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 renewed 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. In Aramoun and Saadiyat, south of Beirut, the health ministry said six people were killed and eight wounded; officials described the toll 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 continued attacks 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 authorities 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 because of safety concerns.
United States Central Command said US forces had struck nearly 2,000 targets in Iran since the offensive began. CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper described the operation as “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 US officials described as Iran’s most operational submarine.
Israel said it had begun a broad wave of strikes targeting Iranian launch sites, air defenses 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, and there were reports that a residential building had been hit.
Iran announced a three-day state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who state media said was killed in the weekend strikes. The Iranian 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 viewed as threatening to Israel and the United States. He said Israeli and US forces would act to weaken the Iranian government’s capabilities and to create conditions for change inside Iran.
The diplomatic fallout reached Europe. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly opposed the US-Israeli strikes, urging ‘No to the war’ and warning that the bombings risked millions of lives. Sánchez has refused US requests to use Spanish air and naval bases for operations and condemned the bombings as illegal and reckless. The White House, led by President Donald Trump, reportedly threatened trade penalties against Spain in response.
Reports also emerged that the Trump administration had been in contact with Kurdish leaders in Iraq. The president spoke with figures including Bafel Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and, reportedly, Masoud Barzani and Mustafa Hijri. US media, citing unnamed sources, said the CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces — a move that would leverage Kurdish militias’ experienced fighters and their proximity to Iran’s border. Iraqi Kurdistan has itself come under Iranian attack during the escalation.
The conflict has caused civilian casualties and widespread disruption across multiple countries in the region. Health and emergency services are strained, and international concern is growing over the risk of further escalation.