As conflict escalated in West Asia, Israel launched attacks on both Tehran and Beirut. Elsewhere, on Tuesday, the US Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by a drone.
The Israeli Defense Forces said in a post on Twitter that it was currently carrying out simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut.
According to Al Jazeera, the IDF attacks took place in the Haret Hreik area of Beirut.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem Post quoted Reuters as saying that there has been a drone attack on the US Embassy in Riyadh. It also said that two more American soldiers have been killed in Operation Epic Fury, taking the death toll to six.
According to Al Jazeera, the US has suspended all consular services in Saudi Arabia following the attack on the embassy and the US Embassy in Iraq has ordered non-emergency government employees to leave the country, as well as banning the use of Baghdad airport.
Amid rising tensions in neighboring Gulf countries in the wake of the US-launched Operation Epic Fury and retaliatory attacks by Iran, Bahrain’s US Ambassador to Bahrain Abdullah bin Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said on Monday that Bahrain’s air defense system intercepted 70 Iranian ballistic missiles and 59 drones targeting the country.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday that US forces conducted sustained operations targeting key Iranian military infrastructure, including targets associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Separately, Al Jazeera reported that Iran claimed to have launched a “massive missile and drone” attack on a US air base in Bahrain. Iran’s IRGC said it destroyed the main command building of a US air base in Bahrain during a drone and missile attack early Tuesday. It said the Sheikh Isa base was attacked by 20 drones and 3 missiles, causing fuel tanks to catch fire.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, said that as long as US-Israeli aggression continues, Iran will continue to defend itself decisively.
With the Gulf countries also joining it, the scope of the conflict is continuously increasing.
In response to the joint US and Israeli attacks, Iran retaliated by attacking US assets and allies across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, with ballistic missiles and drones, further escalating the conflict and increasing risks to both civilians and migrants.
In view of the increasing threat of regional conflict, world leaders and international organizations are currently appealing for reducing tension, although the fighting continues and there is no clear end in sight.