US-Iran war live updates: Israel advances into Lebanon; Baghdad’s green zone hit; UAE temporarily closes its airspace

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What you need to know this afternoon

By Emily Kaine

Welcome to our rolling coverage of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which is now well into its third week and showing no signs of stopping. If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know today.

• Israel has escalated its air and ground offensive against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, with Israeli ground troops targeting Hezbollah strongholds in “limited and targeted” ground operations.
• Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, the UK and Italy released a joint statement urging against a “significant ground offensive” by Israel, warning the humanitarian outcomes could be disastrous for civilians in Lebanon.
• Donald Trump told media he was “disappointed” that American allies had rebuffed his calls to send warships to escort merchant vessels in and out of the Strait of Hormuz as several European allies including Germany, Spain and Italy ruled out participating in any mission in the Gulf, and Australia ruled out sending a warship to the strait.
• The UAE has temporarily closed its airspace as a “precautionary measure”, following a series of attacks including a drone strike near Dubai International Airport overnight.
• Trump told reporters at the White House that he was seeking to delay a highly anticipated early-April trip to China because of the Iran war. It followed his earlier suggestion that his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping be delayed unless Beijing helped to police the Strait of Hormuz. His officials soon backtracked.
• More than 1 million people have been displaced and 880 killed in Lebanon since the outbreak of war more than two weeks ago, the Lebanese government said.