CENTCOM says 'US forces control the skies,' releases video of fresh strikes on Iran

Police in London, England, said officers arrested four men on Friday on suspicion of aiding Iran by spying on the Jewish community.

Metropolitan police said one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals ages 22 to 55 were arrested in and around north London shortly after 1 a.m. Friday as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation. The men are accused of spying on locations and individuals to assist Iran's foreign intelligence system.

Searches remain active on Friday at the arrest locations and nearby properties.

“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,” said Commander Helen Flanagan, who is in charge of counterterrorism policing in London.

Six more men were also arrested in Harrow, west London, on suspicion of assisting an offender, according to the police force.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that the Israeli Air Force dismantled six Iranian ballistic missile launchers "just minutes before they were intended to be launched toward" Israel on Thursday.

The action was guided by the Intelligence Directorate, the IDF said, adding that three advanced Iranian defense systems were also dismantled.

"The combined effort to deepen the impact on the Iranian regime’s firing and defense capabilities has been conducted systematically since the beginning of Operation Rising Lion," the IDF said.

The U.S. State Department announced it is helping Americans from various parts of the Middle East evacuate, as the conflict with Iran continues.

The department issued guidance to Americans in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

"The U.S. government is ready to help Americans leave the Middle East if you choose to take advantage of the options available," the department said on X.

The department also provided information about which countries still have operational airports and open airspace.

"Queen Alia International Airport remains open, with flights departing daily. Border crossings are currently operating at designated times," the guidance for Jordan reads.

President Donald Trump acknowledged that Iran could conduct retaliatory attacks on U.S. soil and suggested some Americans "will die" whenever the U.S. is involved in war.

When asked if Americans should be worried about retaliatory attacks at home amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Trump acknowledged the possibility in an interview with Time Magazine.

"I guess," he told the outlet.

"But I think they're worried about that all the time. We think about it all the time. We plan for it. But yeah, you know, we expect some things," he continued.

"Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die," the president added.

U.S. Central Command on Thursday released footage of a strike on an Iranian drone carrier, which it said became engulfed in flames.

"U.S. forces aren't holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy," CENTCOM wrote on X.

"Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire," the post continued.

CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper also mentioned the strike in a Thursday briefing at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

"At the moment, we're now up over 30 ships. In just the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone carrier ship roughly the size of a World War Two aircraft carrier. And as we speak, it's on fire. The president gave us another task to raise or level Iran's ballistic missile industrial base. So we're not just hitting what they have. We're destroying their ability to rebuild," he said.

U.S. Central Command on Thursday said the USS Gerald R. Ford was helping U.S. forces in "dominating the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism," referring to Iran amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

"The world's largest aircraft carrier is part of the team of U.S. forces dominating the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism," CENTCOM said on X.

"Around-the-clock operations are keeping U.S. Navy F/A-18s in the fight," the post continued.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a fresh barrage of large-scale strikes in Tehran in the early hours of Friday local time, according to reports.

The strikes, according to The Jerusalem Post, targeted local terror infrastructure and also saw strikes on Hezbollah in the Dahiyeh area of Beirut, with sirens sounding at the southern Lebanese border.

Sirens were also set off in Israel because of Iranian missile launches.

In a Telegram message, Hezbollah urged people to evacuate areas near the border early Friday local time.

"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.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. needs to be “involved” in deciding who succeeds Iran’s late supreme leader.

The president's comments came within days of the death of Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a targeted strike on a regime compound in Tehran on Feb. 28.

In a phone interview with Axios, Trump dismissed speculation that Mojtaba Khamenei, the slain leader’s son, is a contender for the role and called him a “lightweight,” before adding, “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”

Trump also warned that he must be “involved in the appointment, like with Delcy Rodriguez in Venezuela,” who is currently leading the country.

Later, Trump further expanded on his hopes for Iran's future during an interview with NBC News.

"We want to go in and clean out everything" he said before stating that the U.S. doesn't "want someone who would rebuild over a ten-year period.

"They’ve been hit harder than anyone has been hit, but we don’t want someone who would rebuild it in ten years," he added.

Three Australian personnel were on board the U.S. submarine that sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean March 4, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed.

The submarine torpedoed the vessel off the coast of Sri Lanka, reportedly killing at least 87 people.

Mr. Albanese acknowledged the presence of the personnel aboard the submarine, citing public interest and recent National Security Committee (NSC) discussions.

“We wouldn’t normally confirm such an issue,” Mr. Albanese told Sky News Australia. “Given our NSC meetings and the public interest, I can confirm that there were three Australian personnel on board that vessel.”

However, Albanese stressed the Australians involved did not take part in combat operations.

“I can confirm also, though, that no Australian personnel participated in any offensive action against Iran,” he said.

President Trump is protecting Americans from the "cancer" that is the Iranian regime, Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) said Thursday.

Speaking on "Special Report with Bret Baier," the congressman and former Air Force pilot showed total alignment with Trump.

“He's set very clear military objectives. He's used speed and an aggressive nature to take out what is a cancer, the largest state sponsor of terrorism, sowing chaos in the region," Pfluger said.

Trump’s swift action on Operation Epic Fury also made the two-decade fighter pilot feel proud.

“And it makes me proud to be an American that we finally have a president who's actually standing up for our security and doing something about this 47-year-old terror regime,” he added.

Sharing his thoughts on former Presidents Obama and Biden, he said:

“We've also been shaped by four years of appeasement with Joe Biden and eight years of appeasement from Barack Obama, who actually sent billions of dollars of cash to Iran. So I get that. But the difference now is that the president is actually protecting Americans,” he said

President Trump urged the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military and the police to lay down their arms Thursday.

Speaking in the East Room, Trump said, “I'm once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military and the police to lay down their arms.”

“They're only going to be killed. And now is the time to stand up for the Iranian people and help take back your country," Trump warned.

“You're going to have a chance, after all these years, to take back your country,” he said before asking them to “accept immunity.”

“You'll be perfectly safe with total immunity,” Trump said before warning they would “face absolutely guaranteed death” if they didn't take the offer up.

In less than a week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has gone from supporting U.S. actions against Iran to raising the issue that the U.S. and Israel "acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting with allies, including Canada" to on Wednesday not ruling out Canadian military participation in the conflict.

"He’s been all over the place," Nader Hashemi, a Canadian-born associate professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, told Fox News Digital. "It doesn’t look very good for him or for the government of Canada."

"My own reading is that he’s influenced by public opinion and his understanding of Canada’s national interests and where they lie, and specifically the relationship with the United States at its core. His first statement was very supportive of the American-Israeli attack and then he walked it back two days later when he got a lot of pushback because there was no reference to Canada’s support for international law, rules-based order and the United Nations."

When asked whether Canada would join the U.S. military against Iran during his visit to Australia on Wednesday, Carney told reporters that "one can never categorically rule out participation" and that Canada "will stand by our allies, when makes sense."

However, former NATO commander and retired Canadian major-general David Fraser told CTV News Channel that it’s "unlikely" that Canada would be drawn into the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran unless a member state, such as Turkey, called for assistance under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Carney’s latest comments signal the Canadian prime minister’s desire to ensure that "it doesn’t create a deeper rupture with the United States than already exists," said Hashemi.

Hashemi.Melissa Lantsman, deputy leader of the Canadian Conservative Party, summarized the prime minister’s changing position on the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran with a post on X: "We support it, we’re upset about it, we think it’s bad, but also, we might join in."

This is an excerpt from a report by Christopher Guly

The U.S. military’s will is ironclad and it is not running out of munitions in its war in Iran, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared Thursday.

Showing optimism for the forces, Hegseth spoke to reporters at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Fla.

“We've got no shortage of munitions. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to,” Hegseth said.

“Our capabilities are overwhelming and gathering still, as are those of our Israeli partners,” he said, before assuring that “munitions are full up and our will is ironclad, which means our timeline is ours and ours alone to control.”

“We are built for this fight and we are in it to win it,” Hegseth added.

Iran has attacked 12 countries so far since Operation Epic Fury was unleashed by the U.S. and Israel, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a Pentagon briefing Thursday.

His comments came as the military operation entered its seventh day.

“What I will point out is this is now the 12th country, that Iran has attacked 12 countries,” Cooper told reporters.

“And it goes right back to the secretary's point. Those 12 countries are none too happy," he said

“And I look forward to working with all the partners who are willing to join us in this.”

Ahead of Cooper's comments, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had described how Iran had been targeting allied countries and “pulling them into the U.S. orbit.”

“What Iran is doing by targeting allied countries that would otherwise want to stay out of this, they've actually pulled them into the American orbit,” Hegseth explained.

“So now you've got UAE and Qatar and Bahrain and Saudi and Kuwait and others saying, hey, we're with you. Here's we'll shoot with you, we'll fly with you, we'll defend with you.”

“It's actually firming up the unity of the resistance in order to focus exactly where we need to,” he said.

Hegseth's and Cooper's remarks followed a meeting with top CENTCOM commanders on Operation Epic Fury.

The U.S. military is continuing to “totally demolish” Iranian forces as Operation Epic Fury entered its seventh day, President Trump said Thursday.

Trump made the remarks during an event at the White House where he hosted Inter Miami CF to commemorate the club’s victory in the MLS Cup.

Trump highlighted the military's progress and assured it was continuing to “totally demolish the enemy” and is proceeding far ahead of schedule and “at levels that people have never seen before.”

The president said that 24 ships had been taken out in three days as part of the sweeping operation against the Iranian regime.

“They have no air force, they have no air defense, all of their airplanes are gone, their communications are gone, missiles are gone, launchers are gone — about 60% and 64%, respectively,” Trump added.

The House of Representatives voted Thursday to allow President Donald Trump to continue Operation Epic Fury in Iran, rejecting a bipartisan effort to curb his authority.

A resolution led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., failed after several Democrats joined most Republicans in opposing the measure.

The legislation sought to block the president from using the armed forces in the joint U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran, a move that likely would have forced the strikes to grind to a halt.

The Trump administration, along with the majority of Republicans in Congress, has maintained that the president is acting within his constitutional authority and expressed confidence that he will continue to do so.

However, many Democrats — as well as Massie and Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio — have voiced skepticism about the scope of the president’s war powers.

During the floor debate on the resolution, Massie criticized the operation.

"The Ayatollah was not a president. He was a religious leader from a region notorious for radical Islamists and the United States and Israel turned him into a martyr," Massie said.

"If Congress wants war, then the speaker should hold a vote to declare it," Massie added. "I think the president is well within his legal authorities to conduct this operation," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

"I think any effort to stymie that would actually jeopardize our national security and jeopardize our troops," Lawler said.

This is an excerpt from a report by Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) announced Thursday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel.

“Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat,” it said in a post shared on X.

“In the last few minutes, the Home Front Command issued a preliminary directive directly to mobile phones in the relevant areas.

“The public is requested to exercise responsibility and act in accordance with the directives — they save lives.”

The post urged people to “enter protected spaces upon receiving the alert, and remain in them until a new announcement.”

“Exit from the protected space will be permitted only after receiving an explicit directive; continue to act in accordance with the Home Front Command's directives,” the IAF said.

China is negotiating with Iran to ensure safe passage for crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran intensifies, sources said, Reuters reported Thursday.

The move comes as the Strait and surrounding regional waterways have been left all but shut. China, which maintains relations with Iran and relies heavily on Middle Eastern energy, has urged Tehran to allow safe transit for its vessels, the three diplomatic sources said.

The world’s second-largest economy receives about 45% of its oil imports through the Strait. Ship-tracking data showed that a tanker named the Iron Maiden passed through the waterway overnight after changing its signaling to “China-owned,” though analysts say many more sailings would be needed to stabilize global markets.

Crude oil prices are up more than 15% since the war began.

Crude transits through the Strait fell to four vessels on March 1, the day after hostilities broke out, compared with an average of 24 per day since January, according to Vortexa data. Around 300 oil tankers are still inside the Strait, according to Vortexa and ship tracker Kpler, Reuters said.