The Israeli army said on Tuesday it conducted “extensive strikes” overnight on military sites in western Iran, while Tehran said hundreds of its drones had “struck strategic targets” as open warfare entered a fifth day.
Israel also claimed to have killed a top Iranian general whom it described as the “most senior military figure in the regime”.
About 20 Iranian ballistic missiles struck Israel in the morning, injuring five people, the Israeli army said. Tehran claimed it had struck a military intelligence centre in Tel Aviv belonging to Mossad, Israel's foreign spy agency. In a statement aired on state television, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the building was "currently on fire".
Iran also said three people were killed in an attack on the headquarters of the state television channel in the capital on Monday night. The incident forced a presenter for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting to flee in the middle of her broadcast.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his campaign against Iran was “changing the face of the Middle East”. He said the military was eliminating Iran's security leadership “one after the other”.
But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would not bow to military force. “Our enemies must know that they cannot reach a solution militarily and cannot force the Iranian nation to accept their demands,” he was quoted as saying by state news agency Irna.
Mr Araghchi condemned the attack on the TV station, calling it the “height of cowardice”.
Decades of enmity broke into open conflict on Friday when Israel launched a surprise attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites. Israel says it is acting to prevent Iran from advancing a nuclear weapons programme, which Tehran says it has no intention of doing.
Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowing on Monday night that attacks would continue “without interruption until dawn”.
On Tuesday morning, Iranian Brig Gen Kiomars Heidari, commander of the army's ground troops, was quoted by Irna as saying that drones had destroyed weapons at sites including in Tel Aviv and Haifa overnight. Attacks would intensify in the coming hours, he added.
Rocket warning sirens sounded in the morning across the Tel Aviv area, near Haifa and in the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva. Israeli medics said they were searching areas where missiles had reportedly struck.
“A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran towards the state of Israel,” the Israeli military said. It added that the air force was “operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat”.
Israel's fire service reported a missile hit a car park in the centre of the country, setting an empty bus alight. Medics said five people were injured.
Israel said its strikes overnight into Tuesday hit “surface-to-surface missile storage and launch infrastructure”, while drone storage sites were also struck in western Iran.
It said Maj Gen Ali Shadmani, chief of Iran's armed forces emergency command, was killed in Tehran. He had been in the post only since Friday, after the death of his predecessor, Maj Gen Gholam Ali Rashid.
The Israeli army described Maj Gen Shadmani as “the man closest to” Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has yet to comment.
Israel has called on 330,000 residents of one neighbourhood in central Tehran to leave the area. The Iranian capital is one of the largest cities in the Middle East, with a population of about 10 million, which is roughly equal to the entire population of Israel.
US President Donald Trump also called on people in Tehran to flee. “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran,” he said in a post on social media.
On the diplomatic front, the White House said Mr Trump left the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the crisis in the Middle East, but he later clarified that statement, saying his departure had “nothing to do” with reaching a ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron “mistakenly said that I left the G7 summit, in Canada, to go back to [Washington] DC to work on a 'ceasefire' between Israel and Iran. Wrong!” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
He then told reporters on board Air Force One before arriving back in the US that he was aiming for a "real end" to the conflict.
"I'm not looking for a ceasefire, we're looking at better than a ceasefire," he said, adding that he wanted a "complete give-up" by Iran.
Mr Macron called on Israel and Iran to end strikes on civilian areas and warned that pushing to overthrow the Tehran regime through force would be a “strategic error”. The G7 nations expressed support for Israel in a statement issued late on Monday and described Iran as a source of instability, while calling for a de-escalation in hostilities.
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
