ATHENS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Greece's shipping ministry advised Greek-flagged vessels on Saturday to exercise maximum vigilance and avoid the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, according to an advisory seen by Reuters.
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine are monitoring the U.S. operation in Iran from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Trump is currently located, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; editing by Scott Malone)
LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Britain said on Saturday that Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and stood ready to defend its interests, following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran.
A government source said Britain had not taken part in the strikes, and that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would hold an emergency response meeting, a so-called COBRA meeting, on Saturday.
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, whose death was confirmed by state media on Sunday, was a pillar of the country's theocratic system since the Islamic revolution and saw off multiple crises over the decades, remaining defiant to the very end.
US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social site that "Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead" after the United States and Israel launched a massive wave of strikes targeting sites across Iran, including the supreme leader's Tehran compound.
DUBAI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Global airlines suspendedflights across the Middle East on Saturday after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, plunging the region into a renewed military confrontation.
Flight maps showed the airspace over Iran virtually empty as Israel said it struck Iran and the U.S. military initiated a series of strikes against targets in the country. Iran retaliated with a salvo of missiles.
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 and Iraq was empty on Saturday morning, maps by flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed.
Below is the latest on flights listed by airline in alphabetical order:
AIR FRANCE KLM
Air France cancelledflights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel and Beirut in Lebanon for Saturday.
Feb 28 (Reuters) - Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, plunging the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation as President Donald Trump vowed to destroy Tehran's missilearsenal and prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Below is international reaction to the attacks:
DMITRY MEDVEDEV, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF RUSSIA'S SECURITY COUNCIL
Countries around the world voiced fears of a Middle East conflagration after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran Saturday, and Iran targeted US bases in the region in retaliation.
- Iran Guards vow 'severe' punishment -
Iran's Revolutionary Guards vowed to punish the "murderers" of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, after his death was confirmed by state television.
"The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them," the Guards said in a statement.
Launching a major attack alongside Israel against Iran, US President Donald Trump is openly pursuing the goal he once adamantly rejected -- regime change.
Trump, who ordered a military buildup in the Middle East unseen since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, made clear in a video address that the goal of the bombing campaign dubbed "Epic Fury" was to topple the cleric-run state that has long been a US nemesis.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday that his country refused to be dragged into war, after Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran.
Authorities fear the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah could become involved in the conflict, which saw the US and Israel bomb Iran on Saturday and Tehran respond with missile attacks.
Just before the operation began, Israel announced it was carrying out strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in south Lebanon.
