Israel has carried out air raids on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after the group launched missiles and drones at Israel.
Israel launched fresh air strikes on Tehran on Monday and broadened its military campaign to include attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, as US President Donald Trump signalled that the joint offensive on Iranian targets could continue for weeks.
Israeli forces said they struck intelligence, security and military command centres in Tehran after claiming to have established aerial superiority over the Iranian capital. Explosions were reported across Tehran, while residents in parts of the Gulf region, including Dubai and Doha, also heard loud blasts.
Israel confirmed it had carried out air raids on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, with more than a dozen explosions rocking the Lebanese capital. The strikes followed Hezbollah’s acknowledgement that it had launched missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli military blamed Hezbollah for escalating tensions and warned residents in dozens of villages in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate. The renewed exchanges come despite a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024 and mark a significant widening of hostilities across the Middle East.
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel early Monday, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as Iran’s state media announced a new wave of missiles launched from central Iran towards “enemy locations”. Kuwait said its air defences intercepted hostile drones for a third consecutive day, while Britain confirmed that a suspected drone strike hit its Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, causing limited damage and no casualties.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said a temporary leadership council had assumed the duties of Supreme Leader following Khamenei’s death, amid uncertainty over Iran’s political future.
A senior White House official said “Operation Epic Fury” would continue unabated, even as Trump indicated he may eventually engage with potential new Iranian leadership. “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. In a video message, Trump vowed that military strikes would persist until “all our objectives are achieved,” claiming US forces had destroyed key Iranian military infrastructure, including naval assets.
The US military said American aircraft and warships had struck more than 1,000 Iranian targets since combat operations began. However, the campaign has already seen its first US casualties, with three service personnel killed at a base in Kuwait.
Trump called on Iran’s military and security forces, including the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, to surrender, promising immunity to those who lay down their arms while warning of severe consequences for continued resistance. He also urged Iranians to rise against their government.
The escalating conflict has rattled global markets. Oil prices surged as traders anticipated supply disruptions after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Hundreds of vessels reportedly dropped anchor in nearby waters.
Air travel has also been severely disrupted, with major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai — the world’s busiest international hub—temporarily closed. Airline shares in Asia fell sharply amid concerns over prolonged instability.
As the confrontation intensifies, analysts warn that the death of Khamenei and mounting military pressure pose an existential challenge to Iran’s leadership. It remained unclear what the longer-term prospects were for Iran to rebuild its leadership and replace 86-year-old Khamenei, who had held power since the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989. Experts caution that the country’s entrenched clerical establishment and the influence of the Revolutionary Guards may endure, even amid significant upheaval.
