Iran ‘destroys’ key US spy plane as Pentagon plans ‘ground operations’ (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
Iran destroyed a $270 million Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft in its recent strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, which also damaged several other aircraft and injured at least 12 American troops, according to US media reports and new photos circulating online.
The extent of the damage to the aircraft “likely renders it unrepairable,” the Air & Space Forces Magazine wrote, while open-source intelligence analysts described it as a “total loss.” The Pentagon has yet to officially confirm the scale of the damage from the reported attack.
Meanwhile, the US Department of War is reportedly drafting plans for weeks of potential ground operations, despite President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that Tehran has already lost the month-long war and is begging for a deal.
Several US officials told the Washington Post that any mission would not be a “full-scale invasion,” but rather limited raids with potential objectives including the seizure of Kharg Island – a key Iranian oil export hub – or coastal raids near the Strait of Hormuz.
Here are the latest developments:
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to strike two yet-to-be-named US-Israeli-linked educational facilities in the region unless Washington formally condemns and reins in Israel by 12:00pm Tehran time on Monday, March 30.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry previously accused the US and Israel of “deliberately” erasing the country’s scientific foundation and cultural heritage – following the latest strikes on the Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran.
Yemen’s Houthis have formally entered the war on Saturday, targeting multiple “sensitive Israeli military sites” in an attack timed to align with operations carried out by Iran and Hezbollah.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
29 March 2026
10:28 GMTHezbollah said it struck Israeli targets on both sides of the border, claiming a direct hit on a Merkava tank near Beit Lif in southern Lebanon with a rocket, and reporting a separate barrage fired at a military-industrial site near Acre in northern Israel.
- 10:09 GMT
“Liar Trump will turn US troops into food for the sharks of the Persian Gulf,” Iran’s military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has said. He described the American president as an “unbalanced and deceitful individual” who has inflicted “extensive damage” on the people of the US, Europe and countries worldwide, particularly in West Asia.
- 09:56 GMT
A grieving Iranian mother urged accountability at the UN Human Rights Council for what she described as a “grave breach” of international law following an airstrike on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab, where she said she lost two of her children.
In a video released by the Iranian Embassy in Russia, she called on the international community to ensure a full investigation and deliver justice “not for revenge, but so that no other parent endures such a loss.” The February 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh school, which came on the opening day of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, killed more than 175 students and staff. - 09:47 GMT
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Sunday that airstrikes across the country have caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, with more than 102,000 civilian units affected. The organization reported that this includes over 80,000 residential properties and nearly 21,000 commercial units across multiple provinces.
Critical services have also been hit, with 296 health and emergency facilities and around 600 schools damaged. The Red Crescent added that its own operations have been impacted, citing damage to 18 centers, 48 operational vehicles, and three relief helicopters used jointly with emergency medical services. - 08:56 GMT
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iranian forces are ready for the arrival of US troops, warning of a harsh response to any ground incursion. In remarks carried by Islamic Republic News Agency, he accused Donald Trump of duplicity, saying: “The enemy openly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly plotting a ground attack.”
“Our men are waiting for the American soldiers to enter on the ground to set fire to them,” he added.
- 08:48 GMT
The EU’s Red Sea naval mission, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, said it is monitoring developments following what it described as increased Houthi backing for Iran, adding it has updated guidance for commercial vessels and urged closer coordination with maritime security channels.
It said forces remain on alert to safeguard shipping lanes, as Yemen’s Houthi movement announced it had entered the war on Saturday, claiming strikes on multiple Israeli military targets in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah.
Update‼️ EUNAVFOR ASPIDES’ Informational Message to the Shipping Industry on the latest Houthis’ support to the Islamic Republic of Iran. pic.twitter.com/3LvxwskZn1
— EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) March 28, 2026 - 08:43 GMT
Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said warnings of a looming global energy crunch were now coming to fruition.
As predicted here long before EU/UK bureaucrats and media had any clue — the largest energy crisis ever: pic.twitter.com/VfxyD9kVEy
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) March 29, 2026 - 08:39 GMT
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its aerospace force carried out a joint missile and drone strike on the Al-Kharj base in Saudi Arabia, claiming it destroyed at least one E-3 AWACS surveillance aircraft and inflicted serious damage on other aircraft at the site.
In a statement, the IRGC said the attack was conducted in response to what it described as hostile actions by US forces, including the earlier destruction of refueling aircraft.
- 08:25 GMT
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of San Francisco on Saturday as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protests against the policies of Donald Trump.
- 08:19 GMT
Public unity and defiance during the first month of the war had “empowered the missiles” launched against Iran’s enemies, with crowds rallying behind slogans rejecting compromise and surrender, in a show of resilience against the United States, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.
He said the period, marked by mourning for slain leaders and commanders, had turned grief into resolve, with citizens pledging loyalty to the country’s leadership and supporting military operations.
