Israel traded further attacks with Iran on Tuesday, continuing its assault on Lebanon and escalating a conflict that has already killed hundreds and threatens to trigger a global energy crisis.
The Iranian government has retaliated with operations targeting U.S. military bases and embassies in a number of Middle Eastern countries, as well as tourist infrastructure such as refineries, airports and hotels. Washington warned Americans to leave the area.
As the US and Israel’s war against Iran intensifies, here’s what you need to know.
Israeli attacks continue: Israel launched simultaneous attacks on Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday morning, targeting both Iranian military facilities and Hezbollah. Israeli forces also captured more locations in southern Lebanon and carried out attacks on suspected Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon. Israeli forces have also closed all crossings into and out of the occupied West Bank, leaving Palestinians unable to access emergency aid as settler attacks intensify.
Iran’s death toll rises: More than 787 people have died in Iran since the war began, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Iranian Red Crescent. One Tehran resident said he endured “heavy shelling” on Monday night. “It feels like an onslaught,” said a 36-year-old man, who CNN is not naming.
US closes two embassies after Iranian attack: The US closed its embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday after it was attacked by two drones believed to be Iranian. Another store in Kuwait announced it would close until further notice. The U.S. State Department has ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, citing security concerns. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday that a parking lot adjacent to the U.S. consulate in Dubai was attacked by a drone, resulting in the loss of all staff members. Local authorities said the fire was quickly extinguished.
Iran’s response: In Israel, seven people were slightly injured by fragments from the intercepted missile. Debris from another intercepted Iranian drone reportedly caused a fire in the UAE’s Fujairah oil industry region, and also caused airspace violations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Qatar announced that an Iranian ballistic missile struck Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military facility in the Middle East, but there were no casualties. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) also targeted Kurdish groups in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, although the scale of the attack was disputed.
Americans encouraged to leave Middle East: The U.S. State Department has urged Americans to take advantage of available business travel and depart from countries across the Middle East, even though much of the region’s airspace is closed and most flights are cancelled. In Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. embassy ordered U.S. citizens to shelter in place, citing an “imminent” threat of missile and drone attacks, and the U.S. embassy in Oman also directed its staff to shelter in place, lifting the order later that day.
‘Big wave’ of US attacks on Iran coming: US President Donald Trump warned on Monday that the US was ‘not yet launching a severe attack’, but a senior US official told CNN on Monday night that the US was preparing for a ‘significant increase’ in attacks in the next 24 hours. The commander of US forces in the Middle East announced that the US military had destroyed 17 Iranian warships in an operation against Iran involving tens of thousands of US military personnel.
Why did America and Israel attack?
The White House offers conflicting rationales for war: Three days after the U.S. and Israel first launched strikes against Iran, the Trump administration is still offering a variety of explanations, sometimes exaggerated or contradicting U.S. intelligence, as senior officials scramble to justify the alleged first strike.
What was the threat posed by Iran? In other words, the Trump administration has not yet clearly defined it. After the first wave of airstrikes, Trump cited an “imminent threat” to the United States, but contradicted his assertion at a Pentagon briefing on Capitol Hill that Iran was not planning an attack unless it struck first.
What about the nuclear threat? Sources told CNN that before the attack on Iran, President Trump and his administration officials were exaggerating how close Iran was to developing a nuclear weapon. President Trump has repeatedly said that Iran’s nuclear program was “disappeared” following last summer’s U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but in recent weeks administration officials have suggested, without providing evidence, that Iran poses an imminent nuclear threat. Iran has always maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog told CNN that Iran is unlikely to have a nuclear weapon within days or weeks.
What about a change of government? That’s not a clear goal either. One of President Trump’s end results is for Iran’s “national freedom” and for Iranians to “take back their homeland.” At the same time, he said a “perfect scenario” would be a similar outcome to Venezuela, where U.S. forces overran President Nicolas Maduro but left much of his government behind. On Tuesday, President Trump told reporters it would “probably be better” to make gradual changes “from within” his administration. And Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth insisted on Monday that “this is not a so-called regime change war.”
Iranian leadership faces biggest crisis in history
Death of Ali Khamenei: Iran’s supreme leader was killed along with several other senior military officials on Saturday, dealing a blow to the Islamic regime but still allowing it to launch attacks across the region.
A three-member leadership council currently holds power until a new supreme leader is appointed. Among them is the country’s moderate president, Massoud Pezeshkian. hardline attorney general Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei; and senior cleric Alireza Alafi.
When will a new supreme leader be appointed? It is not yet clear, but Iranian officials have suggested the process could be very quick. The country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragushi said a new supreme leader could be chosen within days.
Israel bombs facility of group to select Iran’s new supreme leader: Tuesday afternoon’s attack was aimed at hitting the compound of the Assembly of Experts in the holy city of Qom during voting to select Iran’s next leader, Israeli officials told CNN. Iranian state media said the building had been evacuated before the attack. Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ekiel Leiter, told CNN that while many details could not be disclosed yet, “it is very likely that the electors will not be able to attend future meetings immediately.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also announced that it had killed Daud Ali Zadeh, the “interim commander” of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps and Iran’s “highest-ranking” commander in charge of Lebanon. The military said Zadeh’s predecessor, Hassan Mahdavi, had previously been killed in an IDF attack. CNN has not been able to independently verify this claim, and Iran has not commented on it.
Oil prices continue to rise on Tuesday: U.S. gas prices rose an average of 11 cents to $3.11 a gallon, the biggest single-day increase since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, according to the latest statistics from AAA. Brent futures, the global oil benchmark, rose another 6% to $82 a barrel, according to FactSet data. Europe’s benchmark natural gas futures rose another 34% to around 59 euros ($68) per megawatt hour as Qatar’s biggest gas producer halted production after Iran targeted one of the country’s energy facilities.
Iran effectively closes Strait of Hormuz: An adviser to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander warned on Monday that ships passing through the strategic waterway would be targeted.
About one-fifth of global trade in LNG and daily oil production passes through the narrow waters off Iran’s southern coast, leaving few other options for transporting these cargoes to global markets.
European and Asian stocks fell on Tuesday, reflecting growing market anxiety.
Thousands of tourists have been stranded due to aviation disruption in the Middle East, with much of the region’s airspace closed and airlines forced to cancel flights. The Trump administration said Tuesday it is working to secure military aircraft and charter flights to assist the large number of American citizens trapped in the Middle East.
Some airlines resumed limited operations on Monday night. Emirates and Fly Dubai have resumed some flights, but all Etihad Airways commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi will remain suspended until at least Tuesday afternoon, and Qatar Airways flights will remain suspended until at least Wednesday morning.
Other Western countries have also advised their citizens to avoid the area. Canada urged tourists to leave the UAE as soon as they can board a plane and advised them to avoid travel to much of the Gulf region. The UK has told British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE to register to receive updates directly from the Foreign Office.
President Trump has said he expects the war to last four to five weeks, but observers say that schedule could change if he faces increased political pressure at home or if he deems his goals have been achieved.
Iran’s stockpile of missiles and drones is depleting, but it is unclear how much.
Arab countries’ air defenses have also declined as they have been repeatedly deployed to intercept Iranian attacks, although it is still unclear how strong their air defenses were before Saturday.
President Trump said the United States has a virtually unlimited supply of certain munitions. He also told Politico that defense manufacturers are working under emergency authorities to speed up weapons production.
