Live! Trump warns Iran: 'Big wave of strikes yet to happen'

Lebanese civilians fled from the country's south and from Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday, seeking refuge in schools in Lebanon's capital following a new and deadly escalation between Israel and the Iran-allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Lebanon's Health Ministry reported at least 31 people were killed and 149 wounded in overnight strikes in the Beirut suburbs and southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese government later Monday slammed Hezbollah's decision to enter Iran's war with Israel and the United States, called the militant group's actions illegal and demanded it hand over its weapons.

Highways were jammed overnight and into Monday with people fleeing after what was Israel's deadliest barrage on Lebanon in more than a year, striking hours after Hezbollah fired missiles across the border for the first time in more than a year.

China has denied reports of finalising a deal with Iran to sell CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missiles before the joint US-Israeli airstrikes on the country.

If delivered, the missiles would be among the most advanced military hardware to be transferred to Iran by China in recent years, according to media reports.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the report of the deal is part of a disinformation campaign.

“The report is not true. As a responsible major country, China always abides by its international obligations. China opposes ill-intentioned association and the spread of disinformation, and hopes relevant sides will choose the course of action conducive to de-escalating the tense situation,” she said.

The report is significant as the US has assembled a flotilla of naval groups, including aircraft carriers, close to Iranian waters to carry out the current military campaign against Iran.

Chinese official media on Monday reported that the US planes crashed after being hit by Iranian missiles. The origin of the missiles is not known. Iran is one of the biggest oil suppliers to China and shares close defence and strategic ties with Beijing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to the King of Bahrain, Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, and condemned the recent attacks on the two countries in violation of their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

During his telephonic conversations with the two leaders, Prime Minister Modi said that the earliest restoration of regional peace and stability is of utmost importance and thanked them for looking after the well-being of the Indian community living there in these difficult times.

"Discussed the evolving situation in West Asia with Crown Prince and PM of Saudi Arabia, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman. India condemns the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia in violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We agreed that earliest restoration of regional peace and stability is of utmost importance. I thanked him for looking after the well-being of the Indian community in these difficult times," Modi said in a post on 'X'.

In another post, Modi said: "Had a productive telephone conversation with the King of Bahrain, His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa. India condemns the attacks on Bahrain and stands in solidarity with its people in this difficult hour. I thank him for the steadfast support extended to the Indian community in Bahrain".

The prime minister had earlier spoken to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

As military conflict in West Asia escalates, India's Oil Ministry on Monday said it is continuously monitoring the evolving situation and will take all necessary steps to ensure availability and affordability of key petroleum products in the country.

India imports 88 per cent of its crude oil needs and roughly half of its natural gas requirement. These mostly come via the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian authorities have threatened to shut down following attacks by the US and Israel.

Equity investors became poorer by Rs 6.59 lakh crore on Monday as markets faced a massive drubbing amid rising tensions in West Asia that weighed heavily on sentiments.

The 30-share BSE Sensex tanked 2,743.46 points or 3.37 per cent to 78,543.73 in early trade. It later ended at 80,238.85, down 1,048.34 points or 1.29 per cent.

The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies eroded by Rs 6,59,978.08 crore to Rs 4,56,90,693.19 crore (USD 5 trillion).

Governments are scrambling to help travellers get home amid the West Asia crisis.

Tens of thousands of tourists and business travellers found themselves stuck unexpectedly in hotels, airports and on cruise ships, with no word on when many airports would reopen or when flights to and through the region would resume. Governments told stranded citizens to shelter in place.

The airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are important hubs for travel between Europe, Africa and the West to Asia. All three were directly hit by strikes.

Qatar Airways said Monday its flights remain suspended, with its next update planned for Tuesday morning, while Jordan announced a partial closure of its airspace.

In Asia, thousands of travellers are stranded on Indonesia's tourist island of Bali because international flights were cancelled.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that a hospital in Tehran, Iran’s capital, was evacuated following nearby explosions. The agency said it is working to confirm reports that three other medical facilities across the country have been struck since the outbreak of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran on February 28.

A WHO spokesperson told Reuters that patients at Gandhi Hospital were relocated after blasts caused collateral damage to the facility. Witnesses told the news agency on March 1 that the hospital had been targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

The spokesperson added that WHO is also investigating reports of damage to Motahari Hospital in Tehran, as well as emergency medical centres in Sarab, located in northwestern Iran, and another in Hamadan province in the west.

QatarEnergy has said it would stop its production of liquefied natural gas as the West Asia war rages, taking one of the world's top suppliers off the market.

The state-owned firm blamed the war for the decision and offered no timeline for restoring its production.

The US military has said that Kuwait “mistakenly shot down” three American F-15E Strike Eagles during a combat mission as Iran attacked the country.

The US military's Central Command said the combat included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones—the first time Iran's ageing combat fleet has been engaged in the war.

“The US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences,” it said. “All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defence forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”