Israel raids Beirut, Tehran; Iran apologises

Dubai, Mar. 8: Iran's president rejected a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender on Saturday and apologized for Iran's attacks on regional countries, as Israel and the United States kept up their airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic.

Gulf countries say they have intercepted more ballistic missiles and drones launched from Iran. Saudi Arabia said it stopped four drones attacking the country's massive Shaybah oil field, the second attack within hours. 

Flights in and out of Dubai International Airport were interrupted after passengers were ushered down into train tunnels as several blasts were heard and the alert sounded.

Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes hammered Beirut and Tehran. Death toll continued to rise Saturday with at least 1,230 people killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials. Six U.S. troops were reported killed.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel after Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran without its "unconditional surrender."

A prominent cleric in Iran, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, urged the country's Assembly of Experts to act quickly and name a new supreme leader, likely in response to the ongoing political confusion.

Buildings associated with the 88-cleric panel have been hit by airstrikes in the war, likely slowing any meeting of the group. "The timely realization of this important matter will lead to national authority and the best possible organization of affairs," Shirazi said in a statement.

Qatar Airways says it will operate six flights into Doha on Sunday through a "safe corridor," as the country's airspace remains closed. The state-owned airline said the flights will come from five European cities as well as Bangkok.

The latest wave of Israeli airstrikes included targets in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, the Israeli military said. The Lebanese Health Ministry said earlier that overnight airstrikes in that area killed at least 16 people and wounded 35.

The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with an Israeli force that landed there late Friday. Israel hasn't commented on the fighting in the Bekaa Valley.

The military also said its Saturday strikes hit rocket launchers, weapons storage facilities and two command centers of Hezbollah's Radwan Force in southern Lebanon.

Bahrain's military intercepted two missiles and a drone on Saturday, the Defense Ministry said. That brought to 86 missiles and 148 drones that have been intercepted over Bahrain since the U.S. and Israel launched war against Iran last weekend.

India's foreign minister said Saturday that an Iranian naval vessel has docked in India, after a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship and another vessel sought assistance from Sri Lanka.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the IRIS Lavan is docked in southern Kochi city, after India granted permission when the vessel reported "having problems" on March 1. "I think it was the humane thing to do," Jaishankar said.

A U.S. submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Another vessel, the IRIS Bushehr, requested assistance from Sri Lanka and more than 200 sailors were brought ashore. 

Both ships had previously taken part in naval exercises hosted by India, but Jaishankar said they got "caught on the wrong side of events" once the war began.

Dubai and its long-haul carrier Emirates said Saturday the airline would resume operations after temporarily halting them following an Iranian attack on the city-state.

An Israeli airstrike flattened a residential building in southern Lebanon, killing at least six people early Saturday, the country's state-run news agency reported.

The dead from the strike in Jibchit town included four from the same family, the National News Agency said. The Lebanese Health Ministry earlier reported at least 16 killed and 35 wounded in overnight Israeli airstrikes in the mountain town of Nabi Chit.

Sirens sounded in Bahrain ahead of a potential attack for the fifth time Saturday, the interior ministry said, urging people to head to the nearest safe location.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 16 people and wounded 35 others in overnight Israeli airstrikes in the mountain town of Nabi Chit.

The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with an Israeli force that landed late Friday in the mountains of eastern Lebanon.

The Dubai Media Office issued a statement on behalf of the city-state, saying: "For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended."

Masoud Pezeshkian said the country's three-man leadership council had been in touch with the armed forces over the attacks. "I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf," the president said.  "From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy."

He also suggested miscommunication in the ranks caused it. However, his statement aired after repeated attacks Saturday morning on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has been at the forefront of the war, answers only to the country's supreme leader. However, an Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, at the start of the war on Feb. 28.

Pezeshkian, in his comments, specifically blamed the killing of Khamenei and other top leaders for what sounded like a loss of command and control in the armed forces for days.

Passengers at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, heard a boom while sheltering in train tunnels at the massive facility.

Emirates has been trying to get its sprawling travel network up and running after several days of halting flights due to the war. Iran's president said Saturday that a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender is a "dream that they should take to their grave."

President Masoud Pezeshkian made the statement in a prerecorded address aired by state television. Pakistan cited a surge in global oil prices due to the war in the Middle East.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the 55-rupee-per-liter (about $0.20) increase overnight, saying the government had little choice but to pass on the impact of rising international prices.

Pakistan relies heavily on imported oil, mainly from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Israel hits Revolutionary Guard's military university in another wave of strikes

The Israeli military said the Imam Hussein University in Tehran was used for the training of Revolutionary Guard officers and contained "multiple military assets" used by the Revolutionary Guard.

It said over 80 fighter jets participated in the latest wave of strikes on Saturday, which also targeted an underground compound used for storing ballistic missiles and housing command centers from where the army said "senior officials of the Iranian regime" were operating.

The strikes appeared to target downtown Tehran and government buildings there. (AP)