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The Middle East conflict continued to widen on its third consecutive day with rising casualties and fresh regional flashpoints. The United States, however, insisted that the ongoing military campaign against Iran would remain limited and not turn into a prolonged war.
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. (Image: Reuters)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Mar 2, 2026 22:33 IST
The Middle East conflict entered its third day on Monday, with Iran and Tehran-backed militias launching missile strikes at Israel and several Arab states. One of the projectiles appeared to hit the US Embassy compound in Kuwait. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv and Washington continued pounding targets in Tehran as the confrontation widened, marked by defiant rhetoric and mounting casualties.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said at least 555 people have been killed in Iran so far in the US-Israeli airstrikes, with more than 130 cities across the Islamic Republic coming under attack. Authorities also reported 11 deaths in Israel today and 31 in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Iranian cleric Alireza Arafi, in his first public remarks since joining Iran's temporary leadership council, said he hoped a new Supreme Leader would be appointed 'quickly' to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the joint US-Israeli military offensive.
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US President Donald Trump claimed that several Arab nations are now seeking to join the military campaign after facing Iranian attacks, calling the development "the biggest surprise" of the conflict so far. "We were surprised. We told them, 'We've got this' and now they want to fight. And they are aggressively fighting. They were going to be very little involved, and now they insist on being involved," the President said.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had struck Israeli government and military sites, including the Tel Aviv office of Netanyahu, as well as security facilities in Haifa and east Jerusalem. Hours after the claim, Netanyahu appeared in public, saying the US-Israeli campaign is intended to remove existential threats and create conditions for change within Iran.
Amid the turmoil, the US military said Kuwait had "mistakenly shot down" three American F-15E Strike Eagles during a combat mission. All six crew members ejected safely and are reported to be in stable condition. US Central Command confirmed the incident hours after video footage showed at least one F-15 fighter jet falling from the sky.
A US soldier has died in the conflict with Iran, Central Command said on Monday, raising the official toll to four. The soldier had been injured in the early phase of Operation Epic Fury and later succumbed to the wounds. The deaths have been reported since the United States and Israel began their strikes on Iran on Saturday.
India recorded its first fatality in the Middle East war after an oil tanker was hit by an explosive-laden drone boat off the coast of Oman. Authorities said the strike triggered a fire and explosion in the engine room, killing the Indian. The remaining 21 sailors were evacuated safely.
Global air travel disruption deepened on Monday as the US and Israel pressed ahead with strikes on Iran, which retaliated across the Middle East. The escalation forced airport closures and left passengers stranded, including travellers in distant regions scheduled to transit through the Gulf. Major hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha remained shut after being directly targeted by Iranian strikes. Some Indian and international carriers, however, said they plan a partial resumption of services from Tuesday.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group also launched attacks on Israel, prompting retaliatory Israeli strikes in Lebanon that left more than two dozen people dead. Meanwhile, four American troops have been killed in the conflict. Authorities also reported three deaths in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's government has barred Hezbollah from carrying out military operations after the group fired on Israel. Following a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the attack ignored "the will of the majority of Lebanese" and stressed that the country rejects being drawn into the wider regional conflict.
He added that any military action launched from Lebanese territory outside the authority of the state's legitimate institutions is unacceptable, reiterating that decisions of war and peace rest solely with the government.
The US military said B-2 stealth bombers targeted Iran's ballistic missile facilities using 2,000-pound bombs. Trump later claimed on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and the country's naval headquarters had been "largely destroyed".
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday pushed back against concerns that the US-Israeli strikes on Iran could turn into a drawn-out regional war, saying, "This is not Iraq. This is not endless". He described the campaign as having a "clear, devastating, decisive mission" to eliminate Iran's missile threat, cripple its navy and ensure there are "no nukes".
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Published By:
Sahil Sinha
Published On:
Mar 2, 2026 22:33 IST
