Tehran/Beirut/New Delhi, Mar 2 (.) West Asia witnessed a sharp escalation in hostilities on Monday as rockets struck Tehran following fresh Israeli strikes, Hezbollah and Israel traded heavy fire in Lebanon.
Iranian drones also targeted US-linked facilities in the Gulf on the same day, while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called for maximum restraint after Iran alleged that its Natanz nuclear complex was attacked during joint US-Israeli operations.
On the other hand, it was revealed that three American F-15E fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait on March 1 by friendly fire, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday.
The heavily populated central and eastern districts of Tehran came under rocket attack, Iran’s Fars news agency reported. Sepah Square, areas near Ferdowsi Square and eastern neighbourhoods were hit by rocket fire.
The Israeli military earlier said it had launched a new series of attacks on targets in Tehran. The fresh strikes come amid the widening conflict that erupted last Saturday when the United States and Israel carried out coordinated operations, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by Washington and Operation Roaring Lion by Tel Aviv, targeting multiple sites in Iran, including in the capital.
Iranian media also reported that Majid ibn-ol-Reza has been appointed acting Defence Minister, replacing Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a missile strike attributed to US forces on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that its missile strikes targeted the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the residence of Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar.
In a statement published by its official outlet, Sepah News, the IRGC said the “targeted and surprise” attacks were carried out using domestically developed Kheibar ballistic missiles.
The Kheibar missile, unveiled and test-launched in May 2023, has a reported range of 2,000 kilometres and a warhead capacity of 1,500 kilograms.
The IRGC claimed that Netanyahu’s fate remains unknown, adding that further details would be released later.
On Saturday morning, joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with several of his family members, senior military commanders and civilians.
Iran subsequently launched multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases across the Middle East.
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