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Mojtaba Khamenei chosen as Iran's next supreme leader, Iranian state media reports

PHOTO: Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is seen in Tehran, October 30, 2024.
3:05
AFP via Getty Images
US strikes in Iran aim to protect vital shipping route
By David Brennan, Jon Haworth, Kevin Shalvey, Leah Sarnoff, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, Bill Hutchinson
Last Updated: March 9, 2026, 8:06 AM

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His successor is yet to be named.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

(Read previous Iran live updates here.)

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Key Headlines

  • Iran’s near-total internet blackout continues, tracker says
  • Israel warns of strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs
  • Israel says its working to intercept Iranian missiles
  • Iranian missiles, drones targeting UAE, ministry says
  • US orders evacuation of non-emergency government employees from Saudi Arabia
  • More missile and drone attacks reported in the region
Here's how the news is developing.

Mar 09, 2026 8:06 AM

Iran’s near-total internet blackout continues, tracker says

A near-total internet blackout in Iran entered its 10th day on Monday, with connectivity at about 1% of its normal level, according to NetBlocks, a web tracker.

"As regional hostilities intensify, some 90 million Iranians are silenced and cut off from the global internet under a state-imposed shutdown," the tracker said on social media on Monday.

⚠️ Update: #Iran's internet blackout has entered its tenth day with connectivity at 1% of ordinary levels after the 216th hour.As regional hostilities intensify, some 90 million Iranians are silenced and cut off from the global internet under a state-imposed shutdown. pic.twitter.com/FNrSKvqBBP

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) March 9, 2026


Mar 09, 2026 7:34 AM

Israel warns of strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs

The Israeli military said it would "operate with force" on Monday against what it described as Hezbollah-related targets in Beirut's southern suburbs, saying it was issuing a warning for residents in the area to evacuate.

PHOTO: Smoke plumes rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on March 9, 2026.
Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images
Smoke plumes rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on March 9, 2026.
Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images

"In the coming hours, the Israel Defense Forces will operate with force against the terrorist infrastructure of Al-Qard al-Hasan Association, which constitutes a central element in financing Hezbollah's terrorist activities and harms the Lebanese economy in service of Iranian interests," Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Isreal Defense Forces, said in Arabic on social media.


Mar 09, 2026 6:39 AM

Israel says its working to intercept Iranian missiles

Iran on Monday launched missiles toward Israel, which the country’s defenses were working to intercept, the Israel Defense Forces said.

PHOTO: Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli center coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on March 9, 2026.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli center coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on March 9, 2026.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

"The IDF has identified that missiles were launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel a short while ago," the IDF said. "Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat."



Mar 09, 2026 6:13 AM

Iranian missiles, drones targeting UAE, ministry says

Iranian missiles and drones were targeting the United Arab Emirates on Monday, the country’s Ministry of Defense said.

"UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran," the ministry said on social media. "MOD asserts that the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defence."


Mar 08, 2026 3:58 PM

Leavitt says sending in ground troops to Iran remains an option for Trump

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Sunday that the Iran war would, for now, remain an air campaign, adding that President Donald Trump has not removed sending in ground troops from his table of options.

"It has been, and it will continue to be,” Leavitt said Sunday morning on Fox about the current U.S. military operations, which have largely been an air campaign.

PHOTO: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, March 4, 2026.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, March 4, 2026.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

“And President Trump wisely does not remove options off the table," Leavitt said. "I know a lot of politicians like to do that quickly, but the president, as commander-in-chief, wants to continue to assess the success of this military operation. It's not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on the table."

Leavitt was also asked about how the conflict in the Middle East is impacting the economy, and how that might influence the hotly-contested midterm elections in November.

Leavitt said Trump can "walk and chew gum at the same time" by handling conflicts abroad and tackling domestic issues related to the economy.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray


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