From devotion to rebellion, AP photos recorded Asia's many tones in 2025

A continent as large as Asia rarely speaks in a single tone.

Its 2025 played out in polyphony — with chords of devotion, chaos, spectacle and fatigue — each a reminder of how much can, and does, coexist.

AP photographs, taken from the Himalayas to the Java Sea, recorded all of them.

Some moments are quiet.

From above, the Rohingya refugee camps at Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar appear as calm, tidy rows — a quiet geometry that masks the dirge of a people in exile. In the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, a dove settles on a soldier’s hat during an independence day ceremony. Bright red powder drifts like a quiet fog as a girl celebrates the Hindu festival of Holi in Mumbai, India.

Vibrant motion cut through elsewhere.

Traditional dancers in West Java, Indonesia, prepare to head out, a bright dragon head framed in the doorway. Migratory birds swirl above the Yamuna River as people in a boat scatter feed across the Indian river dawn. A humanoid robot pounds down a racetrack in Beijing, one of many chrome and circuitry competitors chasing the 1,500-meter finish.

In politics, ceremony and upheaval rang out.

Lawmakers in Tokyo applaud Japan's first female prime minister. A young woman in Seoul, South Korea, waits through the night near the Constitutional Court, waiting to hear if a president would fall after declaring martial law. In Kathmandu, Nepal, a protester roars against corruption, clutching a captured police shield as if willing the world to change.

And woven into the year were the harsh notes of disasters.

In Bangkok, a high rise that collapsed after a major earthquake in Myanmar looms over rescuers moving in a thin line below. In Ahmedabad, India, a woman wails at a the funeral of a plane crash, her grieving body held upright only by the hands of those gathering to steady her. In Hong Kong, two grey-haired men stand shoulder to shoulder, watching in horror as a Hong Kong high-rise burns against the night sky.

Laborers huddle together under a police barricade in Delhi and sipped tea while sheltering from rain. A couple share a wedding kiss in a Filipino church inundated with floodwaters.

Together, they showed how life persisted despite it all, quietly stitching itself back together, frame by frame.

Photo editing by Yirmiyan Arthur and Courtney Dittmar.

Newlyweds Jade Rick Verdillo right, and Jamaica kiss during their wedding at the flooded Barasoain church in Malolos, Bulacan province, Philippines on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

People feed migratory birds early in the morning on the river Yamuna in New Delhi, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/ Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)

Abbot Phut Analayo, right, and other monks and residents who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers, take shelter in Surin province, Thailand, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Family members and relatives of Akash Patni, a victim of the Air India plane crash, grieves during his funeral procession in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

People look at flames engulfing a building after a fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Wednesday, Nov. 26 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei, File)

Jo Eun-jin, who stayed overnight on the street, waits for the start of a rally calling for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down, near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

Laborers drink tea while taking shelter from the rain under metal panels in New Delhi, India, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

Antima Kumari helps her brother-in-law Sikandar Chaudhary hold his son close with the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), a skin-to-skin contact to promote bonding and well-being, at home in Gurugram, a satellite city of New Delhi, India, on Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

A camel herder sits near cattle at the annual cattle fair in Pushkar, in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)

Muslim women take pictures of people marching with the Indian flag, part of a campaign encouraging every household to hoist the national flag, as a paramilitary soldier stands guard, ahead of India's Independence Day in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)

A Chinese punk rocker smokes a cigarette as he waits backstage during a punk festival in Hangzhou, China, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

A protester wearing a flak jacket and carrying a shield snatched from a policeman shouts slogans at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal government's various ministries and offices, during a protest against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)

A robot competes in the 1500m race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., File)

A dove perches on the hat of an Indonesian Army soldier during a flag raising ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the country's independence at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim), File)

Abdul Sattar, 70, untangles a piece of thread from his hair as he operates a power weaving loom at a workshop in Bhiwandi, India, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

Participants carry a portable shrine, or mikoshi, into the sea during a purification rite at the annual Kurihama Sumiyoshi Shrine Festival at Kurihama, Yokosuka city, south of Tokyo Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Rescuers work at the site a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn, File)

People vote at a polling booth at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)

Tanzin Dolma milks a yak as her husband, Punchuk Namdol, collects yak dung in the background on an early morning in Maan village, Ladakh, India, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)

Judy Bertuso, left, feeds her husband Apollo inside a tent at an evacuation center as Typhoon Fung-wong enters the country on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025 in Quezon city, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

Hostesses fill up tea cups for the leaders before the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

A Sikh paramilitary soldier adjusts his moustache before taking part in a parade during the country's Independence Day celebrations in Guwahati, India, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath, File)

Yu Xiaofeng leaps as she jumps into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

Lawmakers applaud as Sanae Takaichi, center, is elected as Japan's new prime minister during the extraordinary session of the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Mountaineers form a queue as they approach the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Kunga Sherpa, File)

Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch, right, and Miss Thailand Praveenar Singh hold hands while waiting for the announcement of winner for the 2025 Miss Universe pageant in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok, in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Swami Bhupender Giri, a Naga Sadhu from the Niranjani Akhara, arrives for ritualistic dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, on the auspicious Makar Sankranti day during the Maha Kumbh festival, which is one of the world's largest religious gatherings, in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, file)

An aerial view of a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu, File)

Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after the Indonesian national colors, prepare to leave for a shopping mall for a performance in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)

Devotees pray with lamps during a ritual of Rakher Upobash, a Hindu religious festival that involves a daylong fast and overnight prayer seeking spiritual purification, honoring Hindu saint Loknath Brahmachari, at a temple in Chakla, West Bengal, India, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das, File)

A girl throws colored powder on her friend as they celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, in Mumbai, India, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

As the war in the Middle East intensifies, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. has “the capability to go far longer" than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran.

Across Tehran, the sound of explosions rang out through the night and into the early morning hours Tuesday, as the U.S. and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas.

The intensity of the attacks and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences. Israel and the U.S. have given conflicting answers about what exactly the war’s objectives are or what the endgame might be.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Monday defended the decision to go to war, contending in an interview on Fox News Channel’s "Hannity" that Iran was rebuilding “new sites, new places” that would make “their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb program immune within months,” without providing evidence.

Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two nuclear sites in Iran before the war, with analysts saying it was likely Tehran was trying to assess damage from American strikes in June and possibly salvage what remained there.

Here is the latest:

The Israeli military says one of its divisions is operating inside southern Lebnaon and took positions on several strategic points close to the border.

The Arabic language spokesperson of the Israeli military posted on X that the troops’ move inside Lebanon is part of its efforts to bolster the forward defense system and create an addition layer of security.

The military said that at the same time the air force is conducting strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in the area to thwart threats and prevent infiltration attempts into Israel.

The Israeli operations inside Lebanon came after a long night of airstrikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The Israeli military says there are no immediate plans to deploy ground troops in Iran.

Asked about the possibility of sending in ground forces, spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told reporters it is “not very likely.”

Thailand is intensifying security around the U.S., Israeli and Iranian embassies as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.

Public broadcaster Thai PBS quoted the head of the National Security Council, Chatchai Bangchua, describing the additional measures as he said authorities would also monitor sites linked to the countries.

Thailand depends heavily on tourism and is one of Asia’s most-visited countries, attracting more than 32 million foreigners last year. It is a popular destination for Americans, Israelis and citizens of Gulf countries and before recent airspace closures received dozens of direct flights from the Middle East each week.

The Israeli military says soldiers are “operating in southern Lebanon’ as it continues strikes against Hezbollah.

In a statement, it said the troops are positioned at a several points near the border in what it described as a “forward defense posture” as it battles Hezbollah militants.

It says the deployment is part of a broader effort to increase security for residents in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. It has also beefed up troops and air defenses in the area.

The army says there are no plans to evacuate Israeli residents of border areas.

Israel has been occupying five positions in southern Lebanon since a November 2024 ceasefire ended more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani says the new deployment is in addition to those five positions, with the aim of preventing attacks on Israeli border towns.

The U.S. State Department added Kuwait and Qatar to the evacuation list from its Mideast diplomatic outposts.

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait is shutting down as the Middle East is grabbed in a widening war.

The embassy said in a social media post Tuesday that it is closing “until further notice” due to the war.

Iran on Tuesday held a mass funeral ceremony for 165 people killed in what it described as an attack on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab.

Iranian state television showed thousands of people filling a public square. Men waved the Islamic Republic flag while largely standing apart from women draped in black chadors.

From the stage, a women who said she was the mother of “Atena” held up a printed image of portraits that she called “a document of American crimes.” She added, “They died in the way of God.”

The crowd erupted into chants of “Death to America,” “Death to Israel” and “No surrender.”

U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said he was aware of reports that a girls’ school was struck and officials were looking into them.

An Israeli military spokesperson said Sunday he was not aware of any Israeli or U.S. strikes in the area.

Qatar Airways said it would remain grounded Tuesday over the war.

Amazon said Monday that two of its data centers in United Arab Emirates were hit by drones, while a drone strike near one of its facilities in Bahrain “caused physical impacts to our infrastructure.”

The tech giant said on its website that the strikes have caused structural damage and gotten in the way of power getting to infrastructure. The company did not say who was responsible for the strikes.

“We are working to restore full service availability as quickly as possible, though we expect recovery to be prolonged given the nature of the physical damage involved,” Amazon said.

Iran is continuing to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Perisan Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes.

Brig. Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, an adviser to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, issued the threat on Iranian state television on Monday.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed. Anyone who wants to pass, our devotee heroes in the IRGC navy and the army will set those ships on fire,” he said. “Don’t come to this region.”

The Israeli military said Tuesday it was conducting “simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut,” without elaborating.

The U.S. State Department said it added Iraq to the evacuation list from its Mideast diplomatic outposts.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family in Bahrain and Jordan.

The State Department announcement online said the decision came “due to safety risks.” The department has urged Americans across the Mideast to leave over the ongoing war with Iran.

The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia acknowledged coming under attack from Iranian drones Tuesday and urged Americans to avoid the diplomatic post for the time being.

The Saudi Defense Ministry earlier Tuesday said the embassy was attacked by two drones.

Across Iran’s capital, the sound of explosions rang out throughout the night into the early morning hours.

Witnesses described hearing aircraft overhead as well.

It wasn’t immediately clear what had been hit.

Iranian state television early Tuesday read a statement from the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, saying that it launched a missile and drone attack targeting an air base in Bahrain.

Israeli airstrikes hit the Lebanese capital Tuesday morning.

The Israeli military said it was targeting “Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities in Beirut.”

Hezbollah also said it launched drones targeting an Israeli air base.

The Israeli military said it downed two drones.

Tokyo has told Japanese shipowners to have their ships stay away from the Persian Gulf to ensure the safety of their crew members.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters Tuesday that the Transport Ministry has notified the Japanese Shipowners’ Association to do the utmost to protect crews on board the ships in the region.

Kihara said those already in the Gulf are urged to lie at anchor where it is safe to do so.

On Monday, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met with Iranian ambassador to Japan Peiman Seadat and conveyed Japan’s consistent stance that Iran must stop attacks on neighboring countries and other actions destabilizing the region.

Motegi also noted the importance of ensuring safety in the Strait of Hormuz, which is key to Japan’s energy security.

Iran’s top diplomat early Tuesday sought to turn the tables on the United States, describing it as entering “a war of choice on behalf of Israel.”

After Trump urged Iranians to take over their government, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the same call to Americans.

“Shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters,” Araghchi wrote on X. “American people deserve better and should take back their country.”

This partially redacted image from video provided by U.S. Central Command shows a complex of structures in Iran being struck by missiles fired by U.S. forces on Sunday, March 1, 2026. (U.S. Central Command via AP)

President Donald Trump walks past Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he exist the East Room of the White House following the Medal of Honor ceremony, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Rescue workers carry a dead body in a plastic bag from a building that was hit by Israeli strike, in Jnah neighborhood, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A poster of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the ongoing joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign, and the late Iranian Revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, right, lays on a motorcycle amid debris left by a strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Plumes of smoke from two simultaneous strikes rise over Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohsen Ganji)