Fighting across the Middle East continued on March 4, 2026, after Israel and the United States launched large-scale attacks on Iran over the weekend, prompting widespread strikes and reprisals across the region.
Israel carried out fresh strikes on Lebanon overnight, killing at least 10 people. Lebanese state media reported an Israeli strike on a residential building in Baalbek that killed at least four people. In Aramoun and Saadiyat south of Beirut, the Health Ministry said six people were killed and eight wounded; the toll was described as preliminary. A hotel in Beirut was also hit. The Israeli military said it had launched broad-scale strikes against Hezbollah after the group fired missiles and drones into Israel, and reported that ground troops had seized areas of southern Lebanon near the border.
Iran launched continued strikes across the Gulf region. Kuwait’s health ministry said an 11-year-old girl was killed by falling debris after Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and missiles. Saudi Arabia reported intercepting two cruise missiles over the Al-Kharj district and destroying nine attacking drones. Iranian-made drones also struck Cyprus earlier in the week, causing limited damage; the US embassy in Nicosia authorized non-emergency personnel and families to leave due to safety risks.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said US forces had hit nearly 2,000 targets in Iran since the start of the offensive. CENTCOM’s Admiral Brad Cooper called the operation “nearly double the scale” of the opening attacks of the 2003 Iraq invasion, saying more than 2,000 munitions had been used to degrade Iran’s air defenses and destroy hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. He said 17 Iranian warships had been destroyed in less than 100 hours, including what the US described as Iran’s “most operational” submarine.
Israel said it had begun a “broad wave of strikes” targeting Iranian launch sites, air defense systems and infrastructure, and reported hitting buildings linked to the Basij volunteer force and Iran’s internal security command. Iranian state media reported explosions in Tehran; there were reports a residential building had been hit.
Iran announced a three-day state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the weekend strikes. Iranian state news agency IRNA said mourners could pay respects at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosque; Khamenei, 86, is expected to be buried in his birthplace of Mashhad.
Israel’s defense minister warned that any successor chosen to lead Iran would be a target for assassination if they continued policies perceived as threatening to Israel and the United States. He said Israel and US forces would take action to weaken the Iranian government’s capabilities and create conditions for change inside Iran.
The conflict’s diplomatic and political reverberations extended to Europe. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez repeated his opposition to the US-Israeli strikes, calling on “No to the war,” and warned, “You cannot play Russian roulette with the destiny of millions.” Sánchez has refused US requests to use Spanish air and naval bases for operations and has condemned the bombings as illegal and reckless. US President Donald Trump publicly threatened to slash trade with Spain in response.
Reports emerged that the Trump administration had been in contact with Kurdish leaders in Iraq. Trump spoke with figures including Bafel Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and, reportedly, Masoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Mustafa Hijri of the KDPI. US media cited unnamed sources saying the CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces — a move that would leverage Kurdish militias’ thousands of battle-hardened fighters and their proximity to Iran’s border. Iraqi Kurdistan has also come under Iranian attack during the escalation.
The conflict has caused civilian casualties and widespread disruption across multiple countries in the region, with health and emergency services strained and international concern growing over further escalation.
