Matt Murphy
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, Netblocks

Iran’s communications ministry announced yesterday that it had restricted internet access across the country, alleging that Israel had been using the "communication network for military purposes".

Analysts at the internet monitoring organisation Netblocks said that the near complete blackout has continued on Thursday morning, with restrictions on access now approaching 20 hours.

Isik Mater, Netblocks' director of research, told BBC Verify that a limited amount of access has been maintained, but said it was unclear who was able to use it.

He also said that the group has had contact with some internet users in Iran who have been evading restrictions by using Starlink - the satellite technology company controlled by Elon Musk.

Starlink provides internet services via a network of satellites, allowing subscribers to bypass restrictions on domestic networks.

However, users need to have access to a dish - or terminal - to connect to the satellite array.

While Tehran has formally banned Starlink terminals, analysts have estimated that thousands of units may have been smuggled into the country by Iranian citizens in recent years.

Jake Horton
BBC Verify

Image source, Telegram

We’ve been assessing footage showing the aftermath of what the Israeli military says was an Iranian missile strike at a hospital in southern Israel this morning.

Israel says the Soroka site was directly hit - but Iranian state media has reported that authorities there say military infrastructure next to it was struck and the hospital was damaged “by the blast wave”.

We’ll be putting verified video and images of the aftermath to munitions experts and asking them to assess what happened.

Our team has verified a video of the site’s exterior that shows smoke rising from the roof which appears to have partially collapsed.

There are also images coming in from picture agencies and the BBC is deploying reporters to the scene who will be sending us more footage of the site.

Once we have expert analysis of what exactly the damage tells us about the strike we’ll bring it to you.

Peter Mwai and Richard Irvine-Brown
BBC Verify

Image source, X

As well as images from Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel, we’ve been looking at the moment of strikes and their aftermath in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, about 60 miles (100km) to the north.

One video shows multiple trails and explosions over the very identifiable skyline of the city before smoke rises from an impact among the skyscrapers.

Other videos, filmed at street level and a residential balcony, show the degree of damage to several buildings on Zeev Jabotinksy Street, including the Twin Towers.

In every instance, the buildings we can see were matched to images already online to make sure of the location, and each video had frames reverse-searched - essentially asking Google to tell us every copy it has cached of videos with those frames - to make sure they are from this morning.

Image source, X

The Fordo nuclear facility is an enrichment plant hidden away in a mountainside south of Tehran.

Iran insists Fordo is for civilian purposes only but Israel says it threatens its survival. The site is vital to Iran’s nuclear ambitions - and Israel’s attempts to dismantle them.

The plant is believed to be deeper underground than the Channel Tunnel connecting the UK and France. For this reason it’s remained out of reach of Israel’s weaponry and only the US is considered to have a bomb that might be powerful enough to destroy Fordo - a move that could dramatically widen a Middle East war.

Our team has put together a visual guide of the secretive site, mapping its location in the mountains and what’s believed to be the layout inside the facility.

You can scroll through the guide here.

Kayleen Devlin
BBC Verify senior journalist

We’ve been verifying videos posted on social media after the Israeli military said an Iranian missile hit the Soroka Hospital in the city of Beersheba earlier this morning.

Israel says it was a direct hit on the hospital, but Iranian state media reported the main target was a nearby military site. It added that any damage to the hospital was caused by the blast wave. We’re working to verify that statement.

We’ve authenticated videos uploaded from within the hospital which show smashed glass inside the building as well as fallen ceiling tiles and broken doors.

We were able to match some of the design features seen in today’s footage with older images available online of the hospital interior. In one video posted this morning the interior decoration and shape of the walls matched an image taken from inside the medical complex in 2023.

We’ll continue to verify videos that come in throughout the day.

Rob Corp
BBC Verify Live editor

Welcome to BBC Verify Live - our daily page bringing you updates on the work of the BBC's specialists in verification, fact-checking, tackling disinformation and data journalism.

Since first reports began emerging that an Iranian missile had hit a hospital in southern Israel the team has been checking through online sources for verifiable information about the impact of the strike.

Looking through what's been seen so far we know that the strike has caused extensive damage to the Soroka facility in Beersheba - so we'll be assessing the scale of the damage and which parts of the facility have been affected.

The state-run Iranian national news agency has said the missile was aimed at a military complex near the hospital and any damage was the result of the blast wave. We will be working to check this claim.

Despite a near-total internet blackout in Iran we'll also be looking into overnight attacks there by the Israeli Air Force which says it targeted elements of the country's nuclear programme.