Israel launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut early Monday, ordering mass evacuations as the war between Israel, Iran and its proxies spilled deeper across the region.
The heavy Israeli airstrikes came hours after the Iran-backed Hezbollah group fired missiles and drones toward Israel in what it described as retaliation for the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Explosions shook the densely populated Dahieh district — Hezbollah’s traditional stronghold — marking the most intense assault on Beirut’s southern suburbs since the 2024 war.
In a dramatic widening of the conflict, the British Ministry of Defence confirmed that its forces are responding to a suspected Iranian drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus that occurred at midnight local time.
“Our Armed Forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time,” a Ministry spokesperson told The Independent. “Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people.”
The strike on the key British airbase came as the United States reported its first combat casualties in the expanding operation. The Pentagon said three American troops were killed and five others seriously injured in an Iranian attack on a U.S.-linked facility in the region.
President Donald Trump, speaking from the White House, acknowledged the losses while insisting the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran remains “ahead of schedule.” He suggested the operation could conclude within the next four weeks but warned that further American casualties were possible.
Iranian authorities reported at least 201 people killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes since the campaign began, including 165 children and staff at a girls’ primary school near an IRGC base in Minab. The figures could not be independently verified, but images circulating on Iranian state media showed heavy damage to civilian areas.
The rapid sequence of events — Khamenei’s killing last week, Iran’s missile barrages, Hezbollah’s entry into the fight, and now direct attacks on Western military installations — has triggered urgent international calls for restraint. Oil prices surged more than 8% in early trading, and several airlines have canceled flights over the region.
Israeli officials said the Beirut strikes targeted senior Hezbollah commanders and missile infrastructure. Lebanon’s government condemned the attacks and warned of a “catastrophic” humanitarian situation as tens of thousands of civilians fled southern border villages.
The conflict, which began with precision strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, has now drawn in multiple nations and risks further uncontrolled escalation across the Middle East.