DES MOINES — Following is immediate real-time analysis of the seventh Republican debate. Read additional fact checks here.

With four days until the Iowa caucuses, the top Republican presidential candidates — minus one, Donald J. Trump — gathered here on Thursday for the final debate before the vote. These were the highlights:

• Senator Ted Cruz tweaked Mr. Trump immediately — but a bit indirectly — for his absence. He thanked those on stage for showing Iowans “respect” and noted his own pledge to visit all 99 counties in the state. And he attempted a Trump impression in his stead: “Everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly,” Mr. Cruz said, to laughs.

• Senator Marco Rubio assailed Mr. Cruz as someone “willing to say or do anything to win an election,” arguing the Texas senator had misled the public about his immigration history and accusing him of supporting legal status for undocumented immigrants. “This is the lie that Ted’s campaign is built on, that he’s the most conservative guy,” Mr. Rubio said. Senator Rand Paul agreed. “That’s an authenticity problem,” he said of Mr. Cruz. “Everybody he knows is not as perfect as him.”

• Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, asked about the aggressive attacks his allies have leveled against Mr. Rubio, said he had “no control” over his super PAC’s efforts. But, he added, the campaign was not a game of “beanbag.” “It’s called politics, and that’s the way it is,” he said.