LIVE | West Asia conflict: Netanyahu says Israel 'crushing' Iran, Hezbollah; launches new wave of strikes in Tehran

Iran threatened to wreak havoc on the region's oil and gas industry if its own energy infrastructure was attacked during its war with the US and Israel.

TOP DEVELOPMENTS

The Iran war enters its second week with fresh strikes and heightened military activity keeping West Asia on edge. What began as coordinated US-Israel attacks on Iranian targets has expanded into a broader regional confrontation. The escalating conflict is rattling global energy markets and raising fears of wider geopolitical fallout.

• Iran's new supreme leader issues warning: Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a series of strong statements, calling for continued pressure on US forces in the region and warning that strategic measures could be taken in the Strait of Hormuz.

• US strikes: The United States has struck around 6,000 targets since the start of the war against Iran late last month, the US military said on Thursday.

• Iran death toll: Iran's health ministry said on March 8 that more than 1,200 people had been killed, including around 200 women and 200 children under the age of 12, with more than 10,000 civilians injured.

• Oil tops $100 (again): Oil prices jumped Thursday with Brent crude settling above $100 per barrel for the first time since August 2022, as Iran vowed to make the United States regret launching its war against the Islamic republic.

• Trump claims victory: President Trump has been repeating his claim that the US has won the war, even as the conflict widens. “It’s just a question of when, when do we stop?” he said.

Netanyahu says warned Beirut to stop Hezbollah, or Israel will

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he had warned Lebanon's government that Israel would act to disarm Hezbollah "on the ground" if Beirut failed to do so.

"I told the Lebanese government a few days ago: you are playing with fire if you continue allowing Hezbollah to operate, in violation of your commitment to disarm it," Netanyahu told a press conference.

"The time has come for you to do so. Now, if you do not do so, it is clear that we will do so," he continued.

Iran threatens to 'set region's oil and gas on fire' if energy infrastructure attacked

Iran threatened on Thursday to wreak havoc on the region's oil and gas industry if its own energy infrastructure was attacked during its war with the US and Israel.

"We will set the region's oil and gas on fire with the slightest attack on Iran's energy infrastructure and ports," said a spokesman for the Iranian military's central operational command, known as Khatam al-Anbiya.

Netanyahu says war aims to enable Iranians to 'bring down the regime'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the war on Iran was also aimed at enabling Iranians to overthrow the country's clerical rule.

"I have added a third objective, which is to create, for the Iranian people, the conditions to bring down this regime," Netanyahu said in a televised media briefing, adding that the other two goals remained preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and destroying its ballistic missile capabilities.

Netanyahu says new Iran leader 'can't show his face in public'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei "can't show his face in public" after Tehran issued a first statement in his name that was read out by a TV presenter.

"We eliminated the old tyrant, and the new tyrant, the puppet of the Revolutionary Guards, can't show his face in public," Netanyahu told a televised press conference.

Brent crude prices close above $100 a barrel, a first since 2022

Oil prices jumped Thursday with Brent crude settling above $100 per barrel for the first time since August 2022, as Iran vowed to make the United States regret launching its war against the Islamic republic.

The price of Brent crude surged 9.2 percent to $100.46 per barrel, while its US equivalent, the West Texas Intermediate, climbed 9.7 percent to $95.73 a barrel.

Netanyahu says Israel 'crushing' Iran and Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the joint US-Israeli campaign was "crushing" Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

"We are crushing Iran and Hezbollah," Netanyahu said in a televised 

Israel army says launched new broad wave of strikes in Tehran

The Israeli military said it launched a new wave of strikes in Tehran on Thursday evening, pressing ahead with its campaign against Iran for a 13th day.

"The IDF has just begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran," the military said.