Smoke and flames rise from buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Lebanon, a southern suburb of Beirut, Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
Bilal Hussain/AP
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Bilal Hussain/AP
The war with Iran entered its 13th day on Thursday as attacks on commercial shipping spread in Iraqi waters and oil prices rose above $100 a barrel.
Iraqi officials said Thursday that two oil tankers were hit by missiles near Iraq’s southern ports – the first such strike reported in Iraqi waters since the war began. Iran has claimed responsibility for hitting one of the US-owned tanker ships. The escalation follows multiple attacks on commercial ships this week in the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping lane critical to global oil supplies.
As markets rallied and attacks set oil refineries ablaze across the Gulf, the International Energy Agency said member countries would release a record amount of oil from emergency reserves, including 172 million barrels from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Meanwhile, militant group Hezbollah launched its biggest rocket attack against Israel since the start of the war with Iran. Israel responded with more strikes on what it said were Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Separately, a preliminary Pentagon assessment indicated that US forces may have been responsible for a missile attack on a girls’ school near the southern city of Minab — consistent with an earlier report by NPR. The assessment was shared Wednesday with a US official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Iranian and Lebanese health officials and Israeli officials reported more than 1,200 deaths in Iran, 634 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel. According to the Pentagon, seven US soldiers were killed and eight were seriously injured after the attack on US bases in neighboring Iran.
Here are other important updates on the conflict.
To go to specific areas of coverage, use the links below:
Attack on ships | Oil inventory | Strikes across the Gulf | Israel-Hezbollah Escalation | Attack on Iranian school
Two oil tankers collide in Iraqi waters
Two oil tankers struck in Iraqi territorial waters near the southern port area of Basra, Iraqi officials said Thursday — the first reported oil-related strike in Iraqi waters during the war, another sign of the escalation of the war.
Iran, a crucial ally of Iraq, claimed responsibility for attacking one of the tankers it said was owned by the US.
A port official said the attack targeted ships near the port of Basra, and an Iraqi security spokesman described it as an act of sabotage.
Iraqi officials said one person was killed and 38 crew members were rescued while the search operation continued.
Iran has stepped up attacks on energy infrastructure and commercial shipping in response to US and Israeli attacks, warning the world should brace for a doubling in oil prices.
-Jane Araf
US and allies to release record oil inventories
The US has confirmed it will release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of an International Energy Agency (IEA)-coordinated release of 400 million barrels from emergency stockpiles.
The US contribution is approximately 40% of the total, to be released gradually over about four months.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, said the goal was to keep oil supplies flowing as the conflict disrupts shipping lanes and energy infrastructure. But analysts warn that stockpile releases may only partially offset the long-term disruption in the Gulf, where a fifth of global oil consumption normally transits the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, President Trump said the price hike was temporary and that the release of reserves would push prices down.
According to the popular app Gas Buddy, the current average cost of regular unleaded is now up to $3.61 per gallon.
– Camilla Domonoske
Iran continues to attack Gulf countries
Countries in the Gulf reported new incoming threats and interceptions on Thursday, as Iran continued to fire drones and missiles across the region — including at US military bases.
The UAE’s defense ministry said air defenses were responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks and the sounds heard in parts of the country were intercepted.
Kuwait’s defense ministry said its air defense intercepted ballistic missiles and drones that penetrated the northern and southern parts of the country’s airspace.
Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted and destroyed drones heading for the Shaiba oil field.
The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning Iran for recent attacks across the Persian Gulf region, calling them “violations of international law” and “serious threats to international peace and security.”
– Rebecca Roseman
Israel launches major strikes on Hezbollah sites in Beirut after rocket fire into Israel
People inspect houses damaged by a projectile fired from Lebanon in Haniel, central Israel, on Thursday.
Baz Ratner/AP
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Baz Ratner/AP
Militant group Hezbollah launched its biggest rocket attack against Israel since the start of the war with Iran. The Iranian-backed group fired heavy volleys into northern Israel overnight Thursday, triggering blockades and repeatedly sending residents into shelters, the Israeli military said.
The Israeli military responded by launching more strikes against what it said were Hezbollah launch sites and command infrastructure.
Loud booms were heard across the capital and a plume of black smoke billowed from the Daheeh neighborhood in south Beirut, while the attack in central Beirut – where thousands were displaced – left eight dead and 31 wounded, Lebanese officials said.
According to the Lebanese government, widespread evacuation orders to southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs have displaced at least 800,000 people so far.
Lebanon, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has unusually called for direct talks with Israel to end the escalating fighting with Hezbollah. Israel has not officially responded.
Israeli attacks on Iran continue, with Iran intermittently firing missiles at Israel, including at night.
Israeli military officials say about half of the missiles fired by Iran at Israel carry cluster warheads, which can be scattered as small bombs over a wide area – increasing the risk to civilians.
– Daniel Estrin, Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Rebecca Rossman
Pentagon: Preliminary assessment points to US responsibility for strike on Iranian school
The Pentagon has opened a formal investigation into a missile attack on an Iranian girls’ school that killed at least 165 civilians, most of them children, after a preliminary assessment suggested the US was at fault, a US official who was not authorized to speak publicly said. The investigation is expected to take months and include interviews with everyone involved, from the planners and commanders to those who carried out the strike.
If the US role in the attack is confirmed, it would rank among the military’s deadliest incidents involving civilians in decades. Congress created a special Pentagon office to prevent accidental targeting of civilians but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dramatically scaled back it soon after taking office last year.
“This investigation is ongoing. As we have said, unlike the terrorist Iranian regime, United States civilians are not being targeted,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.
NPR previously reported – based on commercial satellite imagery and analysis by independent experts – that the strike was more extensive than initially reported and appeared consistent with a precise strike on a nearby military complex, raising questions about whether outdated targeting information contributed to the disaster.
– Tom Bowman, Kat Lansdorff, Jeff Brumfiel
Rebecca Roseman contributed to this report from Paris, Jane Araf from Erbil, Iraq, Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Beirut, Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, and Camila Domonoske, Tom Bowman, Kat Lansdorff and Jeff Brumfeil in Washington.
