Now in its sixth day, the latest conflict in the Middle East continues to expand – with a “hybrid attack” on Israel from Iran, Israel ordering mass evacuations in Lebanon and NATO countries increasing their missile defenses.
Here's what you need to know.
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New strikes: Iran has launched what it calls a “hybrid attack” against Israel on Thursday evening, with images captured by CNN cameras appearing to show cluster warheads visible in the night sky. CNN teams heard several explosions in the distance. Since the start of the war, the Israeli army has repeatedly declared that Iran had launched missiles equipped with submunitions.
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Israel orders evacuations in Beirut: The Israeli military released what it described as an urgent evacuation warning for entire neighborhoods in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The order comes after Israel asked all residents south of the Litani River to evacuate, a potential sign that a major military operation is on the way.
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NATO strengthens its anti-missile defense: NATO member states have strengthened their defense posture following the firing of a suspected Iranian missile. dejected as it headed toward Turkish airspace on Wednesday, an alliance spokesperson said. It would be the first time that NATO forces intercepted an Iranian missile heading towards a member country since the start of this conflict. However, Iran's military leaders say they have not fired any missiles towards Turkey, according to state media.
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Congress refuses to curb the war: The House Thursday failed to adopt a measure which sought to restrict President Donald Trump's authority to wage war in Iran without congressional approval. Testifying to the Republican Party's loyalty to the White House, the vote failed by a vote of 212 to 219. A similar vote failed yesterday in the Senate.
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A wave of canceled flights: Hundreds of thousands of travelers are stranded in the Middle East as the conflict spreads. More than 11,000 flights in 10 countries in the region have been canceled since February 28, according to data from Flightradar24.
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Shock sticker: The first 100 hours of the US military campaign against Iran are estimated to have cost $3.7 billion, or more than $890 million per day. according to analysis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Less than $200 million of this total estimate corresponds to operational costs already included in the Pentagon budget.
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New drones: That said, U.S. defense officials said today that the United States isn't just using expensive weapons to intercept relatively cheap weapons. Reverse-engineered Iranian drones have been “indispensable” in this new conflict, according to Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of United States Central Command. Cooper also said the Iranian missile attacks had decreased by 90% in the last 24 hours.
What is happening in Iran and Lebanon?
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Death toll: More than 1,100 civilians have been killed in Iran since Saturday, according to a U.S.-based human rights organization. Others have reported a higher figure, such as the state-affiliated Islamic Republic News Agency, which said at least 1,230 people had been killed. And at least 77 people have been killed by Israeli bombing in Lebanon, according to the country's health ministry – including three paramedics.
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Attacks in Lebanon: In addition to the new strikes in Tehran, the nighttime Israeli attack affected several command centers in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, belonging to Hezbollah, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Israel also struck the city of Tripoli Thursday in northern Lebanon for the first time in six days of conflict, the Israeli army said. Later in the day, the Israeli military warned entire neighborhoods in the southern suburbs of Beirut to be evacuated, a significant expansion compared to previous orders which were generally limited to specific buildings.
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Miserable conditions: A lot residents of southern Lebanon embarked on grueling journeys after Israel ordered them to evacuate; some displaced families were forced to sleep on the streets at night. Many Tehran residents have fled to the countryside, while those who remain are sheltering at home, living in fear of constant bombing.
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Next supreme leader: Iran's top clerics are still working to choose a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed Saturday by American-Israeli strikes. Israel warned that any new leader would be “an unequivocal target subject to elimination.” Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he must be involved in the selection, tell Axios that Khamenei's son would be an “unacceptable” choice.
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School bombing: The White House did not rule out that the US military carried out an operation strike in a girls' primary school in Iran during the first joint US-Israeli strikes, which killed at least 168 children, according to Iranian state media. US authorities said they were investigating the incident.
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Iran 'waits' for US invasion: Iran ready to counter any ground invasion by US military, says Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday. “We are confident that we can take them on, and it would be a big disaster for them,” he told NBC News. The foreign minister said his country had learned lessons from previous conflicts and now had a more capable fighting force.
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CNN in Iran: A team led by CNN's Fred Pleitgen entered Iran on Thursdayencountering more checkpoints than usual and armed personnel on the road to Tehran, but no signs of panic. Stores are open and stocked, and gasoline appears to be readily available, with no long lines.
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Iran responds: Along with the new barrage of missiles fired at Israel overnight, Iran continues to fire on neighboring Gulf states, which are armed with American weapons and air defenses. A missile hit a oil refinery in Bahrain Thursday, according to a government press release and a video posted on social media. And yesterday, Iran launched a drone attack on a Amazon Data Center in Bahrain, a state-affiliated news agency reported. Iranian drones also targeted two Amazon facilities in the United Arab Emirates.
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Deaths are climbing in the region: Although the death toll is highest in Iran and Lebanon, more than two dozen people have been killed elsewhere – by Iranian strikes in Israel and the Gulf countries, as well as by US-Israeli airstrikes in Iraq.
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Iran targets separatist groups: Iran's Intelligence Ministry says it targeted “separatist terrorist groups (which) intended to penetrate the country's western borders” with US support. The ministry's statement, reported by the country's state media, reportedly referred to attacks carried out by Iranian forces against Kurdish groups based in Iraq. It comes after sources told CNN that the CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces, with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran.
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The First Lady of Iraq declared: “Leave the Kurds alone”: Iraqi First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed released a forcefully worded open letter on Thursday urged all parties involved in the war with Iran to “leave the Kurds alone,” adding that the Kurds are not “weapons for hire.” The letter comes amid reports that the CIA is encouraging Kurdish fighters in Iraq to challenge Iran. It also follows an Iranian attack on Wednesday against what Iranian media described as “separatist terrorist groups” in Iraqi Kurdistan.
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American soldiers identified: On Wednesday evening, the Pentagon publicly identified the two other soldiers killed in drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday. The other four soldiers killed were previously identified Tuesday.
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Europe gets involved: European nations were confronted difficult choices on whether and how to get involved in military escalation in the Middle East. Countries such as Britain, France and Spain agreed to provide military support to protect the interests of their allies. A drone strike hit a British Royal Air Force base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on Monday.
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Markets: Asian stocks rebounded on Thursday after sharp falls the day before. But U.S. stocks prolonged losses As of Thursday afternoon, concerns over the war with Iran continue to push oil prices higher, and stocks in Europe were also falling. Oil price experienced their largest one-day increase since May 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns.
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Alleged attack on Azerbaijan: Drone attacks injured two people and damaged the terminal from an airport near the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, Azerbaijani authorities said, in the first strikes against the country since the start of the conflict. The Iranian armed forces have denied launching the drones.
