West Asia is bracing for further escalation after Israeli forces carried out another wave of airstrikes on Tehran and other parts of Iran, targeting weapons storage sites, production facilities, command centres, air defence systems and observation posts. The Israeli military said its forces are fully prepared for a multi-front war, signalling the possibility of a broader regional confrontation. Separately, an Israeli soldier was killed during ongoing operations in southern Lebanon, while three others were wounded in the same clash.
The United States has deployed additional Marines aboard the USS Tripoli to the region as reinforcements. The Pentagon said it is preparing for the possibility of weeks of ground operations if necessary, while maintaining that its objectives could still be achieved without a full-scale invasion. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a stark warning, saying Iranian forces are “waiting for any American ground troops to arrive so they can set them on fire and punish their regional partners.” He accused Washington of “talking diplomacy while secretly planning an attack,” and added that Iran’s missiles “remain ready.”
In Lebanon, mourners gathered in Beirut for the funeral of three journalists killed in an earlier Israeli strike. Hezbollah condemned the incident as a deliberate targeting of media workers. The Israeli military, however, warned Hezbollah against using ambulances and medical facilities for military purposes, saying it would respond accordingly if the practice continues.
Iraq’s assistant minister confirmed that a drone attack targeting a US base in Syria was repelled in the last few hours, with no damage reported. Syrian developments also reflected the same attempted drone strike on the US base, which officials said was successfully turned away. UAE air defences on Sunday engaged 16 ballistic missiles and 42 drones launched from Iran. Since the conflict began, the UAE has intercepted 414 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,914 drones. Saudi forces destroyed ten drones, Bahrain imposed a nighttime maritime ban, and Oman condemned attacks on its territory. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Al Araby TV suspended live broadcasts after its Tehran office was damaged in an Israeli strike, underscoring the widening impact of the conflict across the region.
