The United States yesterday closed its Embassy in Kuwait after retaliatory Iranian strikes on the country, becoming the second American diplomatic mission to fully halt work since the Iran war began last Saturday. Kuwait is also where six American soldiers were killed by an Iranian drone Sunday.

Also yesterday, Israel and Iran launched new strikes at each other as UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said he would send four fighter jets to Qatar and confirmed that the first UK-chartered flight to bring citizens home had taken off. And in a show of unity, NATO nations, Italy, Spain, France and Holland also said they would be sending fighter jets to Cyprus to bolster defences. On Tuesday two drones approaching the Mediterranean island were shot down as they approached a UK air force base located there.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told Axios yesterday that he wants to be involved in picking Iran’s next leader and called Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the late supreme leader who is a possible candidate for the post, “unacceptable” and “a lightweight.”

The comments are likely to renew questions about whether the US and Israel seek the overthrow of the Islamic Republic or just a change in its policies, reports The Associated Press.

And in another development, Israel hinted at unnamed “surprises” ahead after its military said it had degraded most of Iran’s air defences. Going further, Israel said it is “moving to the next phase” of the war with Iran in which it will “further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities”, the chief of the country’s military said.

Earlier the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) had ordered people living South of the Litani River to leave the area in Southern Lebanon, an indication that it was preparing a major ground offensive to root out Hezbollah fighters.

Hours earlier, an Iranian official warned the US against a potential ground invasion, an option US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has not ruled out. Meanwhile, the UAE interior ministry has issued an emergency alert, urging residents to seek shelter.

Earlier, the country intercepted six Iranian missiles and 131 drones. And Azerbaijan said it is preparing “retaliatory measures” after accusing Iran of carrying out two drone strikes – Iran denied any involvement. In another development late yesterday, Iranian state television aired a message from an ayatollah in Iran calling for the “shedding” of blood from Israelis and US President Trump. The message represented a rare call for violence by an ayatollah.