Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital with a drone early Tuesday, as it continued to hit targets around the region. The sound of explosions rang out across Tehran through the night and into the early morning hours Tuesday, as the U.S. and Israel continue 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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Monday defended the decision to go to war, contending in an interview on Fox News 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.
What to know:
Attacks on Iran have drawn in proxy forces from around the region: The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where the Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday, prompting Israel to retaliate. The renewed airstrikes prompted Lebanese civilians to flee the country’s south and Beirut’s southern suburbs, seeking refuge.US citizens urged to leave: The U.S. State Department evacuations of non-emergency personnel and family reached six nations on Tuesday, with the inclusion of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE, which has long been considered a safe corner of the Middle East, has been dragged into the Iran war with interceptions and attacks. The other countries include Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar.Trump says war could last longer than projected time frame: 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. 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.