Mid-East war widens across multiple fronts as Iran and its allies attack Israel, US targets

TEL AVIV – Israel and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah traded strikes on March 2, opening a new front in the widening Middle East war sparked by the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli territory overnight in retaliation for the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli military operation on Feb 28.

Israel responded by attacking sites south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, that are affiliated with Hezbollah, as Israel’s military chief of staff warned of a prolonged conflict.

Lebanese state news agency NNA said an initial tally showed 31 people had been killed and 149 injured in the strikes, which Israel said targeted the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut.

Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir, Israel’s military chief of staff, said combat operations against Hezbollah could be prolonged, lasting days.

“This requires strong defensive readiness and sustained offensive readiness, operating in continuous waves while constantly utilising opportunities,” Lt-Gen Zamir said in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem, the Iran-backed militant group’s secretary-general, is “now a marked target for elimination”.

Qassem succeeded Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s former head, who was killed in an Israeli bombardment in late 2024.

As it traded strikes with Hezbollah, Israel launched more bombing runs against Iran.

Explosions were heard across Tehran, with a hit on Iran’s Sanandaj city in the western Kurdistan province killing at least three people, state media said.

Iran had responded by firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as other US allies in the Gulf.

Shortly after 7pm (1pm, Singapore time) air raid sirens were triggered across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, warning of a fresh Iranian attack.

Missiles were being launched from central parts of Iran towards “enemy locations”, Iranian state media said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said the missile wave targeted the Israeli government complex in Tel Aviv, as well as military and security centres in Haifa and areas in East Jerusalem.

It said those attacks would expand, and air raid sirens in Israel “would never stop”.

‘Prolonged days of combat ahead’

Iran has also been firing drones and missiles at US allies in the Persian Gulf.

Kuwait said on March 2 its air defences intercepted several hostile drones.

Two US officials told the New York Times a drone attack struck the American embassy compound in Kuwait. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Witnesses saw a heavy presence of security, ambulances and fire trucks near the embassy, while a video showed black smoke rising from the surrounding area.

A US base and a power station were also targeted.

Kuwait’s air defences, meanwhile, mistakenly shot down three US F-15 fighter jets during active combat on March 2, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed, describing it as an apparent friendly‐fire incident.

All six crew members ejected from the aircraft safely.

CENTCOM said Kuwait had acknowledged the incident, and that an investigation was under way.

Video images showed a US warplane falling out of the sky over Kuwait early on March 2, while a person could be seen parachuting.

Blasts also rang out over the Gulf cities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and Manama.

A drone strike hit Britain’s Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri in Cyprus overnight, causing limited damage and no casualties, the island’s president and Britain’s Defence Ministry said on March 2.

US President Donald Trump said in interviews on March 1 that the US-Israeli military assault on Iranian targets could continue for at least four weeks.

A senior White House official said while Mr Trump would, at some point, talk to Iran’s potential new leadership, the military campaign would go on.

“President Trump said new potential leadership in Iran has indicated they want to talk and eventually he will talk. For now, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated,” the official said.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on March 1 a leadership council composed of himself, the judiciary head and a member of the powerful Guardian Council has temporarily assumed the duties of supreme leader.

In an X post on March 2, Mr Ali Larijani, who was adviser to Iran’s Mr Khamenei, said his country would not negotiate with Mr Trump.

He said the US president had “delusional ambitions” and was now worried about American casualties.

The first US casualties of the campaign, including the deaths of three service personnel were confirmed on March 1. Two US officials said the US service members were killed on a base in Kuwait.

Mr Trump paid tribute to the three killed as “true American patriots” but warned that there would likely be more casualties.

An extended military campaign could pose a major political risk for Mr Trump’s Republican party ahead of US midterm elections. Only around one in four Americans approve of the operation, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

But in a video posted on March 1, Mr Trump vowed military strikes on Iran would continue until “all our objectives are achieved” without providing specifics.

He said the assault had so far wiped out Iran’s military command and destroyed nine Iranian navy ships and a naval building.

American aircraft and warships have struck more than 1,000 Iranian targets since the start of major combat operations on Saturday, the US military said.

Mr Trump called on Iran’s military and police, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, to stop fighting, promising immunity for those who surrender and threatening “certain death” for those who resist.

He reiterated calls for the Iranian people to revolt against the government.

Existential challenge for Iran

Following the death of Mr Khamenei, Iran faces a power vacuum that could leave it in chaos, but the Trump administration has not outlined longer-term aims for the country.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on March 1 they hit three US and British oil tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and attacked military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain with drones and missiles.

Shipping data showed hundreds of vessels, including oil and gas tankers, dropping anchor in nearby waters with traders expecting sharp jumps in crude oil prices on March 2.

Global air travel was also heavily disrupted, as continued air strikes kept major Middle Eastern airports closed, including Dubai – the world’s busiest international hub – in one of the biggest aviation interruptions in recent years.

It remained unclear what the longer-term prospects were for Iran to rebuild its leadership and replace Mr Khamenei, who held power since the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Experts said while his death and those of other Iranian leaders would deal Iran a major blow, it would not necessarily spell the end of Iran’s entrenched clerical rule or the sway of the elite Revolutionary Guards over the population. REUTERS