War Widens To Include Iranian-backed Militias As Israeli And American Planes Pound Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran and allied equipped groups fired missiles astatine Israel, Arab states and U.S. subject targets astir nan region connected Monday, while Israel and nan United States pounded Iran arsenic nan warfare expended to respective fronts. Kuwait mistakenly changeable down 3 American warplanes complete its skies.

The strength of nan attacks connected some sides, nan sidesplitting of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and nan deficiency of immoderate evident exit scheme indicated nan conflict would not extremity immoderate clip soon. It was already person far-reaching consequences crossed nan region and beyond: Previously safe havens successful nan Mideast for illustration Dubai person seen incoming fire; hundreds of thousands of hose passengers are stranded astir nan globe; lipid prices changeable up; and U.S. friends pledged to thief extremity Iranian missiles and drones.

If attacked, Iran has agelong threatened to resistance nan region into full war, including targeting Israel nan Gulf Arab states and nan travel of crude lipid important for world power markets. All these things came nether onslaught connected Monday.

QatarEnergy, successful fact, said it would extremity its accumulation of liquefied earthy state because of nan conflict, taking 1 of nan world’s apical suppliers disconnected nan market. It offered nary timeline for restoring its production.

The chaos of nan conflict became evident erstwhile nan U.S. subject said Kuwait had “mistakenly changeable down” 3 American F-15E Strike Eagles during a combat ngo while attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones were underway. U.S. Central Command said each six pilots ejected safely and are successful unchangeable condition.

At slightest 555 group person been killed successful Iran truthful acold by nan U.S.-Israeli campaign, nan Iranian Red Crescent Society said, and much than 130 cities crossed nan state having travel nether attack. Eleven group person been killed successful Israel and 31 successful Lebanon, according to authorities there.

Lebanon’s authorities said Hezbollah’s overnight onslaught against Israel were “illegal” and demanded nan group grip complete its weapons. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said only nan authorities tin determine whether to spell to warfare aliases peace, and called connected nan Lebanese subject to forestall nan firing of projectiles and detain anyone involved.

In Kuwait, occurrence and fume roseate from wrong nan U.S. Embassy compound.

On Monday afternoon, aggregate airstrikes deed Tehran, Iran’s capital, while apical Iranian information charismatic Ali Larijani vowed connected X that “we will not discuss pinch nan United States.”

In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed work for a drone onslaught targeting U.S. troops astatine nan Baghdad airport, nan time aft it said it fired astatine a U.S. guidelines successful nan metropolis of Irbil successful nan north, and Cyprus said a drone onslaught targeted a British guidelines connected nan Mediterranean land nation.

Israel and nan U.S. bombed Iranian rocket sites and targeted its navy, claiming to person destroyed its office and aggregate warships.

Iran expands attacks to location lipid infrastructure

World markets were rattled by nan fighting and lipid prices soared.

Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura lipid refinery came nether a drone onslaught connected Monday, pinch defenses downing nan incoming aircraft, a subject spokesperson told nan state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Online videos from nan tract appeared to show heavy achromatic fume rising aft nan attack. Even successfully intercepted drones origin debris that tin spark fires and injure those connected nan ground.

Ras Tanura, adjacent nan metropolis of Dammam successful eastbound Saudi Arabia, is 1 of nan world’s largest pinch a capacity complete half a cardinal barrels of crude lipid a day. It was temporarily unopen down arsenic a precaution aft nan attack, Saudi authorities tv reported.

Oman said a bomb-carrying drone vessel exploded against Marshall Islands-flagged lipid tanker successful nan Gulf of Oman connected Monday, disconnected nan seashore of nan sultanate’s superior of Muskat, sidesplitting 1 mariner. The state-run Oman News Agency said nan dormant unit personnel was from India.

Earlier successful nan day, debris fell connected Kuwait’s Ahmadi lipid refinery, injuring 2 workers, aft drones were changeable down, nan state-run KUNA news agency reported.

Iran’s determination to expands its attacks to awesome location lipid infrastructure adds a caller constituent to nan warfare gripping nan Middle East, straight targeting nan lifeblood of nan area’s economy.

“The onslaught connected Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery marks a important escalation, pinch Gulf power infrastructure now squarely successful Iran’s sights,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, an expert astatine nan consequence intelligence institution Verisk Maplecroft.

“An extended play of uncertainty lies up arsenic Iran seeks to enforce a dense economical costs by putting tankers, location power infrastructure, waste and acquisition routes and U.S. information partners successful nan crosshairs,” he added.

Iran has besides threatened ships successful nan Strait of Hormuz, nan constrictive rima of nan Persian Gulf done which a 5th of each lipid traded passes. Several ships person been attacked arsenic good there.

An Iranian claim

Iran’s Ambassador to nan U.N. atomic watchdog, nan International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, told reporters that nan U.S.-Israeli airstrikes had targeted Iran’s Natanz atomic enrichment tract connected Sunday.

“Again they attacked Iran’s serene safeguarded atomic accommodation yesterday,” he said. “Their justification that Iran wants to create atomic weapons is simply a large lie.”

Israel and nan U.S. person not acknowledged strikes astatine nan site, which nan U.S. bombed backmost successful nan 12-day warfare betwixt Iran and Israel successful June. The Israeli subject besides did not instantly remark connected Najafi’s allegation.

Israel has not publicized circumstantial targets successful Iran but has said that it is targeting “leadership and atomic infrastructure.”

Hezbollah fires connected Israel, prompting monolithic response

As nan attacks connected Iran continued, Hezbollah said it fired missiles from Lebanon into Israel early Monday successful consequence to nan sidesplitting of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and “repeated Israeli aggressions.” There were nary reports of injuries aliases damage, and Israel said that it had intercepted 1 projectile while respective fell successful unfastened areas.

Israel retaliated pinch strikes connected Lebanon, sidesplitting astatine slightest 31 group and wounding 149 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. About 2 thirds of nan dormant were successful nan country’s south.

Lebanon’s authorities said it was holding an emergency gathering aft Hezbollah’s onslaught connected Israel triggered nan Israeli airstrikes.

Iran has been firing missiles astatine Israel and Arab states successful a counteroffensive since nan associated America-Israeli onslaught Saturday that killed Khamenei and galore apical Iranian officials.

Casualties emergence arsenic attacks spread

Gulf Arab states person warned that they could retaliate against Iran aft strikes that deed cardinal sites and killed astatine slightest 5 civilians, and U.S. President Donald Trump promised Washington would “avenge” nan deaths of 3 American troops who were killed successful Kuwait, while predicting much casualties.

“Sadly, location will apt beryllium much earlier it ends,” Trump said. “That’s nan measurement it is.”

Trump has urged Iranians to “take over” their authorities and, while he has besides signaled he would beryllium unfastened to speech pinch caller activity location pursuing nan decease of Khamenei, suggested Sunday location was nary extremity successful show to nan subject operations.

“Combat operations proceed astatine this clip successful full-force, and they will proceed until each of our objectives are achieved,” he said successful a video message. “We person very beardown objectives,” he added, without elaborating.

The U.S. subject said B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran’s ballistic rocket accommodation pinch 2,000-pound bombs. Trump said connected societal media that 9 Iranian warships had been sunk and that nan Iranian navy’s office had been “largely destroyed.”

Others person mostly stayed retired of nan warfare and pressed for diplomacy. But successful an denotation that nan conflict could tie successful different nations, Britain, France and Germany said Sunday they were fresh to activity pinch nan U.S. to thief extremity Iran’s attacks.

Early Monday, Cyprus said an uncrewed drone “caused constricted damage” erstwhile it deed a British aerial guidelines connected nan confederate coast. Further specifications were not instantly available, but it came aft British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said nan U.K. would thief nan U.S. successful nan warfare against Iran.

The play attacks were nan 2nd clip successful 8 months that nan U.S. and Israel had mixed against Iran, successful a startling show of subject mightiness for an American president elected connected an “America First” level and pledged to support retired of “forever wars.”

In nan 12-day warfare past June, Israeli and American strikes greatly weakened Iran’s aerial defenses, subject activity and atomic program. But nan sidesplitting of Khamenei, who ruled Iran for much than 3 decades, creates a activity vacuum, expanding nan consequence of location instability.

Iranian proxies subordinate nan fray

Hezbollah’s motorboat of missiles astatine Israel was nan first clip successful much than a twelvemonth that nan militant group has claimed an attack. Israel said Hezbollah had “joined nan campaign” alongside Iran arsenic it retaliated pinch strikes connected Beirut, Lebanon’s capital.

Associated Press journalists successful Beirut were jolted awake Monday by a bid of large explosions that shook buildings and caused windows to shatter. Warplanes could beryllium heard flying debased overhead.

“The strikes continue,” said Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, caput of Israel’s Northern Command. “Their strength will increase.”

The Iraqi Shiite militia Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed a drone onslaught Monday targeting U.S. troops astatine nan airdrome successful nan Iraqi capital, Baghdad, further widening nan retaliation complete nan sidesplitting of Khamenei. It had claimed a drone onslaught connected Sunday against a U.S. aerial guidelines successful Irbil, successful Iraq’s north.

The group is 1 of a number of Shiite militias operating successful Iraq. The U.S. and Iraq did not instantly remark connected nan claims.

In nan Persian Gulf, Iran’s retaliatory strikes pushed nan conflict into cities that person agelong marketed themselves arsenic location safe havens. Three group were reported killed successful nan United Arab Emirates and 1 each successful Kuwait and Bahrain.

In nan United Arab Emirates, authorities said astir Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted. But immoderate either sewage done aliases fell arsenic debris, causing nan deaths and important damage. Bahrain and Kuwait said Iranian strikes successful some countries deed civilian targets extracurricular nan U.S. bases wherever Iran had pledged to retaliate.

WHO calls for protection of civilians

Tehran’s streets person been mostly deserted pinch group sheltering during airstrikes. The paramilitary Basij force, which has played a cardinal domiciled successful crushing caller protests, group up checkpoints crossed nan city, according to witnesses.

In nan bluish Iranian metropolis of Babol, a student, speaking anonymously complete concerns of retribution, told nan AP that equipped riot constabulary were connected nan streets Saturday nighttime and into nan early hours of Sunday aft nan decease of Khamenei.

“We don’t cognize whether to beryllium happy astir nan elimination of nan criminals who oppress america aliases to stay silent successful nan look of nan U.S. and Israel’s warfare against nan state and its interests and nan panic that is taking place,” he said.

In Israel, rescue services person confirmed respective locations person been deed by Iranian missiles, including Jerusalem and a synagogue successful Beit Shemesh, wherever 9 group were killed and 28 wounded, bringing nan wide decease toll successful nan state to 11.

The World Health Organization called Monday for sparing civilians and healthcare accommodation successful nan Middle East amid nan escalating conflict.

“The protection of civilians and wellness attraction must beryllium absolute,” Hanan Balkhy, location dietitian astatine WHO wrote connected societal media. “All parties must … guarantee aesculapian accommodation stay protected.”

Gambrell, Lidman and Magdy constitute for nan Associated Press. Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Sally Abou AlJoud successful Beirut contributed to this report.