The war in the Middle East in maps, video and photos
How the US-Israeli war against Iran exploded into a regional conflict, as Tehran retaliated with strikes across the Middle East
A US-Israeli war against Iran that began on Saturday with bombing and missile attacks that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has exploded into a regional conflict, with Tehran retaliating by launching strikes across the Middle East.
By Monday, a major new front had opened with Israel bombing Lebanon after Iran’s ally, Hezbollah, launched strikes. And Cyprus said a drone attack had targeted a British base on the Mediterranean island nation.
In an indication that the conflict could draw in other nations, the UK, France and Germany – which did not endorse the first US-Israeli strikes – said they were ready to work against Iran’s attacks.
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US and Israeli attacks
On Saturday, Israel announced the beginning of what it called Operation Lion’s Roar, which an Israeli military official said was intended to “degrade the regime’s capabilities”. The attack was launched in tandem with what the US called Operation Epic Fury.
Strikes over the weekend and into Monday have hit key security and political targets in Tehran, including Khamenei’s residence, and ballistic missile caches elsewhere in the country.
At least 14 cities across Iran have been hit, in what an Israeli military official said was a much more wide-ranging campaign than the previous US-Israeli attack on Iran in the 12-day war last summer. Israel claimed to have killed at least 40 senior Iranian commanders in the first day of attacks.
At least 555 people have been killed in Iran so far by the US-Israeli campaign, the Iranian Red Crescent Society has said.
Almost 165 people were killed and at least 95 wounded in a strike on a girls’ school in Minab, in the southern Hormozgan province, according to state media, in what appeared to be the worst mass casualty event of the campaign on Iran so far. There is an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base in the same city.
Authorities in Iran have instructed citizens to flee big cities for safety. Many security institutions and officials are located in residential areas, making civilian casualties likely.
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Iranian retaliation
Despite the apparent loss of a significant portion of its senior military and political leadership, Iran has bombed targets in the Gulf – particularly in countries allied with Washington – and unleashed waves of ballistic missiles towards Israel.
One person was killed and dozens were injured when an Iranian missile hit Tel Aviv on Saturday night.
Another eight people were killed and 20 injured when a missile hit the town of Beit Shemesh on Sunday afternoon.
Iran’s retaliation pushed far past previous unwritten red lines that had largely excluded the Gulf from previous conflict with Israel and the US.
Iran struck targets including luxury hotels in Dubai and Bahrain and airports in Dubai, Kuwait and Bahrain. Smoke was seen rising above Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah island, and photographs showed damage to buildings in Bahrain.
It also struck a port facility in Oman and a ship north-west of Muscat, as the Iranian military broadcast radio warnings to ships intending to cross the strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack from drones, with defences downing the incoming aircraft.
The speed at which the conflict turned regional was dizzying. On Monday, Hezbollah said it had fired missiles from Lebanon into Israel in response to the killing of Khamenei, and Israel retaliated with widespread strikes, killing at least 31 people and wounding 149 others, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
In the first strike to reach US allies in Europe, a drone hit Britain’s Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus. Two more drones had been intercepted en route, the Cyprus government said.
The chaos of the conflict became apparent when Kuwait mistakenly shot down three American F-15E Strike Eagles. All six pilots ejected safely and were reported to be in a stable condition.
Separately, four US service members have been killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran, US Central Command has said, without providing details.
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Cancelled flights, closed trade routes
Strikes on Gulf countries and the wider region left travellers stranded as major hubs in Dubai and Qatar were closed.
Flights around and through the region were cancelled or delayed and it was unclear when the airspace above Gulf countries would reopen.
World markets were rattled by the fighting and oil prices soared after the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, one of the most important arteries for global trade that runs between Gulf states and Iran.