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Iran saying US will ‘bitterly regret’ sub sinking, calls for Trump’s blood

Iran launched a new wave of attacks this morning at Israeli and American bases and threatened that the United States would “bitterly regret” torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and a religious leader called for “Trump's blood”, while Israel said it had begun a “large-scale” attack on Tehran.

Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks and air sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Iranian state television said additional strikes also targeted US bases.

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Plumes of smoke rise as strikes hit the city during the U.S.Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Israeli military said it launched targeted attacks in Lebanon at the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group a “large-scale wave of strikes against infrastructure” in Iran’s capital, without elaborating.

Explosions were heard in multiple locations in Tehran a short time later.

The US Navy sank an Iranian warship on Tuesday night in the Indian Ocean, killing at least dozens of Iranian sailors, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi decried today as “an atrocity at sea”.

“Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” he wrote on social media.

“Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set.”

Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli, in one of the few clerical statements so far from Iran, said the country was “on the verge of a great test” and called on state television for "the shedding of Zionist blood, the shedding of Trump’s blood”.

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"Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders,’” he said in a rare call for violence from an ayatollah, one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam.

The US and Israel launched the war on Saturday, targeting Iran’s leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear program while suggesting that toppling the government is a goal.

But the exact aims and timelines have repeatedly shifted, signaling an open-ended conflict.

The tempo of American and Israeli strikes on Iran was so intense yesterday that state television announced the mourning ceremony for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the conflict, would be postponed.

Millions attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.

President Donald Trump praised the US military for “doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly”.

Donald Trump.

Fellow Republicans in the US Senate stood with Trump on Iran as they voted down a resolution seeking to halt the war.

Iran fired on Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel as the conflict spiraled.

Turkey said NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Turkey's airspace.

The war has killed more than 1000 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and about a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries.

It has disrupted the supply of the world’s oil and gas, snarled international shipping and stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers in the Middle East.

Threats expanding across the Middle East

Countries around the region braced for potential dangers today, a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened “the complete destruction of the region’s military and economic infrastructure”.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry said authorities were evacuating residents near the US Embassy in Doha as a temporary precaution, without providing further details.

Fighter jets could be heard overhead in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai and Saudi Arabia said it destroyed a drone in its province bordering Jordan.

A new attack off the coast of Kuwait appeared to expand the area where commercial shipping was in danger.

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In this Sunday, July 21, 2019 photo, an aerial view shows a speedboat of Iran's Revolutionary Guard moving around the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero which was seized in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday by the Guard, in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Global stock markets were subdued Monday while the price of oil climbed as tensions in the Persian Gulf escalated after Iran's seizure of a British oil tanker on Friday. (Morteza Akhoondi/Tasnim News Agency via AP)

An explosion rocked the area early today according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center run by the British military.

It said a tanker apparently came under attack, but the agency did not offer a cause. Iran in the past has attacked ships by attaching limpet mines to them.

Prior attacks since fighting began on Saturday have happened in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, which connects it to the Persian Gulf and through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.

Brent crude prices are up 15 per cent since the start of the conflict as Iranian attacks have disrupted traffic through the strait, with the current price the highest since July 2024.

Buildings of Iranian military and security forces targeted

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said a torpedo from an American submarine sank an Iranian warship on Tuesday night in the Indian Ocean.

Sri Lankan authorities said 32 crew members were rescued, while its navy recovered 87 bodies.

Israel said it hit buildings associated with Iran’s internal security command as well as the Basij, an all-volunteer force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard whose bloody crackdown on protesters in January left thousands dead.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said his country's forces have decentralised leadership, with units acting largely on their own, which could blunt the effect of attacks on top command and control hubs.

Pete Hegseth

Shifting timelines for US operations

During his Pentagon briefing, Hegseth did not give a definitive timeline for US operations, which Trump has said could last for a month or longer.

“You can say four weeks, but it could be six. It could be eight. It could be three,” Hegseth said.

“Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance, and we’re going to keep them off balance.”

US and Israeli military officials say launches from Iran have declined as their attacks have taken out ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. Israel's Homefront Command announced it was easing restrictions that closed workplaces nationwide.

It said workplaces could reopen today if there is a shelter nearby. Schools would remain closed.

Still, explosions sounded early today in Israel, which said its defensive systems were moving to intercept at least three waves of Iranian missiles.

At least 1045 people have been killed in Iran, the country's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said yesterday.

Eleven people have died in Israel. Six US troops have been killed, including a major whose identity was released yesterday.

A car passes in front of a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Another eight people were killed in Lebanon, including two in a building struck by the Israeli military in the Beddawi refugee camp in the coastal city of Tripoli today and three on a coastal highway, authorities said.

The Israeli military did not immediately say who it targeted in the strikes.

In two near-simultaneous Israeli drone strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs late yesterday, two vehicles were hit, killing three people and wounding six, the health ministry said.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hezbollah member, adding that further details would follow.

Israel's military also said it had hit “several command centres” used by Hezbollah in Beirut and showed video footage of a building being hit, but provided no further details.

Israel says its offensive had been planned for midyear

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the offensive against Iran was originally planned for mid-2026, but “the need arose to bring everything forward to February”.

He listed events inside Iran, Trump's positions and the possibility of “creating a combined operation” as reasons.

The protests in Iran put unprecedented pressure on its leadership.

Trump threatened military action in response to the crackdown before shifting his attention to Iran's disputed nuclear program.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday that the US launched its operation partly out of concern Iran might strike US personnel and assets in the region first.

A phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the airstrikes began also was “important with respect to the timeline”, she said.

Iran’s clerics are choosing a new supreme leader

Iran’s leaders are scrambling to replace Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years. It is only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen.

Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement.

Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei’s son, has long been considered among them, though he has never held a government position.

In a sign that Iran’s leadership will only seek to consolidate its power, the head of the judiciary warned that “those who cooperate with the enemy in any way will be considered an enemy”.

Israel's defense minister, Katz, said on X that Iran's next supreme leader “will be a target for elimination” if he continues to threaten Israel, the US and others.

Australian sailors on board US submarine when it torpedoed Iranian warship

Two Australian sailors were aboard the nuclear-powered US submarine when it torpedoed – and sank – an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka yesterday.

9News understands the Australians are on the American submarine as part of the AUKUS training rotation.

The submarine hit the frigate IRIS Dena with a Mark-48 torpedo, killing more than 80 Iranian sailors in a strike described as "quiet death" by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

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The IRIS Dena was heading back to Iran after taking part in joint military exercises off India's eastern coast.

The Defence Department refused to identify the rank or role of the Australians on the US submarine.

"There are long-standing arrangements relating to third country deployments to ensure Australian interests are managed appropriately," a Defence spokesperson said.

"It is not appropriate to go into these details.

Pete Hegseth

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"For operational security reasons, the Australian Defence Force does not disclose specific details regarding third country deployments, including the number of personnel or their location."

"As the United States and Israel have said, the military strikes were initiated and conducted by the United States and Israel – not Australia."

Sri Lanka's navy said 87 bodies had been recovered and that 32 Iranian sailors were rescued. The ship had about 180 on board.

Two Australian sailors were aboard the nuclear-powered US submarine when it torpedoed - and sank - an Iranian warship yesterday off the coast of Sri Lanka.

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IRIS Dena was about 40 nautical miles (75 kilometres) off Galle when it sent a distress call between 6am and 7am AEDT (00:30 to 01:30 GMT).

Up to 100 Australians are expected to be embedded on US submarines as part of the AUKUS rotation program this year.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the Senate: "US submarine operations are a matter for the United States."

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Sydney school using CCTV to track kids’ toilet use

A private school on Sydney's upper north shore has begun keeping an eye on students' toilet use with CCTV outside bathrooms and alerting parents when their kids enter and exit.

In a newsletter sent to parents, St Leo's Catholic College in Wahroonga alerted that it would be stepping up supervision of toilet use due to "vandalism and poor decision making" in the newly refurbished bathrooms.

"The College has implemented a number of strategies in an effort to address this concerning trend," assistant principal Patrick Brennan said in the statement.

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An email sent to a parent at the college.

"These include additional supervision outside bathroom areas, encouraging students to use the facilities during breaks, increasing CCTV monitoring of entry and exit points, engaging NSW Police where perpetrators are identified, and encouraging students to be upstanders by reporting inappropriate behaviour."

Brennan said that the school had noticed an increasing trend during class time and, in response, has been trialling tracking student access to the bathroom during lessons.

The school said this new trial "has provided valuable data to support conversations with both students and parents".

Brennan acknowledged that parents and carers may find the alerts sent directly to their phones "unnecessary or even frustrating".

"It was certainly not our intention to cause concern or suggest that a single bathroom visit is problematic," he said.

"Rather, it is hoped, and we are already seeing evidence, that the trial is encouraging students to use the bathrooms at times during the day when supervision is present and better decisions are being made."

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Banners of St. Leo's Catholic College.

In a statement following the initial newsletter, St Leo's Catholic College principal Tony Gleeson reiterated that the cameras are only located "in external and publicly accessible areas such as playgrounds and entry and exit points".

"Their purpose is to support the safety of students and staff, deter unsafe behaviour, and assist in maintaining a secure school environment," Gleeson said.

"No cameras have ever been placed in private or sensitive areas such as bathrooms, and all practices fully comply with Catholic Schools Broken Bay policies and relevant privacy legislation."

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Gang allegedly enlisted teenager in daycare murder plot, court hears

A teen rugby hopeful's chances of playing professionally are in tatters after allegedly being enlisted into a gang that sought to murder a man outside a daycare centre.

Ata Junior Misi is facing gang-related charges, after he allegedly worked for a Sydney group known as The Final Crime Family by moving four stolen cars ahead of an attempted murder plot in October.

In a conversation recorded by police, the 19-year-old said he initially thought the plan was to kidnap the victim.

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Police say they intercepted a "kill team" on its way to make a hit outside a daycare centre. (HANDOUT/NSW POLICE)

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"When he walks out the house, just bang, take him," he is quoted as saying in the recording.

"Oh swear, oh f— I thought it was just a kidnap.

"So is he getting killed?"

In the recording, which only picked up Misi's side of the conversation, the landscaper could be heard talking about getting a tattoo for the gang and the possibility he could be asked to commit murder.

"Yeah I think it is me lad, coz I'm the f—ing newest," the now 19-year-old allegedly said.

This conversation was revealed in court documents seen by AAP after Misi made a bail bid in the NSW Supreme Court in late February.

Misi had moved to Sydney from Griffith in the state's Riverina region when he allegedly became embroiled with The Final Crime Family.

He was known by the Samoan NSW Rugby League and hoped to move to Sydney to join the NSW Rugby Union pathways program, the court previously heard.

In late September, Misi allegedly helped relocate four "hotties" – a stolen blue Subaru Outback, beige Jeep Wrangler, grey Nissan Navara and blue Mitsubishi Outlander – positioning them to be used in the lethal plan.

In Misi's bail hearing, Justice Robertson Wright noted these discussions suggested criminal connections of a troubling kind.

"It is not unknown for criminal groups to actually employ these young men quite often with sporting connections because they do have an ability and strength of training," he said.

The court documents claim police found a "kidnap kit" stashed in the Nissan Navara containing a sledgehammer, two baseball bats, duct tape, a pillow case, a torch and zip ties.

Three days before the alleged daycare plot, Misi's girlfriend allegedly told him her brother was in prison for setting up cars for murders.

"Sounds familiar," the 19-year-old allegedly said.

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Officers located a Glock-style pistol with a pink slide.

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Police say the plot was foiled on October 7 when they swooped in and arrested three other men on their way to the daycare centre, charging them with conspiracy to murder.

One of them was allegedly wearing a GoPro video camera at the time.

Officers located a Glock-style pistol with a pink slide and a cardboard sign with "T.F.C.F The Final Crime Family" written on it within the vehicles.

On an encrypted chat on a smartphone found within one of the cars, eight participants openly chatted about the intended murder, police claim.

"We wannr (sic) hit the dog out front of the day care," one message read.

"Shoot point blank at him," another said.

Someone said the cardboard sign should be placed on top of the individual's body.

Two vehicles owned by the intended target were allegedly fitted with GPS tracking devices monitored by the criminal group, police claim.

Misi and another man were arrested on October 9 at Oran Park in Sydney's west.

Misi has not yet pleaded to a variety of charges, including dealing with property intending it to be an instrument of crime, dealing with proceeds of crime, conspiracy to kidnap and participating in a criminal gang.

In late February, Justice Robertson adjourned the bail hearing, saying the proposed conditions did not properly mitigate any risks Misi posed to the community.

The judge still could grant bail at a future hearing and has asked for evidence the 19-year-old would be fully supervised if allowed to live with his family in Griffith.

The matter will return to court tomorrow.

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