Canada’s PM Refuses to Rule Out Military Involvement in Middle East as US Releases Dramatic Footage of Iran Blitz
By ARTHUR PARASHAR, SENIOR REPORTER and JAMIE BULLEN, LIVE COVERAGE EDITOR and ADAM POGRUND, TRAINEE REPORTER and RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and GETHIN HICKS,
REPORTER and MELISSA KOENIG, US REPORTER
- Iran postpones Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran as Israel launches new airstrikes on capital
- Gulf states including Dubai, Qatar and Saudi Arabia come under assault as Iranian retaliation attacks continue
- Israel has declared it shot down an Iranian fighter jet in the world’s first downing of its kind
- Starmer swipes Trump does not have ‘viable plan’ for Iran war as transatlantic tensions rise
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney remained tight-lipped about whether his country would become involved in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as the United States released dramatic footage of its ‘most lethal’ blitz in Iran.
The Canadian Premier was asked whether he would consider sending troops to the Middle East while on a diplomatic trip to Australia Thursday, to which Carney replied that he ‘can never categorically rule out participation’ and ‘will stand by our allies.’
His remarks came as the US Central Command shared footage showing America’s strikes on Iran in the first ‘100 hours’ of Operation Epic Fury, which officials said is ‘the most lethal, most complex, and most precise aerial operation in history.’
It is now set to involve Kurdish forces, who took position in Iran as part of a military offensive after being secretly armed by the US, according to Jennifer Griffin, Chief National Security Correspondent of Fox News.
An official, cited by Israeli network I24, also claimed fighters began taking combat positions inside Iranian territory on Monday and moved in around the southern mountains of Marivan in western Iran.
The US and Israel are thought to be seeking an armed uprising and have been smuggling weapons to Kurdish volunteers since last year.
Between four and seven US-Israeli helicopters were also said to have conducted an airdrop in the Najaf desert, Iraq, on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah vowed not to surrender ‘no matter the sacrifices’ as it continues to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian-backed terror group has pounded Israel with missiles and drones since Sunday, with Israel responding by sending troops into the south of the country.
Hezbollah has significant political authority in Lebanon but the country’s president Joseph Aoun announced a ban on its military activity, calling it ‘a sovereign and final decision’.
But Naim Qassem, the head of Iranian proxy force who Israel said is ‘marked for elimination’, claimed the group will not surrender.
In his first speech since they resumed fighting with Israel, he said: ‘We are facing aggression… our choice is to confront it until the ultimate sacrifice, and we will not surrender.’
As the war now continues, thousands of US citizens have fled the Middle East on a charter plane.
02:25
CENTCOM details ‘100 hours’ of Operation Epic Fury
US Central Command released a video Wednesday touting the first ‘100 Hours’ of Operation Epic Fury.
In the video, officials describe the campaign as ‘the most lethal, most complex, and most precise aerial operation in history.’
‘Our military in the Middle East is undertaking an unprecedented operation to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten Americans, as they’ve been doing for nearly half a century,’ a narrator says.
‘We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,’ another voice says. ‘Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.’
06:23
More than 17,000 American citizens returned to the US since the war began
More than 17,500 American citizens have returned to the United States from the Middle East since the US-Israeli operation began on February 28, Assistant Secretary of the State Department Dylan Johnson announced late Wednesday.
He said more than 8,500 American citizens returned on Tuesday alone.
‘Many more Americans have left the Middle East to other countries in Europe and Asia, and others have safely departed the Middle East but are still in transit back to the United States,’ Johnson said in a statement.
06:10
Israel says it struck Hezbollah command centers
The Israeli Defense Forces announced that its overnight strikes hit several command centers in the Lebanese capital of Beirut belonging to Hezbollah.
The IDF described the attack as ‘a wave of intelligence-based strikes,’ saying one of the command centers had been used by Hezbollah’s aerial unit.
05:56
China to send special envoy to Middle East for mediation
China has announced it will send a special envoy on the Middle East to conduct mediation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
05:42
Iranian and Israeli ambassadors ask for support in South Korea
Iranian and Israeli ambassadors in South Korea held separate press conferences Thursday, asking for support in the war.
Speaking through an interpreter, Iran’s Ambassador to South Korea Saeed Koozechi demanded Seoul — a key US ally — be more vocal in demanding a halt to what he called an illegal aggression by US and Israeli forces.
He said ‘many coffins would return to the United States’ if it decides to deploy ground forces, and defended Iranian strikes on Gulf states hosting US military bases as unavoidable.
The Israel ambassador in Seoul, Raphael Harpaz, meanwhile, said the US-Israeli military operations aim both to destroy Iran’s nuclear development facilities and ballistic missile sites, and to help free Iranian people from oppression.
South Korea has supported US-led diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions in the past, but has not explicitly endorsed the attacks, instead calling for a swift restoration of dialogue.
05:22
American universities with campuses in the Middle East adjust operations
American universities with campuses in the Middle East have had to adjust their operations and transition to remote learning until further instruction, CNN reports.
- Texas A&M University in Doha: More than two dozen Texas A&M University students were headed to Doha from Texas when the war began and were diverted to Istanbul, Turkey, a university spokesperson told the outlet. The university’s building is currently locked down with no access for employees, students or visitors.
- Georgetown University in Doha: Georgetown University’s campus in Qatar has shifted to online instruction until further notice, according to an update posted on its website. The university’s interim president also said a group of graduate business students were set to begin a program in Dubai on March 1, but Georgetown has suspended the course and is working to bring students back home as soon as possible.
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Doha: VCU Arts Qatar’s dean said in a letter that faculty and staff can leave Qatar and teach remotely – a decision made ‘in the interest of flexibility and personal safety.’ The letter said this option is available to all faculty and staff, not just US citizens, and will not affect their employment status. A university spokesperson told CNN there have been no reports of injuries among VCU Arts Qatar students, faculty or staff.
- New York University in Abu Dhabi: NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus is ‘assisting with the departure of any students seeking to leave the area by identifying and securing travel arrangements, though air travel remains challenging,’ a university spokesperson told CNN, adding: ‘The safety of our students, staff and visitors is our utmost priority.’
05:07
CENTCOM continues strikes on mobile missile launchers
US Central Command said late Wednesday night that it is continuing to strike Iran’s mobile missile launch sites, sharing dramatic video of strikes on trucks.
It said US forces are ‘finding and destroying these threats with lethal precision.’
04:55
At least 80 Iranian soldiers killed after US struck warship
At least 80 Iranian soldiers were killed when a US submarine fired a torpedo at the IRIS Dena, Sri Lanka’s Defense Ministry said.
The Sri Lankan Navy said 32 people have been rescued so far, but 180 people were believed to have been onboard the vessel when the first distress call was received on Wednesday.
04:00
Qatar evacuates residents near US embassy
Qatar’s Interior Ministry announced on social media that authorities will begin evacuating residents that live near the US Embassy ‘as a temporary precautionary measure.’
‘Suitable accommodation has been provided for them,’ the ministry posted on X.
The announcement comes after Qatar attacked Iran with drones and two cruise missiles, all of which were intercepted, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense.
03:40
Five killed in Lebanon, including two at Palestinian refugee camp
Five people were killed in the early morning hours of Thursday in Lebanon, the country’s Health Ministry announced.
It said the Israeli military struck a building at the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp in the coastal city of Tripoli, killing two people.
The strike, which hit the area without prior warning and marked the northernmost strike so far, also wounded a third person individual, the Health Ministry said.
Meanwhile, an overnight Israeli drone strike targeted a coastal highway in southern Lebanon, killing three people.
In total, more than 70 people have been killed in the Israeli strikes in Lebanon in the four days since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah reignited, with more than 430 people wounded.
It is unclear how many of those killed in Lebanon were civilians, but the Health Ministry said Tuesday that they included seven children.
Officials with Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group have also been killed in the strikes.
03:31
Chartered flight for Brits to leave Oman did not take off
The UK Government’s first chartered flight to bring Brits home reportedly did not jet off from Oman on Wednesday night as planned.
Terrified passengers were said to be smashing on windows and having panic attacks as they sat helplessly on the plane on the tarmac.
It had been scheduled to depart from the capital Muscat at 11pm GST on Wednesday, but could not ‘due to the pilot’s hours clocking up’.
It is unclear why the chartered flight did not depart, as other commercial flights have been taking off from the region.
One Brit told of the ‘total s***show’.
They told Sky News: ‘We then got taken to the plane on a bus but had to stay on it for about one-and-a-half hours.
‘No consular staff were present airside. They just left us.
‘People started getting very agitated, banging windows, panic attacks.’
The flight will reportedly take off on Thursday.
