{"id":317984,"date":"2026-03-02T14:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/317984\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T14:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:26:07","slug":"war-between-iran-and-israel-and-the-us-widens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/317984\/","title":{"rendered":"War between Iran and Israel and the US widens"},"content":{"rendered":"

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 The war in the Middle East spiraled further Monday as Israel and the U.S. pounded<\/a> Iran. Tehran and its allies hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world\u2019s production of oil and natural gas.<\/p>\n

The intensity of the attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>, and the lack of any apparent exit plan indicated the conflict would not end anytime soon. It was already having far-reaching consequences: Safe havens in the Mideast<\/a> like Dubai have seen incoming fire; hundreds of thousands of airline passengers are stranded around the globe<\/a>; oil prices shot up<\/a>; and U.S. allies pledged to help<\/a> stop Iranian missiles and drones.<\/p>\n

Iran has long threatened, if attacked, to drag the region into total war, including targeting Israel, the Gulf Arab states and the flow of crude oil crucial for global energy markets. All of these came under attack<\/a> on Monday. <\/p>\n

The chaos of the conflict became apparent when the U.S. military said Kuwait had \u201cmistakenly shot down\u201d three American F-15E Strike Eagles while attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones were underway. U.S. Central Command said all six pilots ejected safely and are in stable condition. <\/p>\n

Israel and the U.S. bombed Iranian missile sites and targeted its navy, claiming to have destroyed its headquarters and multiple warships. As several airstrikes hit Iran\u2019s capital of Tehran, the top security official Ali Larijani vowed on X: \u201cWe will not negotiate with the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

The death toll grew on all sides. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that the U.S.-Israeli operation has killed at least 555 people. In Israel, where several locations were hit by Iranian missiles, 11 people were killed. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group also targeted Israel, which responded with strikes on Lebanon, killing more than two dozen people. Meanwhile, four American troops have been killed, and three people were reported killed in the United Arab Emirates and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n AP AUDIO: War widens as Israeli and US planes pound Iran and Tehran and its proxies hit back\n <\/p>\n

AP correspondent Sam Mednick reports from the Beit Shemesh region in Israel on Iran\u2019s deadly retaliatory strikes on Israel.<\/p>\n

In Kuwait City, fire and smoke rose from inside the U.S. Embassy compound, shortly after the U.S. issued a warning to Americans to take cover and stay away from the complex. There were no immediate reports on damage or casualties.<\/p>\n

Iran expands attacks to regional oil infrastructure<\/p>\n

Iran targeted the lifeblood of the area\u2019s economy. <\/p>\n

With world markets already rattled by the fighting<\/a>, QatarEnergy said it would stop its production of liquefied natural gas, taking one of the world\u2019s top suppliers off the market. It offered no timeline for restoring its production. European natural gas prices surged by 40% in response.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia\u2019s Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack from drones, with defenses downing the incoming aircraft, a military spokesman told the state-run Saudi Press Agency. The refinery has a capacity of over half a million barrels of crude oil a day.<\/p>\n

A drone also targeted an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, killing one mariner, the sultanate said, while debris fell on an oil refinery in Kuwait.<\/p>\n

Several ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil trade passes and where Iran has threatened attacks. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe attack on Saudi Arabia\u2019s Ras Tanura refinery marks a significant escalation, with Gulf energy infrastructure now squarely in Iran\u2019s sights,\u201d said Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at the risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft. \u201cAn extended period of uncertainty lies ahead.\u201d <\/p>\n

The region is also a hub for air travel<\/a>, and passengers have been stranded around the world as carriers based in the Gulf grounded flights. But long-haul carriers Etihad and Emirates restarted limited flights Monday.<\/p>\n

Iran says nuclear site was targeted<\/p>\n

Reza Najafi, Iran\u2019s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters that airstrikes targeted the Natanz nuclear enrichment site on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Israel and the U.S. have not acknowledged strikes at the site, which the U.S. bombed in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. Israel has said that it is targeting the \u201cleadership and nuclear infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran has said it has not enriched uranium since June<\/a>, though it has maintained its right to do so while saying its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. <\/p>\n

Hezbollah fires on Israel, prompting massive response<\/p>\n

Hezbollah said it fired missiles on Israel early Monday in response to Khamenei\u2019s killing and \u201crepeated Israeli aggressions.\u201d It was the first time in more than a year that the militant group has claimed an attack.<\/p>\n

There were no reports of injuries or damage.<\/p>\n

Lebanon\u2019s government said Hezbollah\u2019s overnight attacks against Israel were \u201cillegal\u201d and demanded the group hand over its weapons. <\/p>\n

Rescue services in Israel said several locations have been hit by Iranian missiles, including Jerusalem<\/a> and a synagogue in Beit Shemesh. In all, 11 people have been killed.<\/p>\n

Israel retaliated with strikes on Lebanon, killing at least 31 people and wounding 149 others, according to Lebanon\u2019s Health Ministry. Associated Press journalists in Beirut were jolted awake by loud explosions that shook buildings and shattered windows.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s proxies were a chief concern for American and Israeli officials before they moved ahead with strikes over the weekend.<\/p>\n

The Iraqi Shiite militia Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed a drone attack Monday targeting U.S. troops at the airport in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. It claimed another drone attack on Sunday against a U.S. air base in Iraq\u2019s north.<\/p>\n

No end in sight to the US-Israeli campaign<\/p>\n

The U.S. military said B-2 stealth bombers<\/a> struck Iran\u2019s ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. President Donald Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy\u2019s headquarters had been \u201clargely destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCombat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved,\u201d Trump said in a video message Sunday.<\/p>\n

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the U.S. is not engaged in a nation-building effort in Iran, and there is a clear mission. \u201cThis is not Iraq. This is not endless,\u201d Hegseth said. <\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t give specifics when asked about the ultimate goals of the operation, how long it might last or what success would look like, saying doing so would disadvantage U.S. forces.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not completely clear what the U.S. objectives are. In announcing the initial strikes, Trump referred to the threat posed by Iran\u2019s nuclear and missile programs. But he also listed various grievances dating back to Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolution in 1979 and urged Iranians to \u201ctake over\u201d their government. There have been no signs yet of any such uprising.<\/p>\n

The American leader, however, has also signaled he would be open to dialogue with Iran\u2019s new leadership \u2014 which could be chosen soon.<\/p>\n

In an indication that the conflict could draw in other nations, Britain, France and Germany said Sunday they were ready to work with the U.S. to help stop Iran\u2019s attacks.<\/p>\n

Early Monday, Cyprus said a drone \u201ccaused limited damage\u201d when it hit a British air base there.<\/p>\n

Tehran\u2019s streets are deserted<\/p>\n

Tehran\u2019s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes. The paramilitary Basij<\/a> force, which has played a central role in crushing recent nationwide protests, set up checkpoints across the city, according to witnesses.<\/p>\n

In the northern Iranian city of Babol, a student, speaking anonymously over concerns of retribution, told the AP that armed riot police were on the streets Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday after the death of Khamenei. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know whether to be happy about the elimination of the criminals who oppress us or to remain silent in the face of the U.S. and Israel\u2019s war against the country and its interests and the terror that is taking place,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 The war in the Middle East spiraled further Monday as Israel and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":317985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[120,105611,91926,54,84880,22892,12354,122,86,85,87,20889,158522,46,1984,2034,8715,43,140127,31348,238,121,12526,126],"class_list":{"0":"post-317984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-2024-2025-mideast-wars","9":"tag-ali-khamenei","10":"tag-ali-larijani","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-drone-surveillance-and-warfare","13":"tag-drones","14":"tag-energy-industry","15":"tag-general-news","16":"tag-hezbollah","17":"tag-il","18":"tag-iran","19":"tag-iran-government","20":"tag-iraq-government","21":"tag-israel","22":"tag-israel-government","23":"tag-mideast-wars","24":"tag-military-technology","25":"tag-news","26":"tag-persian-gulf","27":"tag-pete-hegseth","28":"tag-politics","29":"tag-war-and-unrest","30":"tag-washington-news","31":"tag-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}