The conflict in the Middle East, sparked by a combined US‑Israeli strike on Iran, widened sharply on Monday, with casualties and damage reported in at least nine nations within ten hours.
Israeli and American aircraft carried out a new series of bombings over Iran, where the Iranian Red Crescent reported that the death toll has exceeded 500 since hostilities began.
Israel also mounted a heavy barrage against Lebanon after Hezbollah hit northern Israel in retaliation for the Saturday Israeli raid that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian retaliatory strikes hit oil facilities and other sites across a 2,000‑km stretch of the region – from the Gulf of Oman, where a drone‑laden boat detonated against an oil tanker, to Cyprus, where a British base was targeted.
The US defence department said Kuwait’s air‑defence system mistakenly downed three American F‑15E jets during an Iranian assault.
All six airmen were rescued unharmed.
Footage showed one aircraft tumbling from the sky, its engine igniting before it crashed and burst into flames.
Thick black smoke rose over the vicinity of the US embassy in Kuwait, where security forces, ambulances and fire engines were concentrated.
Loud explosions were heard in Dubai and Samha in the United Arab Emirates, as well as in Doha, Qatar’s capital.
Saudi Arabia closed its largest refinery after drone attacks sparked a blaze, joining a series of oil sites that were hit.
In the first attack to reach US allies in Europe, a drone struck the British Akrotiri airfield in Cyprus during the night.
British and Cypriot officials said the damage was minor and no one was injured.
Attempting to remove Iran’s leadership represents the most significant US foreign‑policy risk in decades.
President Donald Trump again urged Iranians to rise against their rulers and warned that the aerial campaign could continue for weeks.
Inside Iran, where citizens have blocked highways to escape cities as bombs fell, uncertainty about the future mingles with feelings ranging from fear to exhilaration.
The Iranian Red Crescent placed the Iranian death count at 555 and noted that more than 130 cities had been struck.
Israeli spokespeople said Monday’s raids targeted command centres and senior figures of the governing regime.
Authorities reported 11 fatalities in Israel and 31 in Lebanon.
European partners initially distanced themselves from Trump’s war move, arguing it did not meet the legal standard of an imminent threat.
Nevertheless, they later indicated willingness to assist in curbing Iran’s capacity to retaliate after Tehran hit their allies.
A senior White House official told Reuters that Washington may eventually negotiate with Tehran, but not at present.
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