Tehran has launched retaliatory strikes as US expands attacks and Russia calls for de-escalation

Welcome to RT's live coverage of the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran, which is now entering itssixthday. Washington and its ally are expanding strikes throughout the Islamic Republic, while the IDF is bombingLebanonin response to Hezbollah attacks.

Tehran has launched waves of missile and drone strikes against Israeli and US targets and has warned that further retaliation will follow.

RT brings you the latest developments, including reports from correspondents across the Middle East.

• More than 1,000 people have beenkilledin Iran since the campaign began, includingcivilians, according to monitoring groups. At least 12 people have been killed in Israel by retaliatory Iranian strikes.
• Iran has continued its retaliatory strikes against Israeli and US targets, with explosions reported in Jerusalem and other areas overnight.
• Israel said it launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran and intensified attacks on what it claims are Hezbollah positions in Beirut, further widening the regional conflict.
• The US military says it will begin "striking progressively deeper" into Iran, with CENTCOM confirming the operation involves over 50,000 US troops, about 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers and strategic bombers.
• An American submarine hassunkan Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lankan authorities say sailors were rescued after the attack on the vessel carrying about 180 crew members, while dozens are feared dead or missing.
• Iranian drone and missile strikes have targeted US military bases, airfields and radar sites across the Gulf, including facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, as the conflict spreads across the region.
• Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has established control over the Strait of Hormuz - a vital chokepoint for global oil and natural gas shipments - promptingturmoilin energy markets and forcing many commercial vessels to avoid the waterway amid fears of a wider regional war.
• US lawmakers have rejected a measure that would have limited US President Donald Trump's ability to launch further strikes on Iran, allowing the campaign to continue without congressional approval.
• Russia hascondemnedwhat it called the US "practice of political assassinations and the 'hunting' of leaders of sovereign states," with the Kremlin saying Russian President Vladimir Putin "is making every effort" to help deescalate the crisis.
• US officials have offered conflicting explanations for the war. Trump said he believed Iran was about to attack first and ordered strikes preemptively, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier suggested Washington joined Israel's assault out of fears Tehran would retaliate against US forces following Israeli action.

  Follow our live coverage for continuous updates as the situation develops. You can also read the previous updateshere.

(RT.com)