Iran-Trump newest: Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah commerce contemporary strikes as UK base in Cyprus hit by suspected drone
Israel launched missile and drone attacks on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut in Lebanon on Monday and ordered evacuations as the conflict spilled further across the Middle East.
Israeli forces launched heavy strikes after the Iran-backed group launched missiles and drones towards Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed that it is responding to a suspected Iranian drone strike at a British military base in Cyprus.
“Our Armed Forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time,” a spokesperson told The Independent. “Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people.”
It comes as the US confirmed its first casualties in the conflict. Three American troops have been killed and five are seriously injured, the US military said.
Donald Trump suggested the conflict with Iran could go on for the next four weeks after the US president earlier said that operations are “ahead of schedule”.
In Iran, at least 201 people have been killed by US-Israeli strikes, including 165 at a girls’ primary school, Iranian authorities said.
IDF launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
Israeli military announce offensive against Hezbollah
The IDF’s chief of the general staff said Israel is not only operating defensively but offensively against Hezbollah.
The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, said, “We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah. We are not only operating defensively — we are now going on the offensive as well.
“We must prepare for many prolonged days of combat ahead. This requires strong defensive readiness and sustained offensive readiness, operating in continuous waves while constantly utilizing opportunities״.
Summary of IDF’s nightly operations
• Overnight, the IDF conducted multi-front operations, targeting Iranian terrorist regime sites in central Tehran and carrying out a series of strikes against dozens of Hezbollah terrorist targets across Lebanon.
• At 1.04am, Hezbollah launched several rockets and UAVs from Lebanese territory toward the State of Israel.
• In response, the IDF carried out a series of strikes against dozens of Hezbollah terrorist targets in the Beirut and southern Lebanon area, including senior terrorist operatives, command posts, infrastructure, and a vehicle carrying two Radwan operatives near the area of Kafr D’gal.
• Shortly thereafter, the IDF spokesperson for Arabic media issued an evacuation notice for 53 villages in southern Lebanon, which are currently undergoing evacuation.
• The IDF had previously prepared for the possibility of Hezbollah joining the hostilities. In the Northern Command, combat forces were significantly reinforced along the border with both defensive and offensive capabilities. This preparation enabled a rapid and robust counterattack while maintaining full operational protection across all scenarios.
• Even prior to the launch of Operation Roaring Lion, over the past month the IDF conducted a series of significant strikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah to continue degrading its reconstruction efforts. The IDF maintains strong capabilities for both threat neutralization and strikes within the area.
Prior to the launch of Operation Roaring Lion, significant force reinforcement was carried out across the operational sectors as part of broad multi-front preparedness:
• In the Central Command, forces were reinforced and efforts concentrated on counterterrorism activity. Dozens of operations were conducted under Operation Roaring Lion.
• In the Southern Command, forces continue to operate and defend the Yellow Line area in the Gaza Strip. Simultaneously, additional forces were deployed along the western and eastern borders to protect residents in the south, the Arava, Eilat, and western Negev.
• The IDF pre-positioned large numbers of troops along the borders, deployed forward to provide full protection across all operational scenarios.
Qatar Airways says passengers must wait a further 24 hours for news on flights
48 hours after the skies over the Gulf shut down, Qatar Airways has given little cause for optimism for the tens of thousands of passengers waiting to travel on its flights.
The second-busiest airline in the region – after Emirates – had promised an update at 6am GMT.
But the announcement on Xsimply reiterated that no aircraft are flying to and from the hub in Doha, and said a further bulletin would be issued at the same time on Tuesday.
It read: “Qatar Airways flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace. A further update will be provided on 3 March by 9am Doha time (6am GMT).”
Breaking: Smoke seen rising from vicinity of US embassy in Kuwait
Smoke was seen rising from near the US embassy compound in Kuwait City on Monday, according to an AFP correspondent at the scene.
The cause of the smoke was not immediately clear, and there was no immediate comment from US officials.
We will bring you more on this.
US deploys world’s largest aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea
The United States has deployed the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier to support ongoing military operations in the Middle East, according to US Central Command.
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — is now operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and launching aircraft as part of Operation Epic Fury, CENTCOM said.
The deployment marks a significant show of force as US-backed operations continue amid escalating regional tensions.
Australia says it will not take part in US military operations in Iran
Australia said today that it would not take part in any military operations in Iran, ruling out deploying troops to the Middle East if the conflict escalates, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and Iran responded with further missile attacks.
Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said Canberra would not become involved in the fighting.
“Australia is not central to the issues in the Middle East. We didn’t participate in these strikes and we wouldn’t anticipate participating in the future,” she told Channel Nine.
Wong said the government was in discussions with airlines to assist Australians stranded in the region, but acknowledged that evacuation efforts would be challenging while airspace across much of the Middle East remains closed.
“We understand how distressing and challenging this time is, and we will do all that we can to provide you with information and to support you. The situation is very challenging,” Ms Wong earlier told reporters in Canberra.
It comes after the UK said it has agreed to a US request to allow use of British military bases for “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Iran fires new wave of missiles as explosions heard in Jerusalem and Doha
Iran has fired a new barrage of missiles toward Israel on Monday, Israel’s military said.
“Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat,” said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
It added that preliminary alerts have been sent to mobile phones in affected areas.
Explosions have been reported in Jerusalem and Doha, according to reports.
AFP and Reuters journalists reported loud blasts in Doha, the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar.
Israel’s major issues urgent warning to Lebanon residents
The Israeli military has issued an urgent evacuation warning to residents in parts of Lebanon, saying Hezbollah’s activity is forcing it to act.
In a statement, Lt Cl Ella Waweya said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not intend to harm civilians but urged those in the areas identified by the military to leave immediately.
“For your safety, you must evacuate at once and move at least 1,000 metres away from the villages towards open areas,” the statement said.
It added that anyone located near Hezbollah operatives, infrastructure or weapons was putting their life at risk.
Source: independent.co.uk
