THE war involving Iran, Israel and the United States entered its seventh day on Friday, March 6, with escalating military strikes across the Middle East.
Israel launched heavy airstrikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut and began what it described as a “broad-scale” wave of attacks targeting infrastructure in Tehran on Friday. Meanwhile, Iran said it had fired missiles at the heart of Tel Aviv.
Explosions and flashes lit up the night sky over Beirut’s southern suburbs, according to Reuters footage. The Israeli military said it carried out 26 waves of overnight strikes in the area, targeting command centres and weapons storage facilities belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched Kheibar missiles toward Tel Aviv on Friday as part of the 21st phase of its military campaign, dubbed Operation True Promise 4. In a statement, the IRGC said the operation involved a coordinated missile and drone assault aimed at sites in central Tel Aviv.
According to Qatari officials, Iranian drones also struck the Al Udeid Air Base overnight, the largest US military base in the Middle East, noting that no casualties were reported.
The IRGC added that Iranian forces had also targeted the Ramat David Airbase and a radar installation in Israel, as well as the Al-Adiri Camp where US troops are stationed. It also claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a base hosting US forces in Erbil in northern Iraq.
An IRGC spokesperson said new weapons and tactics would soon be deployed to confront what it described as Israeli and US aggression, without providing further details.
The seven-day conflict has hugely expanded beyond Israel and Iran as Iran has reportedly launched strikes toward Gulf states, Cyprus, Turkey and Azerbaijan. The confrontation has also extended to the Indian Ocean, where a US submarine reportedly sank an Iranian naval vessel near Sri Lanka.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue conference in New Delhi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said the conflict was an “existential war” for Iran.
“This was an ‘existential war’ for Iran, leaving us with no choice but to respond wherever American attacks originate from,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah warned Israelis living close to the border with Lebanon to evacuate. In a message posted in Hebrew on its Telegram channel early Friday, the group urged residents within five kilometres (three miles) of the border to leave the area.
Reuters quoted the group as saying, “Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged.”
According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran since the fighting began a week ago.
In Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported that Israeli attacks this week killed 123 people and wounded another 683. The ministry did not specify how many of the casualties were civilians or combatants. No deaths have been reported in Israel as a result of Hezbollah attacks.
Tensions have also spread to Azerbaijan as authorities said four Iranian drones crossed into its airspace on Thursday, injuring four people in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave. Iran denied deliberately targeting its neighbour, which has a sizeable Azeri population.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.