War in West Asia widens with no end in sight as multiple fronts open

Kuwait shoots down three US planes in 'friendly fire'

The US-Israeli air war against Iran expanded on Monday with no end in sight, with Israel attacking Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah, and Tehran firing missiles and drones at Gulf states and a British air base as far away as Cyprus.

 

Kuwait mistakenly shot down three American F-15E fighter jets during an Iranian attack. All six crew members ejected and were safely recovered. Video, filmed at a location verified by Reuters, showed one of the planes spiralling out of the sky, an engine lit up in flames.

 

After a weekend of bombing that killed Iran's supreme leader, dragged its neighbours into war and shut shipping traffic in the Gulf, markets opened on Monday with energy prices rising sharply, putting the global economic recovery at risk.

 

 

In the first formal Pentagon briefing since the campaign began, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to set out a time frame to end the campaign, saying it was up to President Donald Trump. The military's aim was to destroy Iran's ability to project force beyond its borders, which it had been using to provide cover to develop a nuclear weapon, Hegseth said.

 

Trump, on Monday, told the New York Post that he isn’t ruling out boots on the ground in Iran. “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground. I don’t say it.”

 

The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, described a campaign of overwhelming force that included hitting more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours, and said more forces were still on their way to the region. “This is not a single overnight operation. The military objectives that CENTCOM and the Joint Force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve, and in some cases will be difficult and gritty work,” Caine said.

 

Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and says it was offering to curb its nuclear programme at talks when the United States launched an unprovoked assault. Within Iran, where residents have jammed highways to flee cities as bombs fell, there was uncertainty about the future and emotion ranging from euphoria to apprehension and rage.

 

Many Iranians openly celebrated the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, who had ruled the country for 37 years and directed security forces that killed thousands of anti-government protesters at the start of this year. But the conservative clerical leaders have shown no sign of yielding power. 

 

A new front in the war opened on Monday when Hezbollah, one of Tehran's principal allies in West Asia, launched missiles and drones towards Israel. Israel responded with sweeping airstrikes, which it said targeted the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut and struck senior militants. Lebanese state news agency NNA said an initial tally showed 31 people had been killed and 149 injured. Israel declared Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem a “target for elimination”. Officials said they were not for now considering a ground invasion of Lebanon, whose government on Monday banned military activities by Hezbollah.

 

As Washington's allies in the Gulf came under renewed attack from Iranian missiles and drones, black smoke rose above the area around the US embassy in Kuwait. There were loud blasts in Dubai and Samha in the UAE, and in Doha, capital of Qatar. Qatar, one of the world's biggest exporters of liquefied natural gas, halted production. 

 

In the first strike to reach US allies in Europe, a drone hit Britain’s Akrotiri air base in Cyprus overnight. European allies, which distanced themselves from Trump’s initial decision to go to war, have since said they would help suppress Iran’s ability to retaliate.

 

Old foes, new tensions 

 

• Casualties in Iran cross 550 since the war started; 33 killed in Lebanon
• Iranian drone hits British air base in Cyprus, dragging an EU member into conflict
• Number of US service members killed in the conflict rises to four
• Iran’s top security official denies reports that Tehran sought to negotiate with Washington 
• Pentagon says that more US forces are on their way to the region
• US says forces are attacking Iran’s nuclear, ballistic missile programmes and navy
• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declines to set out a time frame to end the campaign
• Iranian attacks kill three people in UAE and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain
• Long-haul carriers Etihad, Emirates start limited flights after halting them for war
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman discuss risks of escalation of conflict
• Ukraine offers to send experts in fighting drones to West Asia in return for month-long truce in war with Russia   
• Attacks affect oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar halts LPG production
• Iran says nuclear site hit, but the United Nations atomic agency refutes claim