The Middle East conflict intensified on Thursday as Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Tehran while Iran targeted Kurdish militant groups in neighboring Iraq, further widening a war that has already drawn multiple countries into the crisis.
ECP Issues Contempt Notice to Interior Secretary Over Absence in Islamabad LG Polls Case
The conflict began on Saturday following joint strikes by the United States and Israel that reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Since then, the violence has rapidly spread across the region, disrupting global shipping routes, rattling energy markets and triggering panic across Gulf states.
AFP reporters in Tehran reported hearing fighter jets and multiple explosions as Israeli forces launched another barrage of airstrikes over western parts of the city.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities said they struck Iraq-based Kurdish groups after warnings from senior officials. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned separatist groups against exploiting the chaos.
“We will not tolerate them in any way,” Larijani said.
The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes targeted positions of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah in southern Beirut. Images from the scene showed damaged buildings and plumes of black smoke rising across the area.
Lebanese authorities reported at least 72 people killed, 437 injured and around 83,000 displaced since Monday. A separate Israeli drone strike in the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli killed senior Hamas official Wassim Atallah al-Ali and his wife.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed to intensify attacks against Israel, stating the group had carried out at least 15 strikes targeting Israeli positions as far as Tel Aviv.
“We are facing aggression… and we will not surrender,” he said.
The conflict has expanded far beyond the immediate battlefield. Iranian missiles and drones have targeted US-linked assets in Gulf countries, with explosions reported in Doha and Manama. At least 13 people have been killed across Gulf states since the war began.
Countries including Australia and Canada are considering military involvement, while Turkey summoned the Iranian ambassador after NATO air defenses intercepted an Iranian missile heading toward its airspace.
The conflict has also affected global energy routes. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reportedly closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil passes, causing oil tanker traffic to drop sharply.
Iran’s official news agency reported that more than 1,045 military personnel and civilians have been killed since the war began, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The economic consequences are already being felt globally. Kristalina Georgieva, head of the International Monetary Fund, warned the conflict could trigger a prolonged period of economic instability.
Tourism in the region has also been hit hard as flights are cancelled and travellers rush to leave. Tour guide Nazih Rawashdeh in northern Jordan said the situation was devastating for the industry.
“My last group of tourists left three days ago, and all the other groups planned for March have been cancelled,” he said.
