Residents carry personal belongings as they leave a building damaged in a missile strike in Tel Aviv, Israel, early Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo: AP)Iran vs US-Israel War News Live Updates: US President Donald Trump said he was “very disappointed” with NATO’s response to the Iran war, as tensions in the Middle East intensified and global concerns mounted over energy security and regional stability, according to Reuters.
Speaking at a business conference, Trump criticised the alliance, saying: “I’ve always said NATO is a paper tiger. And I always said we help NATO, but they’ll never help us.” His remarks come amid escalating hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
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5,000+
Total killed across region
Phase 1 — The Opening Strike
Feb 28, 2026
War erupts. The US and Israel strike Iran, triggering retaliatory Iranian attacks on Israel, US bases across the Gulf, and allied states. Four people are killed when an Iranian missile hits Sweida, Syria.
Feb 28 onwards — Iran
Iran sustains the heaviest losses. US-Israeli strikes kill at least 1,900 people and injure 20,000, per the IFRC. Rights group HRANA puts the toll higher at 3,389 — including 1,527 civilians and at least 228 children.
Phase 2 — Escalation Across Borders
Mar 2, 2026 — Lebanon
Lebanon opens as a new front. Hezbollah launches attacks on Israel; Israel strikes back. Lebanese authorities report 1,142 killed — including 122 children — and 400+ Hezbollah fighters dead since this date.
Mar 4, 2026 — Off Sri Lanka
US strikes Iranian warship. At least 104 people are killed in a US attack on an Iranian military vessel in waters off Sri Lanka — one of the war’s deadliest single incidents.
Ongoing — Iraq
At least 95 people killed, including civilians, Iran-affiliated PMF fighters, US-allied Kurdish Peshmerga, and Iraqi army soldiers. One foreign crew member also killed in a tanker attack near an Iraqi port. One French soldier killed and six wounded in a drone strike in northern Iraq.
Ongoing — Gulf States
Iranian attacks spread across the Gulf: UAE — 10 killed (incl. 2 soldiers); Kuwait — 6 killed; Saudi Arabia — 2 killed in Al-Kharj; Bahrain — 3 killed including a UAE civilian contractor; West Bank — 4 Palestinian women killed in an Iranian missile strike.
Phase 3 — Neutral Ground & New Casualties
Mar 13, 2026 — Oman
Mediator nation hit for first time. A drone strikes an industrial zone in Sohar province, killing 2 — the first fatalities inside Oman, which had been hosting US-Iran mediation talks. A third person had earlier died when a projectile hit a tanker off Muscat.
Mar 22, 2026 — Qatar & Israel
A helicopter crash in Qatar’s territorial waters kills 7 — 4 Qatari armed forces personnel, 1 Turkish serviceman, and 2 ASELSAN technicians — due to a technical malfunction during routine duty. Separately in Israel, an Israeli farmer is killed near the Lebanon border in a military misfire.
Mar 24, 2026 — Saudi Arabia
US troops wounded at Prince Sultan Air Base. An Iranian military strike wounds 12 US troops — two seriously — at the base in Saudi Arabia.
Mar 28, 2026 — Latest count
Conflict ongoing. Israel has killed 19 civilians and 4 soldiers in Lebanon via Iranian-launched missiles; US has lost 13 service members (6 in an Iraq aircraft crash, 7 in combat). The war has now claimed lives in at least 14 countries across the Middle East, Gulf, and beyond.
What’s next
Source: Reuters · HRANA · IFRC · Lebanese authorities · US military · UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain defence ministries
Meanwhile, tech billionaire Elon Musk reportedly joined a call between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the crisis, an unusual move during a wartime situation.
- Rubio says no need for ground troops: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington could achieve its objectives without deploying forces on the ground. “We can achieve our war goals without any ground troops,” Rubio said, adding that the conflict could end in “weeks, not months”.
- Witkoff signals possible talks with Iran: President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US was hopeful of holding talks with Iran soon. “We are hopeful of having meetings with Iran this week,” Witkoff said, adding that Washington “expects” a response to a proposed 15-point deal.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has condemned Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, steel factories, and power plants, stating that these attacks contradict Donald Trump’s 10-day pause on targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure. Trump had announced the pause, claiming talks were “going very well,” but Iran denies seeking any pause and rules out negotiations. However, Araghchi warned that Tehran would impose a “heavy price” after Israeli strikes targeted what he described as civilian nuclear sites, steel factories and infrastructure.
5 key developments
- Ten US service members were injured in an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia, according to US media reports.
- Israel said it struck the Arak heavy water facility in central Iran.
- Iran claimed attacks also hit major steel factories and a power plant.
- Gulf countries, including the UAE, reported intercepting Iranian missiles and drones.
- Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 1,100 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since early March.
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