Trump 'not happy' with Iran's choice of Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader

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Qatar's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that its armed forces intercepted a missile attack that was aiming for the Middle Eastern country.

"The Ministry of Defense of State of Qatar announces that armed forces intercepted missile attack which targeted State of Qatar," the ministry wrote on X.

Six members of Iran's women's soccer team will stay in Australia after requesting asylum, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday.

Another member of the team was also granted asylum, but she changed her mind and decided to return to Iran.

Burke said one player and a team staffer had joined five players who had already been granted asylum to remain in Australia. But he later told Australia's federal parliament that one of the women had spoken to her departed teammates and decided to return home as well.

It was not immediately clear which of the women had changed her decision and returned home.

An official roster lists 26 players, along with coaches and staff.

While only some were granted asylum, Burke said the offer was given to everyone on the team.

This comes after the team refused to sing the Iranian anthem before their first Women’s Asian Cup match early last week against South Korea — a gesture some interpreted as a protest and others as mourning amid turmoil at home. The team later sang and saluted the anthem in two subsequent matches, including ahead of their final match, when they were eliminated by the Philippines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The State Department said on Wednesday that the Trump administration's top priority is securing the safety of Americans in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

"There is no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens for President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, and the entire Department of State," the Department of State Consular Affairs said on X.

"We are working on additional options to assist Americans to depart the Middle East," the post continued. "We will continue to share up-to-the-minute information you need to make informed decisions about your safety. The U.S. government is ready to help Americans leave the Middle East if you choose to take advantage of the options available."

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait said commercial flights are currently not operating out of the country over the ongoing threat of missile and UAV attacks.

"There are overland routes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where commercial options to depart the region are operating," the Department of State Consular Affairs said. "Americans should strongly consider departing on one of these overland routes if they believe it is safe to do so."

Ukraine has dispatched interceptor drones and a team of drone specialists to help protect U.S. military bases in Jordan as fighting tied to the Iran war intensifies across the region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with The New York Times.

Zelenskyy told the NYT that Washington made the request on Thursday, and Kyiv moved swiftly to respond, dispatching the drone team the following day.

"We reacted immediately," Zelenskyy said. "I said, yes, of course, we will send our experts."

The reported request comes as the U.S. and Gulf states work to intercept hundreds of Iranian missiles and thousands of drones launched in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian drones have struck the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, including an attack on a tactical operations center in Kuwait that killed six U.S. service members.

Fox News' Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday night that missiles were launched from Iran toward Israeli territory, triggering alerts across parts of the country.

“Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said in a statement on X.

Israel’s Home Front Command issued direct alerts to mobile phones in affected areas, instructing residents to immediately enter protected spaces and remain there until further notice.

“The public is requested to exercise responsibility and act in accordance with the directives—they save lives,” the IDF said.

Hezbollah and Iran launched a coordinated strike strategy Tuesday, a national security expert claimed, as reports emerged that deadly cluster munitions were hitting Israel in synchronized attacks.

The developments unfolded on day 11 of Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting Iran, marking a potential escalation in the widening regional conflict.

"Hezbollah has fully joined the war, and it looks like they are now very well coordinated with Iran," Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital while speaking from his bomb shelter near Tel Aviv.

"Most of Hezbollah's rockets and drones are launched simultaneously with the Iranian missiles," he said.

Israel confirmed Tuesday that Iran had been firing cluster munitions — adding a complicated and deadly challenge to Israel’s stretched air defenses, The Associated Press reported.

The warheads burst open at high altitudes, scattering dozens of smaller bomblets across a wide area. The smaller bombs, which at night can resemble orange fireballs, are difficult to intercept and have proven lethal.

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy also said despite Israel's strong air defense, half of the missiles are hard to defend against because half of the missiles are cluster munitions.

"The Iranian use of cluster missiles and the idea that they deliberately target civilians and civil facilities must be considered as a use of non-conventional weapons, and the American-Israeli response must be appropriate," Michael urged.

Banned by more than 120 nations under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, the weapons are widely condemned for their broad-area, indiscriminate effects that often result in catastrophic civilian harm.

This is an excerpt of an article from Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey.

A drone struck a major U.S. diplomatic facility in Baghdad on Tuesday in what officials believe may be retaliation by pro-Iran militias amid the escalating war with Iran, according to a report from The Washington Post.

The drone hit the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, a large logistical compound used by U.S. diplomats near Iraqi military bases and Baghdad International Airport.

Six drones were launched toward the facility, with five intercepted and one striking near a guard tower, according to a security official cited by the Post. No casualties were immediately reported.

The attack is suspected to have been carried out by militias operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed armed groups that has stepped up attacks since the United States and Israel launched operations against Iran on Feb. 28.

U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that hundreds of American air assets are continuing to strike Iranian targets as Operation Epic Fury continues its second week.

“Hundreds of air assets continue to deliver devastating combat power against the Iranian regime during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X.

The post included images of multiple U.S. aircraft involved in the campaign, including stealth fighters and carrier-based jets launching and recovering at sea.

U.S. officials have said the operation has already struck more than 5,000 targets across Iran and significantly degraded Tehran’s missile, drone and naval capabilities.

The strikes come as the United States and Israel continue sustained air operations in Iran.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voiced support Tuesday for members of Iran’s women’s soccer team after Australia granted asylum to several players following fears of retaliation from Tehran.

“In Iran, life is oppression and brutality,” Fetterman wrote on X. “These courageous women were facing severe consequences, even their families threatened.”

The Democrat senator then took aim at critics who had previously condemned Team USA’s men’s hockey players, asking: “How many of the people who criticized our Men’s Hockey team condemned Iran’s treatment of its Women’s Soccer team?”

The comments came after reports that multiple members of Iran’s women’s national team accepted asylum offers in Australia after they were cast as "wartime traitors" for refusing to sing Iran’s national anthem.

Sirens blared in Tel Aviv early Wednesday as the city came under attack amid another wave of Iranian strikes.

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy said despite Israel's strong air defense, half of the missiles are hard to defend against because half of the missiles are cluster munitions.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it detected a waved of missiles launched from Iran, which still possess the ability to strike despite its depleted capabilities, he said on "The Ingraham Angle."

Explosions could be heard in the distance.

Foy noted that some Israelis have chosen to continue with daily life despite the attacks, while most seek cover in shelters and other structures, per the IDF's instructions.

The U.N Security Council will convene Wednesday in New York to vote on a resolution proposed by Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), condemning the attacks carried out by Iran against the countries of the region.

The draft resolution strongly condemns the attacks carried out by Iran using missiles and drones against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan states that the attacks violate of international law and are a serious threat to international peace and security.

It also demands that Iran immediately cease all attacks and threats against regional states, including through its proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The measure also condemns attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, while emphasizing the right to self-defense under the UN Charter. It calls for maintaining freedom of navigation in international shipping lanes, primarily the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab.

"Iran is firing on the countries of the region out of desperation," said Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. "The Security Council must condemn this aggression"

Danon added that Tehran is trying to export its terrorism throughout the region.

Fox News Digital's Ben Evansky contributed to this post.

More than 43,000 Americans have safely returned to the United States from the Middle East since U.S. and Israeli strikes began targeting Iran, the State Department said.

The agency has directly assisted nearly 30,000 U.S. citizens through it 24/7 task force, it said.

Six players on the Iranian women's soccer team and one support staff member have accepted asylum offers from Australia, officials said.

Almost all the Iranian players and many of the support staff were taken aside, individually, as they passed through Australian Customs at the airport before they boarded their flight back to Iran, said Australian Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke.

They were each given the opportunity to accept an asylum offer without Iranian state minders present.

No other players or staff accepted the offer to stay. 

President Donald Trump said earlier that the United States was ready to take the players if Australia did not.

Soccer ​fans and governing agencies expressed concerns about ​the welfare of the women's team after they were ⁠labelled traitors for refusing their national anthem before a match at the Asia Cup.

U.S. forces have destroyed 16 Iranian minelaying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, officials said Tuesday.

U.S. Central Commanded, or CENTCOM, said multiple Iranian vessels were eliminated in a post on X that was accompanied by a video showing some of the strikes.

Earlier, President Donald Trump warned Iran against laying mines in the strait, saying it would face military consequences.

Trump added that 10 inactive mine laying vessels had been destroyed.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted two drones moving toward an oil field Tuesday.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said the drones were intercepted in Empty Quarter, or Rub' al Khali, a desert encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula.

The drones were headed toward the Shaybah oil field, the ministry said.

The Energy Department blamed a "staff error" for a now-deleted social media post by its secretary that incorrectly stated the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt refuted the claim by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, which was quickly deleted from X.

“A video clip was deleted from Secretary Wright’s official X account after it was determined to be incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff," Department of Energy said.

"President Trump, Secretary Wright, and the rest of the President’s energy team are closely monitoring the situation, speaking with industry leaders, and having the U.S. military draw up additional options to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, including the potential for our Navy to escort tankers."

During her press briefing. Leavitt said the "Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though, of course, that's an option the President has said he will absolutely utilize, if and when necessary, at the appropriate time.”

The War Department on Tuesday released a video showing U.S. strikes destroying Iranian naval vessels.

The U.S. strikes have destroyed more than 50 of the country's navy warships, including a major drone carrier ship. 

The strikes have left the Iranian navy "combat ineffective," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

President Donald Trump warned Iran against placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, saying U.S. forces had destroyed 10 inactive Iranian vessels used to install the explosive devices.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Tehran needs to remove any mines in the waterway immediately.

"If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before," he wrote. "If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!"

Additionally, Trump said U.S. forces were using the technology and missile capabilities deployed against drug traffickers "to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently. BEWARE!"

In a follow-up post, Trump said U.S. forces had destroyed10 inactive mine laying boats or ships, "with more to follow."

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S forces have been wiping out the mines with "ruthless precision."

"We will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage," he said on X. "To the weakened Iranian regime: you have officially been put on notice!"