Israel launched pre-dawn airstrikes on Lebanon early Thursday, hitting a Beirut suburb controlled by Hezbollah, while reporting the interception of missiles fired by Iran. The attacks mark a widening conflict involving United States forces and have sparked new instability in Iraq.
Israel warned residents in the targeted areas to evacuate before the strikes. The airstrikes come after Hezbollah vowed to avenge the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in the opening days of the conflict. Israel said it was intercepting further missile barrages from Iran, despite U.S. claims of crippling Iranian capabilities.
Iran has retaliated with missile strikes across the region, and its Revolutionary Guards claimed to have closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for one-fifth of global crude oil. Energy firm Kpler reported a 90% drop in tanker transits through the strait. A large explosion near Kuwait caused oil spills into Gulf waters.
In Iraq, a nationwide power outage was reported, attributed to a drop in gas supply to a major plant, amid Iranian missile activity in the Kurdish region that killed a member of an exiled Iranian Kurdish group.
The United States reported sinking the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka, marking the first U.S. torpedo attack since World War II. At least 87 people were reported dead, with 61 missing and 32 rescued. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the attack as a “quiet death” and reiterated that the United States was “fighting to win.”
Iran’s official IRNA reported 1,045 military and civilian casualties since the conflict began. The southern town of Minab witnessed over 150 deaths, including children, following a school strike.
A missile launched from Iran was intercepted by NATO while heading toward Turkey, apparently veering off course from a British base in Cyprus. Turkey condemned the incident and summoned the Iranian ambassador, while Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s foreign minister, warned Iran against steps that could escalate the conflict.
Iranian missile strikes have also hit Gulf cities, including Dubai and Riyadh, with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar reporting successful interceptions. In Kuwait, an 11-year-old girl was killed by shrapnel. Air travel across the region has been heavily disrupted.
The U.S., France, and United Kingdom have begun evacuating citizens from the region via chartered flights.
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes have killed 75 people and displaced over 83,000. Residents south of the Litani River were urged to leave, and airstrikes hit Hazmieh, a Christian suburb of Beirut, near the presidential palace and foreign embassies. Israeli tanks were also seen in Khiam, recalling past Israeli occupations of southern Lebanon.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against a ground offensive, urging preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity. Macron also engaged Lebanese leaders to pressure Hezbollah to halt attacks.
Iran’s military has threatened to target Israeli embassies worldwide if Israel attacks Tehran’s mission in Lebanon.
