Live updates: Iran attacks Israel and Gulf states, plays down Trump peace talks claim

Israel will assume control of the remaining bridges over the Litani River and a "security zone" in areas to its south, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz announced today.

Katz did not identify exactly which parts of southern Lebanon would make up the "security zone."

He warned, however, that hundreds of thousands of residents who have been displaced from their homes will not be able to return "until security for northern Israeli communities is ensured."

The development comes after Israel expanded its assault on southern Lebanon, destroying bridges over the Litani and homes in the area amid what it has said is a "limited" ground operation.

"All five bridges over the Litani that were used by Hezbollah for transferring operatives and weapons have been destroyed, and the IDF will control the remaining crossings and the security zone up to the Litani," Katz said during a situation assessment this morning

The designation of southern Lebanon as a "security zone" will deepen fears of a long-term occupation of the area, with experts warning in recent days that such a takeover could be "imminent." Yesterday Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the Litani should be Israel's permanent new border.

Images out of Tel Aviv reveal the scope of damage to the city following an Iranian missile strike this morning. Emergency services were seen responding to the attack, whilst civilians evacuated destroyed buildings.

 Erik Marmor / Getty Images

 Ohad Zwigenberg / AP

 Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images

 Oded Balilty / AP

UNESCO has expressed concern about the impact of war on important historical sites in Iran and across the Middle East, saying they have become “collateral damage.”

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have damaged at least four cultural and historical sites, including palaces and an ancient mosque, raising concerns about the impact of the widening war on protected landmarks that are important to Iranian identity and world history.

The price of oil jumped back above $100 a barrel as optimism over a possible end to the war consuming the Middle East began to fade a little.

The international standard Brent crude added $1.00 to just over $102 a barrel, though global market benchmarks rebounded a little overall.

The price of Brent had sunk by more than 10% yesterday after Trump said he would delay strikes he threatened to launch on Iran's energy infrastructure unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz. The president attributed the reversal to productive talks with Iran.

Iranian officials disputed his claims of diplomatic progress and accused the president of trying to buy time and manipulate the financial and oil markets to quell mounting outrage over market instability. One senior official acknowledged the country had exchanged messages with intermediaries, however.

At least four people were injured after at least one Iranian missile evaded air defenses and made an impact in Tel Aviv, the Israeli military and first responders said this morning.

The Israeli military said search and rescue forces had been dispatched to several sites in central Israel after receiving reports of impacts in the area.

MDA

Photos shared by Magen David Adom, Israel’s primary emergency service, with NBC News showed a cloud of smoke rising from the ground as first responders arrived at the scene of a strike in Tel Aviv.

"We saw destruction, smoke, and chaos," MDA Emergency Medical Technician Yoel Moshe said this morning. Moshe said at least four people, all in "mild condition," were treated at the scene as walking patients.

Damage in Tel Aviv today, following an Iranian missile strike.  Obtained by NBC News

Pakistan is joining a growing list of countries acting as go-betweens for the United States and Iran, four sources told NBC News, with two of those sources saying an in-person meeting could be held in the coming days in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

A diplomatic source said Pakistan is in conversations with both the U.S. and Iran and is “well poised to play an active role” in discussions to end the war. A Gulf official said Pakistan had been passing messages between the two countries for the past two days.

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