The US and Israel’s war on Iran has raged into a fourth day, with hundreds killed and thousands forced to flee as the conflict continues to spread across the Middle East.
The US and Israel launched a sweeping campaign against Iran on Saturday – a major attack which killed Iran’s supreme leader and triggered retaliatory Iranian strikes across the region.
US President Donald Trump on Monday, local time, said he is not ruling out sending US troops into Iran and warned a new “big wave” of attacks is still on the horizon.
“We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened,” he told CNN, without elaborating. “The big one is coming soon.”
The President also warned the attack could extend longer than a month.
“From the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,” he said at the White House on Monday, where he laid out the US’ objectives – destroying Iran’s missiles, navy and nuclear program and stopping its support for armed groups across the region.
Six US military members have been killed in IeN and thee fighters jets have been mistakenly shot down since the conflict began.
With no end in sight, here’s a breakdown of what countries in the Middle East have been impacted by the fighting so far.
Iran
Since Saturday’s campaign, Israel and the US have continued to launch a wave of attacks on Iran.
The Iranian Red Crescent said 131 cities have been affected and at least 555 people have been killed by US-Israeli strikes.
Israel said on Monday over 200 warplanes have struck 500 targets in Iran.
The US, meanwhile, said it has struck over 1,250 targets in Iran since the military operation began. Mr Trump said the US has also sunk nine Iranian naval ships and “largely destroyed” its naval headquarters.
Iran claimed 168 people were killed in a strike on a girl’s school in the southern town of Minab and a hospital in Tehran has also been struck.
In Natanz, Iran said Israel and the US had attacked its nuclear facility – one of the main targets of the previous conflict between the three countries last June.
The UN nuclear agency’s head had earlier said there was “no indication” any nuclear installations had been hit.
Israel
In Israel, at least 85 civilians and 11 military personnel have been killed, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
Israel’s military said just after midnight on Tuesday, local time, it was working to intercept a new wave of missiles launched from Iran, warning residents in multiple locations to seek shelter.
“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military said
The Israel Defense Forces earlier said missile attacks have targeted the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the headquarters of the Israeli air force commander.
In Israel’s capital of Beit Shemesh, at least nine people have been killed and over two dozen were injured in a missile strike.
Cyprus
An Iranian drone hit the runway at RAF Akrotiri, a UK air force base in Cyprus, overnight on Sunday GMT (9am Monday AEDT).
The drone was identified as a “Shahed-type” Iranian drone, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said.
No casualties were reported and the base sustained “minimal damage”, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said.
A Cypriot government spokesman said two more drones targeting the base were “dealt with in a timely manner”.
“All the competent services of the republic are on alert and in full operational readiness,” Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said.
“I want to be clear, our country does not participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said British military bases in Cyprus would not be allowed to be used by US forces in their war with Iran.
On Sunday, he had announced that he had agreed to a US request to use British military bases for a “specific and limited defensive purpose”. But on Monday he told parliament that this would not include the Cypriot bases.
Meanwhile, Greece announced it was deploying frigates and jets to help protect Cyprus, a fellow EU member.
Lebanon
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 52 people and forced more than 28,500 from their homes, according to the Lebanese government.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for “utmost restraint”.
In southern Lebanon, attacks on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, sent thousands of people fleeing.
Several strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs after Israeli evacuation warnings.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing said its commander in Lebanon was killed in the strikes.
An Israeli strike also hit the south Beirut office of Al-Manar TV, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, the broadcaster said.
Jordan
In Jordan, which shares a border with Israel, armed forces said they shot down two ballistic missiles targeting its territory.
“They were successfully intercepted by Jordan’s air defence systems,” an official said, as per the L’Orient Today.
Iraq
In Iraq, fresh strikes hit the Jurf al-Nasr base military base housing the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group on Monday, local time.
“One fighter was martyred and another wounded in fresh bombing on the Jurf al-Nasr base,” a Kataeb Hezbollah source told AFP, after several strikes hit the facility earlier in the day.
The base serves as one of the main bastions of the powerful armed group, and has been targeted several times since the start of the Israel-US campaign against Iran.
Air defences in the Kurdish city of Erbil intercepted drone attacks.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Monday that “Iran continues to bomb areas in the Kurdistan Region, especially Erbil, while the opposing side targets sites in southern and western Iraq,” without directly naming Israel and the US.
Kuwait
Iran said it targeted US Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait.
“Missile units of the army’s ground and naval forces operating from various locations targeted the US Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait as well as enemy vessels in the northern Indian Ocean over the past hours,” the army said in a statement, adding 15 cruise missiles were used in the attack.
In a separate incident, black smoke was seen rising from the US embassy in Kuwait on the third day of attacks.
“There is a continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks over Kuwait. Do not come to the Embassy. Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside,” the embassy said in a statement.
The country’s military mistakenly shot down three US fighter jets on Sunday (Monday AEDT) in “an apparent friendly fire incident”, the US Central Command said.
Kuwait’s military said a navy sergeant was killed on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) while on duty. It did not elaborate further on the circumstances of his death.
Bahrain
On the island nation of Bahrain, the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet was “subjected to a missile attack,” Bahrain’s National Communication Center said.
“The Ministry of Interior has begun evacuating citizens and residents in the Juffair area. We urge your co-operation with
the relevant authorities,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said “several residential buildings” in the capital of Manama had been targeted.
Qatar
In Qatar, QatarEnergy has halted liquefied natural gas production after a processing base and a power plant were hit in Iranian strikes.
Qatar’s defence ministry said its air force has shot down two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers on Monday, local time.
Qatar’s military also intercepted two ballistic missiles early on Tuesday morning, local time.
Qatar was able to “intercept and neutralise two ballistic missiles that targeted several areas within the country,” the defence ministry said in a statement adding the “threat was dealt with immediately upon detection”.
United Arab Emirates
Iran has hit a number of targets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
In Dubai, four people were injured after an attack at the city’s International Airport.
The luxury The Fairmont The Palm Hotel caught fire during a wave of Iranian retaliatory strikes, with verified footage showing thick black smoke billowing into the sky above the prestigious Palm Jumeirah area. The landmark Burj Al Arab hotel was also damaged.
A drone also struck a fuel tank terminal in Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire.
No injuries were reported, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said he could confirm reports that its military headquarters, the Al Minhad AirBase located just 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of Dubai in the UAE, had been hit over the weekend.
Oman
In Oman, two drones have hit Duqm commercial port, leaving a worker injured.
The US embassy in the capital city of Muscat has warned its staff to “shelter in place” due to “ongoing activity outside of Muscat”.
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, the nation’s largest oil refinery was shut after shrapnel from a drone strike caused a blaze.
A Saudi defence ministry spokesman said two drones targeted the Ras Tanura refinery, and were intercepted, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
“A limited fire resulted from falling shrapnel during the interception operation, with no civilian casualties,” the spokesman said.
Two drones also attacked the US embassy in the capital of Riyadh, sparking a small fire on Tuesday, local time, a Saudi defence ministry spokesman said.
“The attack resulted in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building,” the statement said
Ships in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran claimed three ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for 20 per cent of the of the world’s oil and gas, on Sunday.
An oil tanker, flying the flag of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, off the coast of Oman near the strait was also struck, with four people injured and 20 people forced to be evacuated.
The attack sparked a fire on-board on the vessel, named MKD VYOM.
One crew member was killed, Euro News reported.
A general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened to “burn any ship” seeking to navigate the Strait of Hormuz.
“We will also attack oil pipelines and will not allow a single drop of oil to leave the region. Oil price will reach $200 in the coming days,” General Sardar Jabbari said in a post on the Guards’ Telegram channel.)
– With AFP
