Iran launches fresh missile attacks on Israel, US bases as West Asia war intensifies

Iran launched a fresh wave of missile attacks early Thursday targeting Israeli territory and American military bases across the region, escalating the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel. The strikes came after Tehran warned it would target military and economic infrastructure in retaliation for sustained bombardment by US and Israeli forces.

Air raid sirens sounded across Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as Israel reported multiple incoming missiles. Iranian state television also claimed that additional strikes were aimed at US military bases in the region.

In response, the Israeli military said it carried out targeted strikes in Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, focusing on positions in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The conflict began on Saturday when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes targeting Iran’s leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear facilities. While the initial operations focused on crippling Iran’s military capabilities, officials have also suggested that toppling the Iranian government could be among the broader objectives, raising fears of a prolonged and open-ended war.

Also watch: IDF video shows explosions at IRGC-linked sites in Southern Tehran 

The intensity of American and Israeli attacks on Wednesday forced Iranian state television to postpone a planned mourning ceremony for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the conflict. Millions had attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.

US President Donald Trump praised the American military’s actions, saying it was “doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly". In Washington, Republican senators backed the administration’s stance, voting down a resolution that sought to halt US military involvement in the conflict.

As hostilities spread, Iran also launched strikes toward Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel. Türkiye said its NATO air defence systems intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Iran before it entered Turkish airspace.

The war has already claimed a heavy toll. Officials say more than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran, over 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel.

Beyond the battlefield, the conflict is rippling across the global economy. Supplies of oil and gas have been disrupted, international shipping routes have been snarled, and hundreds of thousands of travellers remain stranded across the Middle East as the war continues to escalate.