555 dead, 9 warships sunk as US–Israel strikes deepen; Iran vows no negotiation

Dubai, March 2: Iran and Iranian-aligned militias fired missiles at Israel and several Arab states on Monday, while Israel and the United States struck targets inside Iran, significantly expanding the ongoing conflict with rising casualties and defiant speeches from all sides.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that the US-Israeli airstrike campaign has killed at least 555 people so far in the Islamic Republic. The society also added that 131 cities have come under attack so far in the war.

Israel and the US said they bombed Iranian missile facilities and naval assets. The US military stated that B-2 stealth bombers struck ballistic missile sites using 2,000-pound bombs.

US President Donald Trump said combat operations were continuing at full force. “Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives,” he said in a video message without elaborating.

Trump claimed on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy’s headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”

Gulf Arab states warned they could retaliate against Iran after strikes that hit key sites and killed at least five civilians. Trump vowed that Washington would “avenge” the deaths of three American troops killed in Kuwait.

“Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is,” Trump said.

Britain, France and Germany said they stood ready to work with the United States to curb Iran’s attacks, while a group of Gulf Arab nations said they reserved the right to respond to Iranian strikes.

Trump also urged Iranians to pursue change in their government following the death of the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and suggested he would be open to dialogue with new leadership.

As American and Israeli airstrikes continued, senior Iranian official Ali Larijani said on social media that Iran would not negotiate with the United States.

In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting US troops at Baghdad airport, a day after it said it fired upon a US base in Erbil. Cyprus also reported that a drone had targeted a British base on the Mediterranean island.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah said it fired missiles into Israel early Monday, citing ongoing Israeli strikes and regional tensions.

It was the first such claimed attack by the group in more than a year. Israel said it intercepted one projectile and that others fell in open areas, with no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel later carried out strikes in Lebanon, killing at least 31 people and injuring 149 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Nearly two-thirds of the fatalities were reported in southern Lebanon.

Following initial strikes on Beirut, Israel urged civilians in nearly 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of possible further attacks.

The latest escalation marks the second major joint US–Israeli offensive against Iran in eight months, following an earlier 12-day conflict that significantly damaged Iran’s air defences and military infrastructure last year.

The death of Khamenei, one of Iran’s most powerful and longest-serving leaders, has created a leadership vacuum in Tehran, raising concerns about further regional instability.

AP