused to live with how the country treated its citizens.

He once again called on the Iranian people to “take back” the country, promising to provide immunity for the past if they overthrow the regime.

“I’m once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military, and the police to lay down their arms. They’re only going to be killed. Now is the time to stand up ... and help take back your country,” Mr Trump said.

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An Iranian Navy vessel the size of a WWII aircraft carrier has been shot by the US are is currently burning apart in the ocean.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced another vessel had been struck, vowing to continue until all of Iran’s Navy sat at the bottom of the ocean.

“U.S. forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy,” a CENTCOM update said on X.

“Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire.”

It follows an Iranian Navy ship being sunk yesterday by a US submarine.

Iraq’s First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed, wife of Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid has called on Donald Trump to leave the Kurdish people alone and not draw them into war with Iran for the benefit of the US and Israel.

“We are not guns for hire,” she said on Iran’s state broadcast channel Press TV.

Her comments come amid reports that Kurdish fighters, armed by the US and Israel after negotiations and potential payments, have entered Iran for a ground incursion from Iraq.

As more than 100,000 Australians remain stranded in the Middle East and desperate to escape the conflict zone, flights are returning home half empty.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the reports were “disappointing” and confirmed that the Government would begin engaging “even more” with airlines to capitalise on any returning flights.

“I’m disappointed with that. We want every seat filled. So, we are seeking to work even more closely with the airlines to try and coordinate that,” she said.

Senator Wong added that her United Arab Emirates counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan contacted her overnight to confirm a further four more flights were expected to depart for Australia on Friday.

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Greens senator David Shoebridge says the Australian involvement in the sinking of the Iranian warship – via being part of the American submarine crew – is an “inevitable consequence of AUKUS”.

“We said from the outset of AUKUS … when the Labor government was saying that Australian troops would be embedded throughout the US nuclear submarine force, that of course they would be involved as a matter of certainty in the next US war,” he said.

“What I think is extraordinary about it is the Australian Government had ultimately no say in this, because the decision was made not two nights ago, not three nights ago. The decision was made years ago – when we chose to go into AUKUS, we handed over our autonomy.”

The US Central Command has released incredible vision of an Iranian drone carrier being bombed.

It says the carrier, now on fire, is the size of a WWll aircraft carrier.

Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, AP reports.

The Israeli army on Thursday night warned residents in the densely populated areas to evacuate.

Traffic in Beirut ground to a halt as panicked residents fled or sought shelter. Many were forced to remain on the roads, including along Beirut’s seaside promenade, sleeping in the cold on thin mattresses.

No casualties have been immediately reported from the strikes.