Kuwait unintentionally downs US jets as the Iran war spreads to Lebanon
The air conflict between the US and Israel against Iran escalated on Monday, with no resolution anticipated, as Israel launched assaults on Lebanon in retaliation for Hezbollah’s strikes, while Iran continued its offensives against Gulf states housing US military installations.
US President Donald Trump stated that the operation may persist for several weeks and that the leadership situation in Iran remains ambiguous following the targeted assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the initial hours of the US-Israel campaign over the weekend.
The assault on Iran has plunged the Gulf into conflict, resulting in numerous civilian casualties in Iran, Israel, and Lebanon, disrupted global air travel, and halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for one-fifth of the world’s oil commerce along the Iranian coastline, causing a spike in oil prices.
Kuwait inadvertently downed three American F-15E fighter jets during an Iranian assault, according to US Central Command. All six crew members ejected and were successfully rescued.
The US military reported that it had targeted over 1,250 sites in Iran and obliterated 11 Iranian vessels. Six US service members have been killed to date, all due to Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Kuwait over the weekend.
On Monday night, Israel cautioned of impending assaults on Lebanese cities and announced its attack on the facility housing Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran. Explosions reverberated through buildings in Tel Aviv as air defenses thwarted approaching Iranian missiles.
On Tuesday morning, two drones targeted the US embassy in Riyadh, resulting in minor damage and igniting a fire, according to Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry.
For Trump, aligning with Israel to confront Iran represents the most significant U.S. foreign policy wager in decades and poses a substantial electoral risk for his Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections. According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, hardly one in four Americans endorses the Iran campaign.
Average retail gasoline prices in the US exceeded $3 per gallon, partly due to the conflict, as Trump encounters increasing dissatisfaction about fundamental economic concerns.
CONFLICT EXPANDS TO LEBANON
Trump asserted that the United States had an impending threat from Iran that warranted military action, however he provided no specifics, and some US lawmakers indicated that he has presented no evidence to support that evaluation.
Prior to addressing legislators, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reporters on Monday that the United States moved proactively due to its awareness of its close friend Israel’s resolve and intentions to target Iran.Rubio stated that they anticipated an assault on American soldiers and recognized that failing to preemptively engage the attackers before their offensive would result in greater losses.
In his most comprehensive public remarks to date regarding the battle, Trump stated on Monday that he had authorized the attack to impede Tehran’s nuclear and quickly expanding ballistic missile programs.
Trump indicated no imminent conclusion to the operation, as military authorities reported the deployment of additional US Marines to the region.Initially, we estimated a duration of four to five weeks; but, we possess the capacity to extend beyond that,” Trump stated at the White House.
A new front in the conflict commenced on Monday when the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, a key ally of Tehran in the Middle East, deployed missiles and drones targeting Israel.
Israel executed extensive airstrikes on the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs of Beirut. The Lebanese state news agency NNA said that a minimum of 31 individuals have been deceased and 149 have sustained injuries.
WARNING FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT
On Monday, the US State Department advised Americans to promptly evacuate over a dozen nations in the region, encompassing all Gulf and Levant states, despite airspace restrictions complicating and increasing the cost of such departures.
Turkey aligned with Russia and China in denouncing the conflict, which President Tayyip Erdogan characterized as a “clear violation” of international law.
Iran refutes allegations of pursuing a nuclear weapon, asserting that the US attack was unwarranted, occurring when Tehran was engaged in negotiations for a nuclear agreement with Trump’s representatives. Trump rescinded a previous international accord limiting Iran’s nuclear development during his initial term in 2018.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s foremost security officer, stated on social media that Iran would not engage in negotiations with Trump, whom he described as possessing “delusional ambitions.”
In Iran, where citizens have congested roadways to escape the bombardment, there exists a blend of uncertainty regarding the future, along with joy, dread, and anger.
A multitude has openly rejoiced at the demise of Khamenei, 86, who governed since 1989 and commanded security forces responsible for the deaths of thousands of anti-government demonstrators earlier this year.
However, the orthodox clergy leaders have exhibited no indication of relinquishing control, and military analysts assert that bombings without ground forces may prove insufficient to dislodge them, a scenario Trump indicated he has not dismissed.
Simultaneously, numerous Iranians have been reported deceased due to strikes, including several that targeted apparent civilian locations.They are murdering children and assaulting hospitals. Is this the type of democracy that Trump seeks to establish? Morteza Sedighi, a 52-year-old educator, communicated via telephone from Tabriz in northwestern Iran. “Initially, innocent individuals were killed by the regime, and now by Israel and the United States.”
As Washington’s allies in the Gulf faced repeated assaults from Iranian missiles and drones, black smoke ascended above the vicinity of the US embassy in Kuwait. Loud explosions occurred in Dubai and Samha in the United Arab Emirates, as well as in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Qatar, a leading supplier of liquefied natural gas, suspended production due to the inability to transport securely across the critical chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia closed its largest refinery following drone strikes that ignited a fire, among other energy facilities that were targeted.