Israel launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday, as attacks in Baghdad deepened Iraq’s involvement in the widening Middle East conflict.
The war, which began on February 28 following joint strikes by United States and Israel on Iranian targets, has entered its third week and left hundreds dead across the region.
Israeli officials said the latest strikes on Tehran targeted “terror regime infrastructure,” as the Iranian capital continues to experience near-daily bombardment.
In Lebanon, state media reported that Israeli airstrikes early Tuesday hit a residential building in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
Authorities in Lebanon said the conflict has forced more than one million people to register as displaced since March 2, with over 130,000 residents currently sheltering in more than 600 collective centres.
Lebanon was drawn deeper into the conflict after Hezbollah militants attacked Israel following the killing of Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war.
Iraq Drawn Into Escalating Conflict
The regional war has also increasingly pulled Iraq into the fighting, after years of serving as a proxy battleground between Washington and Tehran.
A drone and rocket attack targeted the United States Embassy Baghdad early Tuesday, while another strike killed four people at a residence reportedly hosting Iranian advisers.
The attacks came hours after Iraqi air defences intercepted a rocket aimed at the embassy, while a drone strike sparked a fire at a luxury hotel frequently used by foreign diplomats in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.
Oil Markets Shaken As War Expands
The widening conflict has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, with oil prices rising sharply amid disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil supply passes.
Oil infrastructure has also come under repeated attack, including strikes on major fields in the United Arab Emirates and southern Iraq.
Global oil prices have surged by more than 40 percent since the conflict began.
The economic impact has already been felt globally, with Reserve Bank of Australia raising its key interest rate on Tuesday, citing sharply rising fuel costs linked to the war.
Dispute Over Protecting Oil Tankers
US President Donald Trump has urged allied nations to join an international naval force to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly,” Trump said at an event at the White House.
However, several countries have been reluctant to join the proposed security mission.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom was working with partners on a “viable” solution but ruled out a North Atlantic Treaty Organization mission.
Countries including Japan, Australia, Poland, Spain, Greece, and Sweden have also distanced themselves from direct military involvement.
Iran Vows To Continue War
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was prepared to continue fighting.
“By now they have understood what kind of nation they are dealing with,” he said during a press briefing in Tehran.
According to Iranian officials, the country has launched around 700 missiles and 3,600 drones since the conflict began, targeting nations hosting US forces in the region.
Iran’s health ministry earlier reported that more than 1,200 people have been killed in US and Israeli strikes as of March 8, though the figures could not be independently verified.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says up to 3.2 million people have been displaced across Iran since the start of the conflict.
Despite the violence and internet blackouts, daily life has partially resumed in parts of Tehran, with businesses reopening and shoppers returning to the Tajrish Bazaar ahead of the Persian New Year.
