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| On maps, six days of strikes throughout the Middle East (Image: Reuters) |
As the sixth day of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran approaches, the Israeli military claims that it has launched additional attacks against Iran, including a strike on a ballistic missile launcher in the city of Qom. On Thursday morning, explosions were also reported throughout Tehran, the capital. The Iran-backed Hezbollah group's stronghold in the south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, was also the target of strikes on Thursday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Iran claimed on Thursday that it had struck a tanker off the coast of Kuwait, but no independent verification of this has been provided. A missile attack was intercepted across the Gulf on Thursday, Qatar claimed, and explosions were reported in Bahrain, a neighbor. Since February 28, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) based in the United States, 1,114 civilians have been reported killed in Iran. The US Central Command reports that six American soldiers have been killed since the conflict began.
Read More: Destruction in Beirut after overnight strikes
Where has been hit by strikes?
On Saturday, the Israeli military announced extensive joint strikes with the US that destroyed air defenses in Tehran, the capital, and western and central Iran. During the initial round of strikes, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader, was killed in Tehran. Since the weekend's military action began, the country has seen ongoing strikes. At this time, BBC Verify has identified visual evidence of strikes in 12 other Iranian towns and cities, including 13 in Tehran. Iranian state media reported that a girls' school in Minab, in the south of Iran, was hit by three missiles on Saturday, killing at least 153 people, including children. This cannot be independently verified by the BBC.
Kermanshah and Tabriz, as well as Iranian naval facilities in Konarak and Bandar Abbas, in the south of the country, have also been targeted. The nuclear facility at Natanz and at least three Iranian missile sites have been damaged, according to satellite imagery analysis. According to a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli strikes on Wednesday targeted dozens of locations throughout Tehran, including the headquarters of the Basij paramilitary, missile launch pads, and other defense systems.
Israel has expanded its operations into Lebanon, where it is focusing on the militant group Hezbollah, which has been supported by Iran for a long time. Strongholds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, areas close to the city's airport, and locations in southern Lebanon have been the focus of operations. On Wednesday, the attacks in Beirut included a hotel among the city's buildings that were damaged. The night before Israeli officials said troops had entered Lebanon and were seizing "strategic areas" in order to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities.
After Hezbollah launched missiles on Haifa earlier in the week, Israel announced that it would launch strikes in both Iran and Lebanon. Sunday's missile strike on the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh left at least nine dead and 27 injured.
Iran has been blamed for air attacks on Gulf states and has responded by attacking Israel and US bases in the Middle East. Officials in Saudi Arabia reported late on Tuesday that two drones had struck the US Embassy in Riyadh, causing some minor damage and starting a small fire. The Ministry of Defense claimed that it had destroyed two Iranian aircraft, seven missiles, and five drones during Iranian strikes on a significant Qatari gas plant. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi, saw attacks on Sunday that resulted in the deaths of three individuals and the injuries of a number of others. In an incident at Dubai International Airport on Saturday, four people were injured and a luxury hotel in Dubai, The Palm Hotel, was struck by a strike. The US Central Command said on Monday that three US fighter jets were shot down by the Kuwaiti military in "an apparent friendly fire incident." According to officials, all six crew members survived and were safely ejected. A number of ballistic missiles had also been fired at the Ali Al-Salem airbase, but the military said they had been stopped.
On Sunday, the health ministry in Kuwait reported one death. Three drones were reportedly shot down over Irbil airport, home to US-led coalition troops, on Monday in Iraqi neighbor. Bahrain's National Communication reports that Iranian attacks in Bahrain left four people injured. One official told the BBC that a drone strike on the US naval base on Sunday caused a significant fire, but there were no reports of casualties. The US Navy's Fifth Fleet in the country had been "subjected to a missile attack" on Saturday.
Two drones struck the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, causing a "limited fire," according to the Saudi defense ministry. After two drones were intercepted a day earlier, officials reported a fire at the Ras Tanura refinery, which is owned and operated by Aramco, the nation's state-owned oil company. Jordan, which borders Israel, claimed that Israel-targeted ballistic missiles had been destroyed by its military. On Sunday, the state news agency of Oman reported that two drones had struck the commercial port of Duqm, injuring one worker.
What happened in the Indian Ocean and in Cyprus?
The US submarine sank "an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters," according to US Defense Secretary Hegseth on Wednesday. A torpedo struck the Iris Dena, carrying approximately 180 people, in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka. Authorities in Sri Lanka reported that around 80 bodies had been discovered and that 32 had been rescued. The Iranian drone that crashed into RAF Akrotiri at midnight on Sunday prompted the UK Ministry of Defence to announce that family members would be relocated. A spokesperson for the Cypriot government said on Monday that two more drones that were heading toward RAF Akrotiri had been stopped.
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