Tel Aviv/Riyadh/Tehran: Israel launched simultaneous military strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday, escalating a volatile conflict sparked by the US-Israeli assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. The fresh attacks coincided with two Iranian drones striking the US embassy in Riyadh, igniting a fire and causing minor damage, according to Saudi officials cited by Reuters.
The Middle East teeters on the brink as missile and drone strikes intensify across the region since Khamenei’s killing, drawing in Iran, Israel, the US, Hezbollah, and Gulf states. What began as targeted strikes has widened into a multi-front war, with Tehran and its allies hitting Israeli positions, US bases in the Gulf, and critical oil and gas infrastructure vital to global energy markets.
Reports said overnight explosions which rocked Tehran continued till Tuesday morning, as US and Israeli forces hammered Iranian targets. The Iranian Red Crescent reported over 555 deaths since operations started. Iran’s foreign minister posted a photo Monday, decrying a US-Israeli strike on a Minab elementary school that killed more than 160 girls.
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), based in Washington DC, documented 742 civilian deaths overall – including 176 children – with 85 civilians and 11 military personnel killed in the last 24 hours alone.
In Lebanon, Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut suburbs and the south left 52 dead and 154 wounded, per the health ministry sources. Israel has seen nearly 11 fatalities, while six US service members are confirmed dead, AP reported.
US President Donald Trump said Monday operations against Iran – initially projected at four-to-five weeks – could extend “far longer.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu countered that the war “not going to take years,” even as the conflict spreads.
Meanwhile, most West Asia commercial flights are grounded. However, limited evacuation flights ferried stranded passengers from the UAE on Monday.
