MOSCOW, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has evacuated nearly 100 people from Iran, but its personnel remain at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the company said on Saturday, citing CEO Alexei Likhachev.

The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting its leadership and plunging the Middle East into a new conflict.

Rosatom said it had evacuated all employees' children, as well as "non-essential staff" and anyone who wished to leave the country - a total of 94 people.

PARIS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, saying the outbreak of a war between the United States, Israel and Iran has "serious consequences" for international peace and security.

"The current escalation is dangerous for everyone. It must stop. The Iranian regime must understand that it now has no other option but to engage in good-faith negotiations to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its actions to destabilize the region," Macron said on X.

By Alexander Cornwell

TEL AVIV, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Israel banned public gatherings, shut schools and workplaces and moved hospital patients to underground facilities on Saturday as Tehran launched missiles towards Israel in retaliation for a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.

Defence Minister Israel Katz declared a state of emergency across the country, warning the public of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Global airlines cancelled flights across the Middle East on Saturday after the United States and Israel launchedstrikes on Iran, plunging the region into a new conflict.

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain and Jordan was empty early on Saturday, maps by flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed. The European Union's aviation regulator recommended that its airlines stay out of the airspace affected by the military intervention.

Below is the latest on flights listed by airline in alphabetical order:

DUBAI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Several Gulf Arab states said they were targeted by Iranian missiles on Saturday after Tehran pledged to retaliate against strikes by the United States and Israel, bringing conflict to a part of the Arab world that prides itself on relative safety.

State media in the United Arab Emirates said one person had been killed in Abu Dhabi, but gave no details.

Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Jordan, all of which have a U.S. military presence, said they had intercepted the Iranian missiles.

BRUSSELS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - NATO is closely following developments in Iran and the region, NATOspokesperson Allison Hart said on Saturday.

(Reporting by Lili Bayer, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout)

By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Long queues formed at gas stations and many Iranians began heading out of cities in search of safety, witnesses said, as an attack by the United States and Israel on Iran spread fear and panic throughout the country.

Explosions rocked Tehran and columns of smoke rose into the sky on Saturday morning, shaking the city at the start of the Iranian working week. One man, speaking to Reuters from the capital, said he was rushing to get his children from school.

The biggest disruption to global air transport since the Covid pandemic continued Sunday, with thousands of flights affected and busy Middle Eastern hubs including Dubai and Doha shuttered as Iran lashed out after US-Israeli strikes.

Israel and Iran traded new attacks Sunday, after Tehran hit both the Dubai International Airport -- the world's busiest for international traffic -- and Kuwait's main airport during its retaliatory strikes one day earlier.

MOSCOW, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The Russian Ministry of Transport said on Saturday that Russian air carriers had suspended flights to Iran and Israel.

Israel said it launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran on Saturday, pushing the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dimming hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West.

Iranian state television confirmed the death of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday, after US President Donald Trump said he had been killed.

The announcement came after the United States and Israel started launching waves of strikes Saturday against targets in Iran, sparking swift retaliation by the Islamic republic.

Here are the latest developments.

- Iran leader killed -

Iranian state television reported Khamenei's death in the early hours of Sunday, broadcasting archive images with a black banner.