Rockets, missiles and drones continued to crisscross the skies over Iran and Israel as tensions across the Middle East deepened, with fresh strikes reported across multiple countries.
Israel launched pre-dawn airstrikes on Lebanon on Thursday and said it was intercepting a new wave of missiles fired from Iran. The escalation comes amid an expanding conflict triggered by joint US and Israeli military action against Iran.
The situation intensified after a US submarine reportedly sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, while the US Senate rejected a War Powers resolution aimed at restricting President Donald Trump’s military campaign, “Operation Epic Fury,” against Tehran.
The conflict has now entered its sixth day. The latest round of fighting began after US and Israeli strikes on Saturday killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several senior officials, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory attacks across the region.
According to officials, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran, over 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel so far. The United States and Israel say their targets include Iran’s leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear facilities, while also hinting that regime change could be an eventual objective. However, shifting statements about the campaign’s goals and duration suggest the conflict could turn into a prolonged war.
Early Thursday, Iran launched another barrage of missiles toward Israel, triggering air raid sirens in several areas, including Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli military and Iranian state media. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Iran has also expanded its retaliatory strikes across the region following Saturday’s attacks. Iranian forces reportedly targeted Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel as the confrontation spread beyond its original battlegrounds.
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz and warned that continued US actions could destabilize the region. In a statement on Wednesday, the IRGC said the strait was “under the complete control of the Islamic Republic’s Navy,” raising fears over global energy supply routes.
Meanwhile, a ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading toward Turkish airspace through Iraq and Syria was intercepted and destroyed by NATO air defence systems, Turkish officials said.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry also reported intercepting and destroying three cruise missiles outside the city of Al-Kharj.
Airstrike hits Hezbollah stronghold
In Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike struck the Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut early Thursday after the Israeli military issued warnings for residents to evacuate.
In another incident, Lebanon’s health ministry said three people were killed in two Israeli strikes on vehicles along the highway leading to Beirut’s international airport.
Before these latest attacks, officials reported that 72 people had been killed and more than 83,000 displaced since the newest phase of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group began.
Israel has continued exchanging fire with Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, targeting what it says are militant positions and infrastructure.
The Israeli military also said it struck buildings linked to Iran’s Basij force — a volunteer paramilitary wing of the Revolutionary Guard — which has previously been accused of carrying out violent crackdowns on protesters inside Iran.
