Middle East crisis live: Israel bombards Tehran and Beirut as US says it expects ‘surge’ in attacks | World news

Four people have been arrested by counter terror police on suspicion of assisting Iran, the Metropolitan police said.

The men, one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals, were arrested this morning shortly after 1am in Barnet and Watford.

In a statement, the Met police said: “The men were arrested on Friday, 6 March on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.

“The country to which the investigation relates is Iran.

“The investigation relates to suspected surveillance of locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community in the London area.”

Police said six other men were arrested in Harrow on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Cmdr Helen Flanagan, the head of counter-terrorism policing for the Met police, said: “Today’s arrests are part of a long-running investigation and part of our ongoing work to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it.

“We understand the public may be concerned, in particular the Jewish community, and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.”

More than two-thirds of Spaniards (68.2%) are opposed to the US/Israeli attacks on Iran, according to a new survey published as Donald Trump continues his fierce criticisms of Spain over its refusal to allow jointly operated bases in Andalucía to be used in the ongoing strikes.

The poll, conducted for El País, found that 45% of those surveyed strongly disagreed with the war, while another 23.2% were somewhat against it. Meanwhile, 8% of those surveyed strongly agreed with the military action, while 15.2% were somewhat in agreement with it.

Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has incurred Trump’s wrath for refusing permission for the bases to be used, and for questioning the thinking behind the war. Trump has responded by threatening to cut of all trade with Spain.

In a blunt speech on Wednesday, Sánchez compared the growing conflict in the Middle East to playing “Russian roulette with the destiny of millions” and said his country would “not be complicit in something that is bad for the world – and that is also contrary to our values and interests – simply out of fear of reprisals from someone”.

Sánchez’s stand against Trump elicited more invective from the US president on Thursday. In an interview with the New York Post, Trump once again railed against Spain for refusing to accept Nato’s proposal for member states to increase their defence spending to 5% of their GDP. He also took aim at the UK again over its perceived lack of support for the military operation.

“We have a lot of winners, but Spain is a loser, and UK has been very disappointing,” Trump said in a phone interview with the Post. “[Spain is] very hostile to Nato.”

“They don’t pay their – they’re the only one that voted against the 5% payment, and they’re very hostile to everyone … Not a team player, and we’re not going to be a team player with Spain either.”

Jamie Grierson

The UK deputy prime minister, David Lammy, has said that 6,500 people have now returned to the UK from the UAE since the US and Israel launched its attacks on Iran.

Lammy confirmed the numbers to broadcasters including Sky News and the BBC today.

Israeli attacks hit the Iranian capital Tehran overnight as the IDF announced a “new stage” in its campaign against Iran, with US and Israeli officials hinting at escalating strikes.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said his military has completed the initial stage of “surprise opening blow” and that it was “now moving to the next phase of the campaign” with surprises ahead.

“We will intensify the strike on the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities,” he said in a statement carried by the Times of Israel.

“We have additional surprising moves in our hands, which I do not intend to reveal.”

His remarks followed an announcement by US defence secretary Pete Hegseth that “firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically”.

US president Donald Trump has ruled out sending troops to Iran, saying it would be a “waste of time”, but indicated he would like to see Iran’s leadership structure removed. “We want to go in and clean out everything,” he said.

The IDF also conducted renewed strikes against what it described as Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Hundreds of thousands of people in the southern suburbs of the city were ordered to leave their homes by the IDF yesterday, causing scenes of panic.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they had fired missiles towards Tel Aviv after an earlier wave of explosions caused a blaze at a residential building in the city.

If you’re just joining us, here is a quick recap of the day so far:

• The US granted Indian refiners a 30-day waiver to buy Russian oil after the US-Israel war on Iran sparked fears of a supply crunch, lifting global prices. Barely a month ago, Donald Trump claimed India had agreed to stop purchasing oil from Russia, in a shift that he said would “help END THE WAR in Ukraine” by cutting off a key source of funds for Moscow. The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, insisted this temporary waiver, designed “to enable oil to keep flowing” into the market, “will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government”.

• The IDF carried out a wave of 26 strikes on what it describes as Hezbollah infrastructure in the Dahiya neighbourhood, a densely populated commercial and residential area in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The IDF had earlier issued forced evacuation orders for the whole population of Beirut’s southern suburbs – home to 500,000 people – sparking widespread panic and leading to huge queues of traffic as people tried to flee. It comes in spite of calls from world leaders including Emmanuel Macron urging Israel not to expand the war into Lebanon. According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli strikes have killed at least 123 people and injured 683 in Lebanon since Monday.

• Trump has pushed back against Iranian claims that it is ready for a ground invasion by US and Israeli forces. “They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy,” the US president told NBC News, without citing evidence for the claim. “They’ve lost everything they can lose.” More on that here.

• The Iranian leadership council met ahead of selecting new supreme leader, state media reported. State TV reported a leadership council met and discussed how to hold a meeting of the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the nation’s new supreme leader. The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the assembly would meet in person or remotely for the vote.

• Trump also said he must “be involved in the appointment” of Iran’s next leader as he was in Venezuela, and dismissed the idea of the assassinated ayatollah’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeding his father as supreme leader as “unacceptable”. Trump has spoken in vague terms about who he wants to lead the country, but declined to provide specific names. More on that here.

• The war has escalated each day, now affecting an additional 14 countries across the Middle East and beyond. On Thursday, Azerbaijan accused Iran of drone attacks, which Tehran denied.

• The first government-chartered plane evacuating British nationals has landed in the UK. The plane took off from Muscat, the capital of Oman, at 1.36pm GMT on Thursday and arrived at London Stansted just before 1am on Friday. More on that here.

• Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives has voted down a Democratic-backed measure to halt hostilities with Iran, as Republicans cleared the way for Trump to continue the conflict that has drawn in countries across the Middle East, but criticised as having unclear goals. Our story here.

• The UK’s defence secretary, John Healey, has declined to rule out Britain joining US-Israeli strikes on Iran. More on that here.

• Canada’s top general said allies were in talks about possibly helping Gulf states defend themselves. The defence chief, Gen. Jennie Carignan, said a meeting was set for Friday to discuss such a proposal among allied militaries, and the Canadian Armed Forces would present a recommendation to the Canadian government. She did not specify what type of support this might involve but said Canada is not taking part in the US bombing of Iran and confirmed the discussions were not about participating in Operation Epic Fury.

• The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he received a request from the US “for specific support” in dealing with Iran’s Shahed attack drones, as the US and its allies in the Middle East seek Ukraine’s expertise in countering such attacks from Russia. “I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. More on that here.

Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel to shore on Friday after the ship sought assistance while anchored outside the country’s waters, AP reports.

The move comes amid mounting tensions in the Indian Ocean, following the sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine.

Sri Lanka navy spokesperson, commodore Buddhika Sampath, said the sailors of the IRIS Bushehr were being brought first to the port of Colombo and the ship will later be moved to an eastern port on the island.

“The disembarkation is in progress,” he said, adding the sailors would be taken to the naval base at Welisara, about 20 kilometres north of Colombo, after medical exams and immigration procedures.

Iranian state television said on Friday that a leadership council met and discussed how to hold a meeting of the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the nation’s new supreme leader, AP reports.

The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.

The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the assembly would meet in person or remotely for the vote.

The assembly has been meeting virtually, after their compound in the city of Qom was hit by Israeli strikes.

Donald Trump has said he must “be involved in the appointment” of Iran’s next leader and dismissed the idea of the assassinated ayatollah’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is being heavily tipped to succeed his father, as “unacceptable”.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi later told NBC it was “the business of Iranian people” to decide who will succeed the former Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Israel Defence Force says it conducted “a broad-scale wave” of 26 strikes in the Dahieh area of Lebanon overnight, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

“Among the targets were an executive council’s command center and a facility storing UAVs used for attacks against Israel.

The IDF had earlier issued forced evacuation orders for the whole population of Beirut’s southern suburbs – home to 500,000 people – sparking widespread panic and leading to huge queues of traffic as people tried to flee.

It comes in spite of calls from world leaders including Emmanuel Macron urging Israel not to expand the war into Lebanon. According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli strikes have killed at least 123 people and injured 683 in Lebanon since Monday.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia warned Israeli residents on Friday to evacuate towns within 5 km (3 miles) of the border.

“Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged,” Hezbollah said in a message posted on its Telegram channel in Hebrew.