The war expands in the Middle East with more than 500 people killed, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society

The intensity of attacks from both sides The killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiThe lack of any clear exit plan suggests that the conflict will not end anytime soon. It has already had far-reaching consequences across the region and beyond: formerly safe havens in the Middle East like Dubai have seen fires coming; Hundreds of thousands of plane passengers Stranded all over the world; Oil prices Shoot; and allies of the United States Pledge to help Stop Iranian missiles and drones.

If attacked, Iran has long threatened to drag the region into all-out war, including targeting Israel, Gulf Arab states and the flow of crude oil critical to global energy markets. All these things I was attacked on monday.

In fact, Qatar Energy said it would halt its LNG production due to the conflict, knocking one of the world’s largest suppliers out of the market. It did not provide any timetable for restoring its production.

The chaos of the conflict became clear when the US military said Kuwait “accidentally shot down” three US F-15E Strike Eagles during a combat mission while attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones were underway. US Central Command said that the six pilots exited safely and are in stable condition.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said at least 555 people have been killed in Iran so far due to the US-Israeli campaign, and more than 130 cities across the country have been attacked. 11 people were killed in Israel and 31 in Lebanon, according to authorities there.

The Lebanese government said that Hezbollah’s overnight attack on Israel was “illegal” and demanded that the group surrender its weapons. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that only the state can decide whether to go to war or peace, and called on the Lebanese army to prevent the launching of projectiles and arrest anyone involved.

In Kuwait, fire and smoke rose from inside the American embassy compound.

On Monday afternoon, several air strikes hit the Iranian capital, Tehran, while senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani vowed that X We “will not negotiate with the United States.”

In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting American forces at Baghdad airport, a day after it announced that it had opened fire on an American base in the city of Erbil in the north. Cyprus said that a drone attack targeted a British base in the island country located in the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel and the United States bombed Iranian missile sites and targeted its navy, claiming to destroy its headquarters and several warships.

Iran expands its attacks to include regional oil infrastructure

The markets were global Because of the fighting and high oil prices.

The Ras Tanura oil refinery in Saudi Arabia was attacked by a drone on Monday, with defenses shooting down the incoming aircraft, a military spokesman told the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Online videos from the site showed thick black smoke rising after the attack. Even successfully intercepted drones cause debris that can lead to fires and injury to those on the ground.

Ras Tanura, located near the city of Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia, is one of the largest ports in the world with a capacity of more than half a million barrels of crude oil per day. Saudi state television reported that it was temporarily closed as a precaution after the attack.

Oman said that a drone boat carrying bombs exploded against a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Monday off the coast of the capital Muscat, killing a sailor. The state-run Oman News Agency said the dead crew member was from India.

Earlier today, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported that debris fell on the Al-Ahmadi Oil Refinery in Kuwait, injuring two workers after two drones were shot down.

Iran’s decision to expand its attacks to include key regional oil infrastructure adds a new element to the war sweeping the Middle East, directly targeting the lifeblood of the region’s economy.

“The attack on the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia represents a major escalation, as the Gulf’s energy infrastructure is now directly in Iran’s sights,” said Torbjörn Soltvedt, an analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft.

He added: “There is a long period of uncertainty ahead as Iran seeks to impose a heavy economic cost by putting tankers, regional energy infrastructure, trade routes, and US security partners in the crosshairs.”

Iran has also threatened ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil trade passes. Several ships were attacked there as well.

Iranian claim

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, told reporters that the US-Israeli air strikes targeted the Iranian nuclear enrichment site in Natanz on Sunday.

He added: “They again attacked Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities subject to safeguards yesterday.” “Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is just a big lie.”

Neither Israel nor the United States acknowledged launching raids on the site, which the United States bombed during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. The Israeli army did not immediately comment on Nujaifi’s allegations.

Israel did not announce specific targets in Iran, but said it was targeting “nuclear leadership and infrastructure.”

Hezbollah fires on Israel, prompting

Tremendous response

As attacks on Iran continued, Hezbollah said it fired missiles from Lebanon at Israel early Monday in response to the killing. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei And “repeated Israeli attacks.” There were no reports of injuries or damage, and Israel said it intercepted one shell, while a number of others fell in open areas.

Israel responded with raids on Lebanon, killing at least 31 people and wounding 149 others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. About two-thirds of the dead were in the south of the country.

The Lebanese government said it was holding an emergency meeting after Hezbollah’s attack on Israel led to Israeli air strikes.

Iran has been launching missiles at Israel and Arab countries in a counterattack since the joint American-Israeli attack that resulted in a fatality on Saturday Khamenei And many senior Iranian officials.

The number of victims increased as the attacks spread

Gulf Arab states have warned that they may retaliate against Iran after strikes that hit key sites and killed at least five civilians, and the US President… Donald Trump Washington promised to “revenge” the killing of three American soldiers killed in Kuwait, and expected more casualties.

“Unfortunately, there will likely be more before it’s over,” Trump said. “This is the way.”

Trump urged the Iranians to “take over” their government, and while also indicating he would be open to dialogue with the new leadership there after Khamenei’s death, he indicated on Sunday that there was no end in sight to the military operations.

He said in a video message: “Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and will continue until all our goals are achieved.” “We have very strong goals,” he added, without going into details.

The US Army said B-2 stealth bombers Hit Iranian ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian Navy’s headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”

Others mostly stayed out of the war and pressed for diplomacy. But in a sign that the conflict could attract other countries, Britain, France and Germany said on Sunday they were ready to work with the United States to help stop Iranian attacks.

Early Monday, Cyprus said a drone “caused limited damage” when it struck a British air base on the southern coast. More details were not immediately available, but they came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the United Kingdom would help the United States in the war against Iran.

The weekend attacks were the second time in eight months that the United States and Israel united against Iran, in a stunning display of military might for a US president elected on an “America First” platform and He vowed to stay away From “Forever Wars”.

In the 12-day war last June, Israeli and American strikes were launched greatly weakened Iranian air defenses, military leadership, and nuclear program. But the killing of Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, creates a leadership vacuum and increases the risk of regional instability.

Iran’s proxies join the battle

Hezbollah’s launching of missiles into Israel was the first time in more than a year that the armed group claimed responsibility for the attack. Israel said Hezbollah “joined the campaign” alongside Iran in response to strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Associated Press journalists in Beirut woke up Monday to a series of loud explosions that shook buildings and caused windows to shatter. The sounds of warplanes flying at low altitude could be heard.

“The strikes continue,” said Major General Rafi Milo, head of Israel’s Northern Command. “It will become more dense.”

The Iraqi Shiite Saraya Awliya al-Dam militia claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Monday targeting US forces at the airport in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, expanding the scope of retaliation for the killing of Khamenei. It claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Sunday on a US air base in Erbil, northern Iraq.

The group is one of a number of Shiite militias operating in Iraq. The United States and Iraq did not immediately comment on these allegations.

In the Persian Gulf, Iranian retaliatory strikes have pushed the conflict into cities that have long marketed themselves as regional safe havens. Three people were reported killed in the United Arab Emirates and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.

In the United Arab Emirates, authorities said that most Iranian missiles and drones had been intercepted. But some of them managed to pass or fell as debris, causing deaths and severe damage. Bahrain and Kuwait said that Iranian strikes in both countries hit civilian targets outside US bases, as Iran pledged to respond.

The World Health Organization calls for the protection of civilians

The streets of Tehran were largely deserted as people took shelter during air strikes. Basij paramilitary Witnesses said the force, which played a central role in crushing recent protests, set up checkpoints throughout the city.

In the northern Iranian city of Babol, a student, speaking anonymously due to fears of retaliation, told the Associated Press that armed riot police were in the streets Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday after Khamenei’s death.

He said: “We do not know whether to rejoice in the elimination of the criminals who oppress us, or to remain silent in the face of the war that the United States and Israel are waging against the country and its interests and the terrorism that is taking place.”

In Israel, rescue services confirmed that several sites were hit by Iranian missiles, including Jerusalem and a synagogue in Beit Shemesh, where nine people were killed and 28 wounded, bringing the total death toll in the country to 11.

The World Health Organization on Monday called for the protection of civilians and healthcare facilities in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict.

“Civilian protection and health care must be absolute,” Hanan Balkhi, a WHO regional nutritionist, wrote on social media. “All parties must… ensure that medical facilities remain protected.”

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Liedman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Bassem Marwa and Sally Abu al-Joud in Beirut contributed to this report.