Israel Launches Airstrikes Targeting Iranian Leaders Amid Rising Tensions
4 March 2026 11:10 PM IST4 March 2026 11:10 PM IST
As the war continues, US military officials report extensive damage to Iran's military assets, raising concerns about the conflict's duration and potential escalation.
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Al Lailaki neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs, with the city's international airport visible in the background, on March 4, 2026. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
Dubai: The United States and Israel hit Iran's capital and other cities in multiple airstrikes on Wednesday, the fifth day of the war with Iran. Israel targeted the Iranian leadership and security forces as the Islamic Republic responded with missile barrages and drone attacks on Israel and across the region.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued its most intense threat yet as the war escalated, saying it was prepared for the "complete destruction of the region's military and economic infrastructure."
The Israeli military said one of its F-35 stealth fighter jets shot down a piloted Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter over Tehran on Wednesday. It also said Israeli air defences were activated to intercept Iranian missiles fired at targets around the country, and explosions were heard around Jerusalem.
Tehran residents woke to dawn blasts, and Iranian state television showed the ruins of a building in the centre of the capital. The Shiite seminary city of Qom and multiple other cities were also targeted.
Iran has also attacked regional infrastructure. Saudi Arabia said Wednesday its Ras Tanura oil refinery, one of the world's largest, was again targeted after an unsuccessful drone attack on it earlier in the week. The kingdom's oil ministry said the latest attack did not cause any damage and supplies were not affected.
The American Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the US Consulate in the United Arab Emirates came under drone attacks on Tuesday, and the US State Department said on Wednesday it had authorised non-emergency government personnel to evacuate the kingdom.
US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, said Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones so far.
"We've already struck nearly 2,000 targets, with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran's air defences and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones," Cooper said in a prerecorded message shared online Wednesday.
Five days into a war that US President Donald Trump suggested could last a month or longer, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran, including some Trump said he had considered as possible future leaders of the country.
Air sirens sounded in the morning across the island kingdom of Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, and Qatar's Ministry of Defence said Iran launched two ballistic missiles against it. One hit Al-Udeid Qatari Base, but didn't cause casualties.
Lebanon was hit in multiple strikes, and Israel said it was retaliating against Hezbollah militants after the Iran-backed group fired on Israel. More than 50 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 300 wounded, according to the Health Ministry.
Iranian-linked militant groups in Iraq have also been launching attacks.
Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen Effie Defrin reported a decline in launches from Iran as the country's military capabilities are degraded. In airstrikes overnight, the Israeli military said it hit a missile storage and production plant in Isfahan.
The spiralling nature of the war raised questions about when and how it would end. Trump's administration has offered various objectives, including destroying Iran's miss.
( Source : AP )
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