Iran war: What is happening on day 12 of US-Israel attacks? 

The United States-Israeli war on Iran has entered its 12th day, with Tehran saying nearly 10,000 civilian sites in the country have been bombed and more than 1,300 civilians killed.

Iranian targets, including Tehran’s Mehrabad airport, were bombed on Tuesday overnight, while Tehran continued its retaliatory attacks on Israel and US assets in the Gulf region, causing a spike in global energy prices.

Meanwhile, political pressure is mounting in Washington, where lawmakers are demanding public hearings on the war’s goals and questioning the administration’s strategy as US casualties rise and civilian strikes come under investigation.

Here is what we know so far.

In Iran

• Civilian toll in Iran: Tehran says US and Israeli forces have bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites, resulting in more than 1,300 civilian deaths since the war began on February 28.
• Deliberate attack on civilian infrastructure: Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, has accused the US and Israel of deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure, including homes and healthcare facilities.
• Air attacks and naval actions: Powerful explosions were reported overnight in a residential district of central Tehran following a “massive wave” of Israeli air attacks. Tehran has accused Israel of attacking civilian infrastructure. The Red Crescent says a residential building was hit, and rescue teams have been digging through rubble searching for people.
• Iranian retaliatory strikes: The IRGC launched a 37th wave of attacks, firing “super-heavy ‘Khoramshahr’ missiles” in multi-layered barrages that lasted more than three hours. The strikes targeted Israeli locations, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and West Jerusalem, as well as US bases in Erbil, Iraq, Manama and Bahrain.

• Ongoing US air attacks: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that Tuesday would be the “most intense day” of attacks. At least eight districts were attacked in the capital, Tehran, and sounds of huge explosions were heard. Other cities across the country have been attacked. Iran will respond to recent US-Israeli attacks on residential areas, the country’s armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi was quoted as saying by Defapress news agency.

• Iran police chief warns protesters will be treated as ‘enemies’: Police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said those supporting the country’s enemies would no longer be seen as protesters but as enemies.
• Toxic “black rain”: The World Health Organization warns that polluted rainfall known as “black rain” could pose health risks after strikes on Iranian fuel depots. Thick smoke from fires at oil facilities, including in Tehran, has mixed with rain clouds, producing contaminated precipitation carrying toxic pollutants.

In Gulf nations

• Saudi Arabia: Saudi defence forces say they intercepted waves of Iranian drones and ballistic missiles, including projectiles aimed at the kingdom’s eastern region and Prince Sultan Air Base.
• Qatar: Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday morning that the country’s military intercepted a new missile attack aimed at the Gulf nation. Later, the ministry said a missile attack was intercepted. “The security threat has been eliminated, and the situation has returned to normal.”
• United Arab Emirates: The UAE said it intercepted 26 drones on Tuesday, although nine fell inside its territory. A separate drone attack sparked a fire at Abu Dhabi’s Ruwais Industrial Complex, home to the country’s largest oil refinery.

• US defence coordination: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud about reinforcing the kingdom’s defences against ongoing Iranian attacks.
• Diplomatic condemnations: Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi has called for a de-escalation in hostilities across the Middle East and urged Iran and the US to return to the negotiating table for a mediated solution. Iran’s attacks on its neighbours bring “benefit for no one”, he told Al Jazeera.
• Major refinery shut: One of the world’s biggest oil refineries, the Ruwais facility in the UAE, halted operations on Tuesday as a “precaution” following a drone attack.
• Iran targets US base in Kuwait: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said at least two missiles targeted a US base in Kuwait, according to Iranian news agencies Fars and Mehr. Kuwaiti authorities have not yet commented on the reports.
• Cargo ship attacked: The British military says a cargo ship is ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by an unknown projectile. The crew is evacuating and has requested assistance, UK Maritime Trade Operations says.

In the US

• Congressional pushback: Following classified administration briefings that failed to clarify the conflict’s goals or duration, US Senate Democrats are demanding public hearings on the war.
• US troop casualties: The Pentagon confirmed that approximately 140 US service members have been wounded and seven have been killed since the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
• White House awaits probe into deadly school strike: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the US has hit more than 5,000 targets in Iran, focusing on missile and nuclear programmes.
• However, she also addressed an ongoing military investigation into a strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed roughly 175 students, noting the administration will accept the results of the probe amid emerging photographic evidence suggesting a US missile was responsible.
• US destroys mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz: The US Central Command reported destroying 16 inactive Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
• Evacuations: More than 43,000 American citizens have been evacuated from the Middle East on commercial and State Department-chartered flights.

In Israel

• Iran’s retaliatory attacks: Israeli media say all the Iranian missiles fired at Israel were intercepted and set off sirens across Tel Aviv and central parts of the country.
• US warns Israel over strikes on oil infrastructure: The US informed Israel that it was “not happy” with Israeli strikes on Iranian energy facilities and asked them to stop without Washington’s approval, according to the US-based Axios site. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the news.
• Hacked cameras: Israel’s cybersecurity directorate says it has detected dozens of Iranian breaches into security cameras for espionage since the war began, urging the public to update passwords and software.
• Diplomatic coordination: US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said he will likely travel to Israel next week to coordinate the continuing military campaign.

In Lebanon, Iraq

• Intensified Israeli attacks in Lebanon: Israeli forces have bombed a residential building in central Beirut, causing a fire and extensive damage to several floors. Lebanese officials say at least 570 people have been killed since last Monday.
• Assassination of Iranian diplomats: Iran has expressed deep anger and is demanding justice at the United Nations Security Council after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed four Iranian diplomats, an act Tehran is calling a “terrorist attack”.
• Mass displacement in Lebanon: More than 667,000 people have been displaced by the conflict with Israel, according to the UN.
• Air strike hits Iraq: Iraq’s prime minister told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the country should not be used as a launchpad for attacks, after strikes hit several locations on Tuesday, including a group linked to the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). Iraq’s Kurdistan region, which hosts US bases, has faced attacks from Iran.