Escalating violence in the Middle East continues to spread across multiple fronts after a major US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. In response to Iran’s retaliation, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 31 people in Lebanon, mainly in Hezbollah-controlled areas including the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The strikes followed attacks by Hezbollah that crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel, widening hostilities.
Across the Gulf and wider region, Iran launched missile and drone strikes on several countries hosting US and allied forces, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. These attacks—part of Tehran’s broader retaliation—have caused casualties and damage in cities and at military installations.
Amid the chaos, several US warplanes reportedly crashed in Kuwait. Kuwaiti authorities said multiple American jets went down, with pilots hospitalized. Details on the causes of the crashes remain limited, but they further demonstrate how the conflict is drawing in external militaries beyond Iran and Israel.
The violence has spread into a wider regional confrontation that diplomats say could take months to cool, marking one of the sharpest escalations in Middle Eastern conflict in years.
