Iran-Israel war LIVE: U.S. military refuelling aircraft crashes; Saudi, Israel intercept Iranian missiles

Iran-Israel war: Follow the latest updates from The Hindu on the West Asia conflict and rising oil crisis on March 13, 2026

Israel said on Friday (March 13, 2026) that Iran fired a new wave of missiles toward Israel, instructing those in affected areas to head to shelters. Saudi Arabia also intercepted 12 drones entering its airspace, the Defence Ministry said as Iran carries out attacks on oil-rich Gulf countries in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Also Read: The Iran war and the uncertain future of the expats

A U.S. military refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq ‌on Thursday (March 12, 2026), in an incident U.S. Central Command said ⁠involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile ‌or friendly fire. In a statement, U.S. Central Command ‌said it was carrying out rescue efforts after the U.S. KC-135 refuelling aircraft went down. ‌The second aircraft landed safely. 

In Focus Podcast | Is India tailing the U.S. in its West Asia policy?

Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence indicates that Iran’s leadership is still largely intact and is not at risk of collapse any time soon after nearly two weeks of relentless U.S. and Israeli bombardment, Reuters reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a veiled threat to kill Iran’s new supreme leader ‌Mojtaba Khamenei as he acknowledged that Israel’s joint air war with the U.S. may not lead ⁠to a collapse of Tehran’s clerical government.