Iran-US war latest: Israel strikes Tehran for sixth day as UK’s first evacuation flight fails to take off from Oman – UK Times

Iran has fired a wave of missiles at Israel early on Thursday, sending millions of residents into bomb shelters.

The Israeli military said Iran launched several missiles towards Israel in the early hours of Thursday, though there were no immediate reports of casualties, AFP reported, citing the country’s emergency services.

Three separate alerts were issued over a two-hour period, and AFP reporters said they heard explosions in Jerusalem. The military later said it was safe for residents to leave bomb shelters.

A British flight scheduled to repatriate UK nationals following the outbreak of war in the Middle East did not depart Oman as planned on Wednesday night and has been rescheduled for later on Thursday, Sky News reported.

Britain’s Foreign Office did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

The flight was due to leave Muscat at 1900 GMT on Wednesday. It was open to British nationals and their spouses or partners and children, with priority given to the most vulnerable, the Foreign Office said earlier.

“We have been told the plane will take off later today once the pilot has rested,” Sky News quoted an unnamed passenger due to travel on the flight as saying.

The passenger said travellers were informed that delays during check-in meant the pilot had exceeded permitted flying hours and was required to rest.

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans have been stranded across Gulf states since Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran. Those affected include holidaymakers, transit passengers and residents based in the region.

British Airways, which has suspended flights from Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Amman and Tel Aviv, said it would operate a separate flight from Oman in the early hours of Thursday local time.

Senate Republicans rejected a measure on Wednesday aimed at curbing military action against Iran, effectively endorsing a burgeoning conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East without a clear U.S. exit strategy.

The War Powers Resolution, which sought to mandate congressional approval before any further attacks, failed by a vote of 47-53.

The US embassy in Qatar has said that the government is evacuating residents who live near the embassy in Doha as a “temporary precautionary measure”.

“Out of an abundance of caution, please avoid the immediate area of the US Embassy,” it said.

The late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is the frontrunner to take over as Iran’s next leader, according to Polymarket.

The prediction market had Khamenei’s odds of succeeding his father at about 55 per cent early Thursday morning. The closest competing answer was Alireza Arafi, a cleric and jurist, with 9 per cent odds.

US central command has released a video purportedly showing “100 hours” of Operation Epic Fury.

The video shows US military action against Iran, including strikes on missile sites, air defences and other military infrastructure.

Asian shares rallied on Thursday, while US Treasury prices fell, signalling a tentative return of risk appetite after days of heavy losses triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

South Korea’s KOSPI rebounded sharply after steep losses in the previous session, tracking an overnight rally on Wall Street amid hopes that Washington and Tehran may seek an off-ramp from hostilities. Oil and gold prices moved higher.

China set its 2026 growth target at 4.5%–5%, slightly below last year’s 5% pace, as part of a wide-ranging economic blueprint that also included the unveiling of its 15th five-year plan.

“Geopolitical risk can flare up again very quickly, so any early gains we see this morning across Asia-Pacific share markets may not last,” said Paco Chow, dealing manager at Moomoo Australia and New Zealand. “The outlook will remain cautious until we see oil flows return to normal.”

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 2.9%. South Korea’s KOSPI led regional gains with a 10.4% surge, while Japan’s Nikkei advanced 2.9%.

US Treasury yields edged higher, with the benchmark 10-year yield rising 2.7 basis points to 4.109% and the 30-year yield up 3.1 basis points at 4.7479%.

Energy supply concerns continued to support oil prices. US crude rose 3.01% to $76.91 a barrel, while Brent climbed 2.49% to $83.43. Spot gold gained 0.84% to $5,178.42 an ounce.

In China, the blue-chip CSI300 index rose nearly 1% in early trade and the Shanghai Composite added 0.4%.

The dollar index, which tracks the US currency against a basket of peers, was little changed at 98.81 after recent safe-haven gains. The Japanese yen strengthened 0.2% to 156.75 per dollar.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin fell 0.78% to $72,774.53 and ether slipped 0.94% to $2,130.43.

Dublin Airport celebrated the return of nearly 370 passengers from Dubai Wednesday night.