As Iran retaliates, largest US military base in Middle East hit by ballistic missile, Qatar says

No one was injured, according to the Qatari Ministry of Defense.

ByJon Haworth, Jack Moore, Nadine El-Bawab, David Brennan, Kevin Shalvey, Meredith Deliso, and Leah Sarnoff
Last Updated: March 3, 2026, 10:02 PM EST

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Saturday, with daytime strikes in the joint U.S.-Israel attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

On Sunday, Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on Saturday.

Iran is responding to the U.S.-Israeli operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and Gulf nations. American diplomatic facilities have also been attacked.

In Lebanon, Israel is intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iranian-aligned Hezbollah militia.

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Mar 03, 2026, 6:24 PM EST

Trump says over 9,000 Americans have returned from Middle East

More than 9,000 Americans have returned from the Middle East since the launch of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to President Donald Trump.

This number reflects Americans who left on their own volition in recent days without the State Department assistance that is now being offered.

Emirates airline planes are parked on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, March 2, 2026.
Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images

Trump said in a social media post that if there are other U.S. citizens who wish to return home from the region, they should register with the State Department.

"The Department will identify where you are, and provide travel options to you," Trump said. "We are already chartering flights, free of charge, and booking commercial options, which we expect will become increasingly available as time goes on."

-ABC News' Mariam Khan and Nicholas Kerr

Mar 03, 2026, 6:07 PM EST

Pentagon IDs 4 of the service members killed in Kuwait

Sgt. Declan Coady, Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor and Capt. Cody Khork.
Department of Defense

The Pentagon has identified four of the six American troops killed in the opening hours of the war with Iran.

Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Spc. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, died Saturday in Kuwait from an Iranian drone attack.

All soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve unit based in Des Moines, Iowa.

-ABC News' Steven Beynon

Mar 03, 2026, 6:00 PM EST

Senate to vote on Iran war powers resolution on Wednesday

The Senate will vote Wednesday on a Democratic-led Iran war powers resolution, according to a press release from Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and bill co-sponsors Sen. Tim Kaine and Sen. Adam Schiff.

The vote is set for 4 p.m.

The resolution would direct the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.

Because the resolution is privileged, it will only need 51 votes to advance. If the legislation gets the necessary votes, a second vote is still needed in the Senate on final passage.

A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital Tehran, March 3, 2026.
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News’ Allie Pecorin

Mar 03, 2026, 5:51 PM EST

Iranian clerics issue fatwas calling on Muslims to avenge Khamenei's death: DHS

Iranian clerics have issued fatwas calling on Muslims worldwide to avenge the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, the Department of Homeland Security said in a "Critical Incident Note" obtained by ABC News.

The first fatwa was issued on Sunday by Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi and said avenging Khamenei's death "is the religious duty of all Muslims in the world," according to the document. The second fatwa was issued by Ayatolla Nouri Hamedani and said "avenging the blood of the martyred leader of the revolution is obligatory for all Muslims," according to the document.

A woman holds on to a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Enghelab Square, after he was killed in Israeli and U.S. strikes on Saturday, in Tehran, Iran, March 1, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Iranian religious leaders have previously issued fatwas against President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The DHS document said the deadly shooting in Austin, Texas, on Sunday "probably preceded the issuance of the fatwas and the motive for the attack has not been confirmed." Authorities are continuing to explore whether there was a terroristic motivation.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky

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