Middle East

Negar, who lives in Toronto, Canada, says her family have been managing to make short calls to reassure her they are okay, knowing how anxious she was during the deadly anti-government protests in Iran in January. These have done little to allay her worries. BBC News

Mohammed, aged five, and Othman, aged seven, were killed alongside their parents, the Palestinian health ministry says. BBC News

Gazans were urged to take shelter as a sandstorm swept across the enclave on Saturday. Most of the more than two million Palestinians living in the enclave are displaced, living in tents or buildings heavily damaged by the war with Israel. First responders operating under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry warned …

The Palestinian armed group also affirms Tehran’s right to defend itself from “aggression” by the US and Israel. BBC News

People in Iran are questioning who’s really in charge after Mojtaba Khamenei’s first address came via a presenter on state TV. BBC News

“This is the culmination of what [Netanyahu] has tried to rebrand as the War of Redemption, which in his mind started on October 7, 2023. And this is – if not the last war – then the big war against Iran,” said Neri Zilber, a journalist based in Tel Aviv …

BBC Verify examines the impact of new image restrictions from major satellite provider Planet Labs. BBC News

Among those racing across the city was Hussein Fakih, the regional head of the government-run Lebanese Civil Defence – the country’s primary firefighting, first aid and rescue force. He said he had been seeing the same things “almost every day” since war resumed on 2 March between Israel and the …

The US Central Command says rescue efforts are under way after a refuelling aircraft went down over western Iraq. BBC News

Six ships have been reportedly attacked in the Gulf in less than 48 hours, bringing the total vessels attacked during the war to 18. BBC News

The UAE says more than 1,800 drones and missiles have been projected at the country since the war began. BBC News

US president Donald Trump has said Iran’s men’s football team is “welcome” at the 2026 World Cup but that it is not “appropriate” for them to be there “for their own life and safety”. Trump’s comments come after Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, said his country were …

Iranian attacks are reported in Bahrain and Oman as two foreign fuel tankers are hit near Iraq. BBC News

Some Israeli strikes also hit other parts of the Lebanese capital, with eight people reportedly killed along the seafront. BBC News

Despite communication restrictions, the BBC was able to speak to several Iranians who oppose the government and who initially did not oppose the idea of military action against the Islamic Republic, particularly after another uprising attempt and nationwide protests were subdued in what has become the deadliest protest crackdown in …

As the bombing in Iran continues, the country’s inhabitants are facing tough choices about whether to remain in the country. At a crossing with Turkey in north-west Iran, about 1,000 people a day are making the crossing – a comparable number to before the war. Speaking to the BBC’s Dan …

Iranians say they are sheltering at home and rarely venturing out on near-empty streets as the US-Israeli bombing campaign continues. BBC News

Three commercial vessels were damaged by “unknown projectiles” on Wednesday, maritime authorities said, with investigations into the causes ongoing. BBC News

Six Palestinians have been killed during attacks by settlers in the West Bank since the start of Israel’s war, the UN says. BBC News

The passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz – the world’s busiest oil shipping canal – has been severely disrupted amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. Timelapse footage shows a fall in the flow of ships passing through the narrow shipping lane since the US-military offensive began on 28 …