US-Iran war news and live updates: Israel strikes Iran and Lebanon as death toll climbs in fifth day of war

Reuters is reporting a large plume of smoke has been spotted near the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, located in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The airport is located just 5.7km from the suburb of Haret Hriek, where the IDF instructed residents to evacuate from earlier on Wednesday.

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The Israeli Defense Force say they have begun “broad scale strikes” on Iran’s regime in Tehran on Wednesday, according to CNN.

The IDF has also announced it carried out a “series of strikes” on regime command centres in Tehran, as well on the Basij, which is the voluntary militia wing of the Revolutionary Guard.

Two high-tech US surveillance aircraft have made an “unexpected” stopover into Western Australia just days after the Trump administration began its bombing of Iran, but officials are refusing to discuss details of the visit.

The Nightly can reveal the American P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance planes arrived at Perth’s RAAF Base Pearce on Monday afternoon after flying from the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

This week’s visit has not been publicly foreshadowed and one military source claims the arrival of the aircraft was “unexpected” and that their flight plans were only lodged once they were airborne.

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The US Human Rights Activists News Agency is reporting the death toll in Iran has soared to 1097 since the conflict began on Saturday.

181 children have been killed, according to the Agency, and civilian injuries are believed to stand at 5402.

Qantas will introduce a new flight route from Sydney to the United Kingdom as travellers scramble to get to Europe amid the war in the Middle East.

The weekend’s attacks on Iran by the US and Israel resulted in the almost immediate closure of travel hubs including Dubai, used by Emirates, and Doha, used by Qatar Airways, severely limiting the routes for European travellers.

A seat on Qantas’ direct Perth to London flight suddenly became hot property for those desperate to visit or return to the UK.

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CNN is reporting followers of the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be able to attend a three-day commemorative ceremony in Tehran, starting on Wednesday night local time.

According to reports from Iranian state media, the ceremony will be held at the Imam Khomenei Mosalla prayer centre.

Any replacement for the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an “unequivocal target for elimination”, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz says.

“It does not matter what his name is or where he hides,” Katz said.

“We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to dismantle the regime’s capabilities and to create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow it and replace it.”

The IDF’s Arabic translator Avichay Adraee has issued an “urgent warning” for residents in the Haret Hriek neighbourhood in Beirut’s south.

“You are located near facilities affiliated with Hezbollah,” Adraee’s post said.

Reuters is reporting large plumes of smoke have been seen in Beirut’s south on Wednesday morning.

Explosions in the night sky, missiles intercepted overhead and hundreds of cancelled flights have left Australians stranded in Dubai, with some pleading for help while others who are based there insist life in the wealthy Gulf city is continuing almost as normal.

As the Middle East conflict escalates, Australians living in or travelling through the United Arab Emirates have been posting videos and first-hand accounts online describing the sound of interceptions, sleepless nights, empty tourist districts and growing frustration about how to get home.

Australia’s ambassador to the UAE, Ridwaan Jadwat, said Australians in the emirate had endured “extremely challenging” days as the region faced repeated missile and drone attacks.

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Australia has continued to walk a fine line of strategy ambiguity on the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran amid ongoing questions about the attack’s legality and as allied nations are increasingly drawn into the conflict.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has again ruled out Australia sending any troops to the Middle East if requested by long-term ally the US and insisted they were actively engaging with nations in the region who are pushing for a diplomatic solution.

The conflict’s first four days has killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei but also widened to include 10 nations in retaliatory attacks, killing some 800 people across 131 cities including at least four US personnel.

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