The crisis escalated after U.S. and Israeli forces launched a major military strike on Iran in which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated. Here’s what is happening around the world at the moment.
Iran’s leadership confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the U.S.–Israeli strikes, and Tehran launched sustained retaliatory attacks that have included missile and drone strikes on U.S. military bases and assets in Gulf states as well as on Israeli territory and other regional targets. These actions have taken place across multiple fronts in the Gulf and Levant, stretching from Iran’s heartland through Lebanon and the Gulf states, involving both state and non‑state actors.
Iran’s Retaliation And Strategic Moves
Since the confirmation of Khamenei’s death, Iran has been launching missiles and unmanned drones at targets beyond its borders — hitting Israel, Gulf states that host U.S. forces, and other strategic points. Tehran’s attacks have included strikes on military and diplomatic sites, pushing several countries in the region into active aerial engagement. Air defences in the Gulf and Israel have been operating almost constantly to intercept these attacks.
Iran has also closed the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for global oil transit, signaling both a symbolic and economic escalation as shipping risks rise and energy markets gyrate.
Israel–Lebanon Front – Hezbollah Enters The Fight
In a major expansion, Hezbollah – Iran’s key allied militia – fired missiles and drones from Lebanon into northern Israel in solidarity with Tehran’s campaign. In response, Israel has launched air strikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s suburbs, resulting in civilian displacement and casualties as battles intensify.
Saudi Arabia – Embassy Under Attack, U.S. Defence Focus & Regional Criticism
Iran‑launched drones struck the U.S. Embassy compound in Riyadh, causing damage and prompting safety warnings. This is part of Tehran’s broader tactical choice to target U.S. diplomatic and military interests in the Gulf, not just Israel.
Security sources in Riyadh have criticised what they describe as a shift in U.S. defence priorities amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. A Saudi official, Suleiman Al‑Aqili, told Al Jazeera that “the United States abandoned the Gulf states and redirected its air defence to protect Israel,” adding that this left “all the Gulf states that host American military bases at the mercy of Iranian strikes.” This reflection underscores regional concerns that local defence against incoming missiles and drones may be under‑resourced compared to support for other fronts.
United Arab Emirates – Direct Impacts
In the UAE, Iran’s retaliation has focused on targets linked to U.S. military infrastructure, including strikes on or near bases that host American forces such as Al Dhafra Air Base and other facilities with U.S. assets rather than indiscriminate assaults on civilian areas.
While most projectiles have been shot down, debris from interceptions has fallen into Abu Dhabi and Dubai, leading to minor infrastructure damage and casualties as defined by official statements. Some of this secondary damage has been reported at major civil sites such as Dubai International Airport and residential districts — but those impacts are largely collateral to defensive interceptions of weapons aimed at U.S. military targets.
The attacks have prompted airspace closures and travel disruptions, contributing to flight cancellations and delays that have affected business and tourism.
Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain – Broader Gulf Tensions
Other Gulf states that host U.S. bases and strategic assets have also faced missile and drone threats from Iranian forces. In Qatar, air defences intercepted multiple Iranian missiles and drones targeting the country’s capital, and officials reported that shrapnel from intercepted missiles disrupted civilian infrastructure including the international airport and other urban areas. In Bahrain, missiles and drones aimed at U.S. Fifth Fleet facilities resulted in at least one worker’s death and additional injuries when debris fell on nearby structures, and several buildings in Manama and Muharraq were damaged during interceptions.
Kuwait also reported that Iranian strikes — including projectiles toward U.S. and allied bases — led to debris falling near key facilities like the international airport and military bases, though the majority of threats were intercepted and full casualty reports remain unclear.
Israel Strikes In Beirut And Tehran – Latest Updates
Israeli forces have expanded their military campaign to strike both Beirut in Lebanon and Tehran in Iran as the regional conflict intensifies. In Lebanon, the Israeli military has carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah‑linked targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut. These strikes have rocked the capital’s outskirts with multiple explosions and have resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries among fighters and civilians, while prompting mass displacement of residents and evacuations from southern areas of the city. Reuters reporting notes this escalation is occurring amid repeated exchanges between Hezbollah and Israeli forces and is part of a widening conflict that now involves multiple fronts beyond Iran itself.
At the same time, Israeli military aircraft have also struck targets in Tehran, Iran’s capital, according to Israeli defence statements. These strikes have been described as hitting command and infrastructure sites linked to Iranian security and intelligence. Reuters reports that these actions form part of a new wave of air operations by Israel against Iranian government and military objectives.
This is a developing story.
Sources: Al Jazeera, and Reuters.
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