Thanks for following our live coverage of the war in the Middle East this evening. 

We are wrapping up our live blog now, but we will be back early tomorrow. 

In the mean time, you can read more about the potential global impacts of the Houthis joining the war in this piece by my colleague Audrey Courty. 

Iran's parliament speaker has  warned the US against a ground invasion, threatening to set the American troops "on fire" and step up attacks on US allies, according to Iranian official media.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iranian forces "are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever."

He added: "Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased."

He described the US's 15-point plan which Pakistan passed to Iran last week as "their wishes" and said the Trump administration is attempting to do through the plan what it has failed to achieve by force.

"As long as the Americans seek Iran's surrender, our response is clear: Far be it from us to accept humiliation," he said.

Reporting with AP

Ongoing strikes and counterstrikes on Persian Gulf refineries, pipelines, gas fields and tanker terminals are threatening to the prolong the global economic pain for months, even years, according to experts.

"A week ago or certainly two weeks ago, I would have said: If the war stopped that day, the long-term implications would be pretty small,'' said Christopher Knittel, an energy economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

"But what we're seeing is infrastructure actually being destroyed, which means the ramifications of this war are going to be long-lived.''

Reporting with AP

The United Arab Emirates said its air defense systems are responding to more missile and drone attacks.

Its defense ministry said that sounds heard across the country on Sunday were from interception efforts.

The UAE faced attacks from 16 missiles and 42 drones in the past 24 hours, according to the ministry.

Reporting with AP

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem says Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday mass. 

His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was prevented from entering the church on Sunday morning, local time, according to a statement issued by the Patriarchate. 

"As a result, and for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," it said. 

"This incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world, who during this week, look to Jerusalem."

There was no immediate response from the Israeli police.

Since the Middle East war began on February 28, Israeli authorities have banned large gatherings, including at synagogues, churches and mosques.

Public gatherings are limited to around 50 people.

"This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the status quo," the Patriarchate said. 

Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the UAE's president, has said that any political solution addressing Iranian attacks on Gulf states should include Iranian reparations for targeting vital facilities as well as civilians.

The solutions should include clear guarantees to prevent a repetition of the attacks, he said in a post on X.

Israel and the US are "working in very close coordination" to respond after Yemen's Houthi rebels said they had launched missiles toward Israeli targets, IDF spokesperson Colonel Nadav Shoshani said.

He declined to provide details on operations against the Iran-backed group, which controls parts of Yemen, but said Israel had grown accustomed to confronting repeated attacks from the Houthis, who have for more than two years launched missiles and drones toward Israel and shipping targets in the Red Sea.

He also said Israeli military statements about nearing completion of top-priority strikes did not mean it was running out of overall targets.

"There are many more groups of targets and there are also many more targets when it comes to (ballistic missile) production," he said.

Reporting with AP

Addressing tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square today, Pope Leo said that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have "hands full of blood".

Speaking on Palm Sunday, the celebration that opens the holiest week of the year in the lead-up to Easter for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, the pontiff said that Jesus cannot be used to justify any wars.

"This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," the first US pope told crowds.

"(Jesus) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood'," he said, citing a Bible passage.

The pope did not specifically name any world leaders, but he has been ramping up criticism of the Iran war in recent weeks.

The pope, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict and said on Monday that military airstrikes are indiscriminate and should be banned.

Reporting with Reuters

Jerusalem's major holy sites are shuttered and families are dejected and exhausted ahead of Passover and Easter as the Iran war enters its fifth week. 

The mood stands in stark contrast to a usual spring, when longer days herald a period of family gatherings and an influx of tourists for the major Jewish and Christian holidays.

AP photographer Mahmoud Illean captured these photos. 

In today's talks in Islamabad, Türkiye's Hakan Fidan met with the country's foreign minister Ishaq Dar, with both sides calling for dialogue and diplomacy to ease tensions in the Middle East.

According to a statement from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides emphasised the need for de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and closer coordination to promote peace and stability in the region.

Reporting with AP