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

Four Emirates flights from the Middle East to Australia will arrive in three Australian cities shortly, with Penny Wong confirming arrivals are slated for Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

“We had a third flight which has just landed in Melbourne. We’ve got another flight which is arriving later this morning. It’s the first flight from Abu Dhabi,” she told ABC radio.

“What my counterpart told me is that we’ve got four Emirates flights over the next 24 hours. Two to Sydney, one to Melbourne and one to Perth. Now obviously all of this is subject to change.”

“We’ve got about 24,000 Australians in the United Arab Emirates, fewer in Qatar. But that gives you a sense of the scale.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned for the elimination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in November 2025, with the fatal strike originally slated for June, Israel has confirmed.

Defence Minister Israel Katz made the stunning claim on Israeli TV network Channel 12 TV, saying discussions took place from November.

“Already in November, we held discussions with the prime minister in a very small forum. The prime minister set the objective: to eliminate Khamenei,” he revealed.

“In consultation with the IDF and the Mossad, the target date was ultimately set for the middle of the of the current year (2026), around June, to carry this out.”

Mr Katz said that US assistance in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader was not seen as certain, with the country preparing to complete the strike alone if needed.

“We prepared under the assumption that we might have to carry it out on our own.”

Mr Katz said that unrest in Iran in late 2025 brought an “opportunity”, with the US becoming more involved.

“There was joint planning, and afterwards a joint operational planning process,” Mr Katz said.

“I think the only person in the world, the only leader who could have created such cooperation with President Trump, is Benjamin Netanyahu.”

Iranian strike in Dubai

Israeli strikes in Lebanon

Explosion in Azerbaijan

Sri Lankan officials have confirmed that Iranian navy crew members have fled an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean over fears that a US submarine may sink another vessel.

Sri Lanka’s president confirmed on Thursday that 208 crew members had been taken off the ship after the US sank an Iranian frigate earlier this week.

The US has made clear that one of the objectives of war is to destroy all of Iran’s naval assets.

US President Donald Trump says he wants the United States to play a role in choosing Iran’s next leader and has encouraged Kurdish opposition groups to go on the offensive.

Trump said in a telephone interview with Reuters it was very early in the process of picking a new leader but that the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was an unlikely choice, without elaborating.

“We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future,” Trump said.

“We don’t have to go back every five years and do this again and again ... Somebody that’s going to be great for the people, great for the country.”

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