Israel launched new air strikes on Tehran while widening its military campaign to include attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, Reuters reports.
Israeli forces said the latest attacks targeted locations tied to Hezbollah after the group acknowledged firing missiles and drones toward Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Israeli air strikes hit Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, with more than a dozen explosions reported across the city. Israel also said it struck senior Hezbollah figures near the capital.
Conflict spreads across the region
The exchange of attacks between Hezbollah and Israel comes despite a ceasefire brokered in 2024 and signals a broader regional escalation following the United States and Israel’s assault on Iran.
Israel’s military warned that Hezbollah would bear responsibility for any further escalation and urged residents of dozens of villages in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel early Monday morning, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as authorities warned of incoming Iranian missiles.
Iranian state media reported that a new wave of missiles had been launched from central Iran toward what it described as enemy targets.
U.S. says operation may last weeks
Late Sunday, Israel said its air force had achieved aerial dominance over Tehran and carried out strikes targeting intelligence facilities, security installations and military command centres across the Iranian capital.
Explosions were also reported in Tehran on Monday morning, while witnesses said loud blasts were heard in Dubai and Doha. Kuwait said its air defences intercepted hostile drones for a third consecutive day of Iranian retaliation.
Meanwhile a suspected drone strike targeted the RAF Akrotiri overnight. Authorities said the damage was limited and there were no casualties.
A senior White House official said the military operation, referred to as «Operation Epic Fury», would continue for now. Donald Trump indicated the campaign against Iranian targets could last several weeks even as Washington remained open to discussions with potential new leadership in Iran.
First U.S. casualties reported
The first American casualties of the campaign were confirmed on Sunday when three U.S. service members were killed at a base in Kuwait. Trump described them as «true American patriots» but warned further losses were likely.
The U.S. military said American aircraft and naval forces had struck more than 1,000 Iranian targets since the start of the operation. Trump said the strikes had destroyed Iran’s military command structure and multiple naval assets.
In a recorded message he urged Iranian security forces to stop fighting and called on the Iranian public to challenge the government.
«I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment,» he said.
Uncertainty over Iran’s leadership
Following Khamenei’s death, Iran faces a leadership vacuum. President Masoud Pezeshkian said a temporary council including the judiciary chief and a member of the powerful Guardian Council had assumed the duties of supreme leader.
However senior Iranian figures signalled resistance to negotiations. Former adviser Ali Larijani said Tehran would not negotiate with Trump and accused the U.S. president of pursuing unrealistic ambitions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said they had attacked oil tankers linked to the United States and the United Kingdom in the Gulf and launched strikes against military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Oil markets and travel disrupted
The widening conflict has rattled global markets. Shipping data showed hundreds of vessels anchoring near the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz as traders braced for possible spikes in oil prices.
Air travel has also been disrupted across the region, with major airports including those in Dubai temporarily closed as continued air strikes forced airlines to reroute flights.
Analysts say the death of Khamenei could deal a severe blow to Iran’s political system, though it remains unclear whether it will weaken the country’s clerical leadership or the influence of the powerful Revolutionary Guards.
Kursiv also reports that at least 153 people, including children, have died after a reported strike hit a school in southern Iran.
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