Trump says we're 'blowing up the whole country' if Iran doesn't make deal in 48 hours
Two C-130 aircraft were lost during the operation, an official said.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
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Key Headlines
UAE says it intercepted 19 ballistic missiles, 26 drones from Iran
The United Arab Emirates' Defense Ministry said on Thursday it intercepted another 19 ballistic missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran.
The ministry said UAE defenses have intercepted 457 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles and 2,038 drones since the war began on Feb. 28.
Iran to allow Philippines-flagged ships through Strait of Hormuz, ministry says
Iran agreed to allow Philippines-flagged ships and energy sources destined for the country through the Strait of Hormuz, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Thursday.
The decision was announced after a phone conversation between Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the statement said.
"The Iranian foreign minister assured the secretary that Iran will allow the safe, unhindered and expeditious passage through the Strait of Hormuz of Philippine-flagged vessels, energy sources and all Filipino seafarers," the statement said.
"Given that the Philippines imports the majority of its energy requirements from the Middle East, these assurances from Iran will greatly facilitate the steady delivery of critical oil and fertilizer supplies to the Philippines," the statement said.
-ABC News Othon Leyva
Bahrain downs 2 missiles, 10 drones in 24 hours
The Bahrain Defence Force said in a post to X on Thursday that its air defenses intercepted two missiles and 10 drones over the past 24 hours.
It brings Bahrain's tally of munitions intercepted since Feb. 28 to 188 missiles and 429 drones, the BDF said.
Iran prepared to continue war, officials say after Trump address
Iranian officials on Thursday dismissed President Donald Trump's Wednesday assertion that the U.S.' "core strategic objectives" in Iran are "nearing completion."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement, "We will not accept this vicious cycle of war, then negotiations, then a ceasefire, then a repeat of the same pattern."
"This is not only disastrous for Iran, but for the entire region and beyond," Baghaei said. "This is not an ordinary war; it is a combination of terrorist activities and warfare. They have targeted our leaders, our military commanders, even when they were not on duty. This is an unjust war imposed on the Iranian people and therefore we have no choice but to respond forcefully."
Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military's Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said of the U.S. strikes, "The centers you think you have targeted are insignificant."
"Our strategic military productions take place in locations of which you have no knowledge and will never reach," Zolfaghari said, as quoted by the Associated Press.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti