The war in the Middle East expanded on multiple fronts Monday as attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed militias struck Israel and Arab states as well as U.S. military targets in the region.
The U.S. military said Kuwait “mistakenly shot down” three American fighter aircraft during a combat mission, though all six pilots ejected safely and were in stable condition.
Israel and the United States continued to strike Iran while Israeli forces responded to attacks from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group by hitting targets in southern Lebanon where at least 31 were killed and 149 injured.
The war began on Saturday with the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike that reverberated around the globe. Reaction to Khamenei’s death ranged from jubilation to condemnation, while the escalating conflict has caused canceled flights, deadly protests, suspended shipping and soaring oil prices.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society on Monday said that attacks on 131 cities have killed at least 555 people so far in the Islamic Republic. Strikes in Tehran apparently took Iran’s state television off the air.
The joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran stoked fears of a wider war and damage to the world economy. Meanwhile, Iran has expanded its attacks to regional oil infrastructure, directly targeting the lifeblood of the region’s economy.
Citing the war and attacks on its facilities in Qatar, state-owned firm QatarEnergy said it would stop its production of liquefied natural gas, taking one of the world’s top suppliers off the market.
Three U.S. service members were killed in the Saturday attack on Iran, while another died on Monday from injuries sustained during the initial operation, according to U.S. Central Command.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said that the U.S. expects “additional losses.”
“This not a single overnight operation,” he told reporters during the briefing. “The objectives CENTCOM has been tasked with will be difficult and gritty work. We expect to take additional losses.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon on Monday that the U.S.-Israeli campaign was the “most precise aerial operation in history,” and decried Tehran’s “expansionist and Islamist regime.”
In a video posted Sunday, President Donald Trump said that the operation in Iran — which he described as “one of the most complex, most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen” — will continue until “all of our objectives” are achieved.
Iran to name new supreme leader
In the wake of Khamenei’s death, Iran’s provisional governing council is expected to name a new supreme leader. Even before the weekend’s deadly strikes, Iran’s theocracy had struggled with growing dissent following nationwide protests over the economy that morphed into anti-government demonstrations. Activists say Iran’s crackdown on the protests killed thousands.
Israel said it had worked with the United States for months to plan the attacks. The U.S. military said targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.
One of the first strikes hit near the offices of the 86-year-old Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989 and held ultimate power. Iranian state media reported Khamenei’s death but did not provide details. Israel said that it also killed dozens of other top Iranian military officials, and that its subsequent strikes in Lebanon had killed a Hezbollah intelligence official.
The Trump administration has asserted that Iran had been rebuilding its nuclear program, though Tehran has insisted it has not enriched nuclear fuel since June and that its program is for peaceful purposes.
Hegseth laid out the administration’s rationale for striking Iran, alleging in a press briefing this morning that “Iran was building powerful missiles and drones to create a conventional shield for their nuclear blackmail ambitions.”
Trump has also previously pointed to Iran’s nuclear ambitions in explaining why he wanted the U.S. to strike Iran.
Hegseth also argued that this war wasn’t about regime change.
“This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it,” Hegseth said.
Iran strikes Israel and US bases in retaliation
Iran has launched retaliatory missiles and drones targeting Israel and nearby Arab Gulf countries hosting U.S. forces.
Iran’s foreign minister has suggested his country’s military units are acting independently from any central government control after being pressed about attacks on Gulf Arab nations that have served as intermediaries for Tehran in the past.
Several ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes and where Iran has threatened attacks. Shipping companies suspended their vessels’ traffic through the Suez Canal, adding to fears the strikes could rattle global markets.
Elsewhere, a drone targeted an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, killing one crew member, the sultanate said. Fire and smoke poured out of the U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait after an Iranian attack on the small Mideast nation, which also reported that debris had fallen on one of its oil refineries.
In Bahrain, the island kingdom that is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, one person was killed by shrapnel from an intercepted missile. Bahrain says it has intercepted 61 missiles and 34 attack drones launched against it, though some fire has gotten through, striking buildings and the naval base.
In Israel, 11 people have been killed as loud explosions caused by missile impacts or interceptions could be heard in Tel Aviv. Israel’s rescue services said that nine people were killed and more wounded in a strike that hit a synagogue in the central town of Beit Shemesh.
An Iraqi Shiite militia claimed a drone attack Monday targeting U.S. troops at the airport in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.
Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack Monday from drones, the kingdom’s defense ministry said, with authorities downing the incoming aircraft.
Israel warns of prolonged conflict in Lebanon
Hezbollah launched several rockets and drones toward Israel overnight — though there were no reports of injuries or damage — and Israel responded by striking dozens of targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Israel also recommended that residents of 53 villages in southern Lebanon evacuate, causing massive traffic jams.
Israel’s Chief of Staff says the military has launched an offensive campaign in Lebanon that could include “many prolonged days of combat ahead.” Israel’s military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, said Israel is keeping “all options on the table” for a possible ground operation in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s government said it considers Hezbollah’s military activities illegal and that the militant group should hand over its weapons. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said only the state can decide on matters of war and peace.
At least 22 people were killed in clashes with police in northern Pakistan and in the southern port city of Karachi after hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate there, authorities said.
There were global repercussions from disrupted air travel in the region, with hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace.
The United Arab Emirates said it is shutting the country’s main stock exchanges for the start of the trading week.
More U.S. forces being deployed
Caine told reporters that more forces are being deployed to the Middle East.
The deployment already includes thousands of service members from all branches, including Reserve and National Guard forces; hundreds of advanced fighters; dozens of refueling tankers; the Lincoln and Ford Carrier Strike Group and their embarked air wings.
“The Joint Force has launched hundreds of missions over land and sea,” Cooper said.
Caine noted especially the Wisconsin Army National Guard units that are operating in Kuwait and Iraq, and Air National Guard units from a variety of states to include Vermont and Virginia.
Asked whether U.S. boots are on the ground, Hegseth said no, but said he would not lay out what the U.S. “will or will not do” as the operation continues.
Meanwhile, U.S. embassies across the Middle East have warned Americans to be cautious or leave immediately amid the escalating violence.
The American Embassy in Beirut urged U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options remain available, calling the security situation in Lebanon ”volatile and unpredictable.”
The embassy in the capital of Bahrain, Manama, reminded Americans “to exercise caution and maintain vigilance” as it said drone and missile attacks from Iran continue. “The U.S. Embassy has advised U.S. citizens in Bahrain that hotels might be a target for attacks, and encourages U.S. citizens to avoid hotels in Manama,” it added.
The embassy in Kuwait said there was a “continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks” as it urged Americans to not come to the embassy. “Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside,” it said.
Meanwhile, the embassy in Jordan said it had “indications there may be continued missiles, drones, or rockets in Jordanian airspace in the coming days,” as it urged Americans to remain indoors and avoid exposure to falling debris.
Oil prices surge
The price of oil jumped as tanker disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz raise fears about supply shortages from the Persian Gulf.
U.S. oil rose to about $71.97 a barrel on Monday and Brent climbed to about $78.46. Higher prices increase the risk of costlier gasoline and pricier goods.
The U.K. maritime center also reported attacks on vessels and warned of heavy electronic interference. Oman said a drone boat hit an oil tanker and killed one mariner. Saudi media said drones hit near Ras Tanura and Saudi Arabia shut the refinery as a precaution.
Traffic through the strategic Strait of Homruz has sharply dropped following U.S.-Israel weekend strikes in Iran. MarineTraffic.com said that transit through the chokepoint has fallen by 70% since Saturday.
It said that it has noticed changes in vessels’ navigation in the past three days including “U-turns, idling, reduced speeds, and last-minute diversions.”
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