At least 787 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the US‑Israeli air campaign, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said on March 3, 2026, reporting strikes across 153 cities and warning the toll could rise as search-and-rescue operations continue. A Norway‑based rights group, Hengaw, put the figure at more than 1,500, saying roughly 1,300 of the dead were armed forces and about 200 were civilians. Israeli media, citing Israeli intelligence, reported that the joint campaign had killed more than 1,000 members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Tehran and other cities in Iran came under fresh strikes on the fourth day of the conflict. State media and social media images showed plumes of smoke over the capital and explosions reported in suburbs including Pardis, as well as in Karaj and Isfahan. Israel’s military posted that it was “conducting simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut,” though independent verification of specific targets was limited.
Lebanon and Israel
Israel said its forces were operating in southern Lebanon to secure border communities as it continues strikes against Hezbollah positions. Hezbollah has claimed attacks on Israeli military bases with drones and rockets in retaliation for strikes on its strongholds, including in Beirut. The fighting has seen escalation along the Israel‑Lebanon border and raised fears of a widening regional confrontation.
Regional effects and attacks
Iran’s retaliation campaign has reached beyond its borders. The UAE reported a fire in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone caused by falling debris from an intercepted drone; no injuries were reported and operations resumed. Two Amazon data centers in the UAE were “directly struck,” causing cloud service disruptions in parts of the region. France said it had deployed Rafale fighter jets over the UAE to protect its facilities and planned to send anti‑drone and anti‑missile systems and a frigate to Cyprus after a British air base on the island was attacked.
Diplomatic and security moves
The US State Department began evacuating non‑essential personnel and families from embassies and consulates in Iraq, Bahrain and Jordan, later expanding evacuations and warnings to Qatar and the UAE, and closing its embassy in Kuwait “indefinitely” after it was hit. Washington also warned US citizens to leave Iran and several other Middle Eastern countries. US Central Command reported six US service members killed in Iranian strikes.
Political signals and statements
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the operations as a “quick and decisive action,” saying the conflict would not be “endless.” US President Donald Trump suggested the United States could retaliate “soon” for attacks on US facilities and personnel but said he did not think ground forces would be necessary. Trump also posted a video urging Iranians to “take over your government” when strikes end; senior US officials publicly insisted the aim was to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons rather than to pursue regime change.
Iran condemned the US role. Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of entering “a war of choice on behalf of Israel,” responding to US officials’ remarks that strikes were intended to pre‑empt threats to US forces.
Iran’s leadership
Iranian authorities said the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that selects the supreme leader, would choose a successor “in the very near future,” after reports that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed amid the strikes. The assembly described the selection process as unlikely to take long.
Humanitarian, civil and logistical impacts
Reports emerged of civilian casualties and damaged infrastructure, including unconfirmed reports of dozens of children killed at a girls’ school in southern Iran and multiple schools closed across the region. The widening conflict has disrupted airspace and shipping routes, notably affecting passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil and gas shipments. The disruption has prompted airlines and travel companies to plan repatriation and contingency services: German tour operator TUI said it would organize flights home for stranded customers in coordination with regional carriers.
Domestic and international reactions
At the UN, an unusual Security Council meeting on children, technology and education in conflict was chaired by Melania Trump, who expressed condolences and called for education to promote peace. In Germany, police warned travelers about scams exploiting hotline searches for rebooking flights amid the crisis, after a fraud victim paid €2,500 for a bogus booking.
Outlook
The situation remains fluid and hazardous. Governments and aid organizations have warned that casualty figures and damage assessments are likely to change as rescue teams access struck areas and as the conflict continues to ripple across the region through diplomatic moves, military actions and disruptions to civilian infrastructure.