US State Dept approves 'emergency' weapons sale to Israel

This live blog follows updates for Day 8 of the US-Israel war on Iran

• Britain 'ready to support' Saudi defense
• UN Ghanaian peacekeepers wounded after position hit in south Lebanon
• Qatar's energy minister warns war will force the Gulf to halt energy exports within weeks
• Total of 67 Kuwait army personnel injured in Mideast war: Statement
• UN urges Middle East warring parties to 'give peace a chance'

Blast in Jerusalem after Iran missile alert

Published March 7, 2026 | 04:00 GMT

An AFP journalist reported an explosion in Jerusalem, after air raid sirens warned of an incoming Iranian missile attack.

The Israeli military said earlier that air defences were "operating to intercept the threat," before giving the all-clear.

US State Dept approves 'emergency' weapons sale to Israel

Published March 7, 2026 | 03:55 GMT

The US State Department approved the "emergency" sale of 12,000 bomb casings to Israel on Friday as the countries engage Iran in an escalating Middle East war.

The requested sale of 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bomb casings, worth an estimated $151.8 million, was approved by the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, according to a press release.

"The proposed sale will improve Israel's capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats," the bureau said in a statement.

In addition to the munitions, the sale will include US government and contract engineering, logistics and technical support services, according to the release.

Major US defense companies have agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons, President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday, a week after the US and Israel first launched strikes on Iran.

While US arms sales typically require approval by Congress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a waiver bypassing the approval, to the consternation of some elected officials.

Congressman Gregory Meeks, a Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said bypassing congressional review of the arms sale "exposes a stark contradiction at the heart of this administration's case for war."

"The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it was fully prepared for this war," Meeks said in a statement. "Rushing to invoke emergency authority to circumvent Congress tells a different story."

"This is an emergency of the Trump administration's own creation."

Hezbollah says fighters clash with Israeli troops on Lebanon-Syria border

 Published March 7, 2026 | 03:24 GMT

Lebanese official media reported that clashes had erupted as Israeli forces attempted a landing operation along the Lebanon-Syria border, with militant group Hezbollah saying its fighters were involved.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has launched numerous strikes and sent ground troops into Lebanon since Tehran-backed group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said that "clashes are taking place on the eastern mountain range along the Lebanese-Syrian border... to repel Israeli landing attempts."

Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters had "observed the infiltration of four Israeli enemy army helicopters from the Syrian direction".

A separate statement said Hezbollah fighters had fired rockets as the Israeli forces withdrew.

Nabi Sheet was the target of at least 13 Israeli air strikes on Friday, according to the NNA, with the Lebanese health ministry reporting at least nine people killed.

Israel army says Iran using cluster munitions

Published March 7, 2026 | 02:00 GMT

Israel said that Iran had launched cluster bombs "multiple times" since the start of the war that began with a US-Israeli attack on the Islamic republic over the weekend.

The Iranians "are using cluster munitions", Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told a news briefing, without providing details on when or where those munitions were allegedly launched.

"They've used it multiple times, which is a war crime when it's directed towards civilians, and we're tracking that situation," Shoshani said.

Saudi Arabia says intercepted ballistic missile fired at air base

Published March 7, 2026 | 00:20 GMT

Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired at an air base southeast of the capital, Riyadh, as Iran pressed attacks across the Gulf.

"A ballistic missile launched towards Prince Sultan Air Base was intercepted and destroyed," the Saudi defense ministry posted on X.