The war expands in the Middle East, as Israeli and American planes bomb Iran and Tehran, and its agents respond

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The war in the Middle East escalated Monday as Israel and the United States bombed Iran. Tehran and its allies retaliated against Israel and neighboring Gulf states, targets vital to the world’s oil and natural gas production.

The intensity of the attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the lack of any clear exit plan indicate that the conflict will not end anytime soon. It has already had far-reaching consequences: Middle Eastern safe havens like Dubai have seen sustained fires; Hundreds of thousands of airline passengers were stranded around the world. Oil prices rose. US allies pledged to help stop Iranian missiles and drones.

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Iran has long threatened, if attacked, to drag the region into all-out war, including targeting Israel, the Arab Gulf states and the flow of crude oil important to global energy markets. All of these were attacked on Monday.

The chaos of the conflict became clear when the US military said Kuwait had “accidentally shot down” three US F-15E Strike Eagles while attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones were underway. US Central Command said that the six pilots exited safely and are in stable condition.

Israel and the United States bombed Iranian missile sites and targeted its navy, claiming to destroy its headquarters and several warships. While several air strikes hit the Iranian capital, Tehran, senior security official Ali Larijani vowed on the 10th: “We will not negotiate with the United States.”

The death toll rose from all sides. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that the US-Israeli operation resulted in the deaths of at least 555 people. In Israel, where several sites were hit by Iranian missiles, 11 people were killed. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group also targeted Israel, which responded with strikes on Lebanon, killing more than two dozen people. Meanwhile, four American soldiers were killed, and three people were reported killed in the United Arab Emirates and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.

In Kuwait City, fire and smoke rose from inside the US embassy compound, shortly after the United States issued a warning to Americans to take shelter and stay away from the compound. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Iran expands its attacks to include regional oil infrastructure

Iran targeted the lifeline of the region’s economy.

With global markets already roiled by the fighting, Qatar Energy said it would halt its production of liquefied natural gas, knocking one of the world’s largest suppliers out of the market. It did not provide any timetable for restoring its production. European natural gas prices rose by 40% in response.

Meanwhile, the Ras Tanura oil refinery in Saudi Arabia was attacked by drones, with defenses shooting down the incoming aircraft, a military spokesman told the state-run Saudi Press Agency. The refinery’s capacity is more than half a million barrels of crude oil per day.

The Sultanate said a drone also targeted an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, killing a sailor, while debris fell on an oil refinery in Kuwait.

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Several ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil trade passes and where Iran has threatened attacks.

“The attack on the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia represents a major escalation, as the Gulf’s energy infrastructure is now directly in Iran’s sights,” said Torbjörn Soltvedt, an analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft. “There is a long period of uncertainty ahead.”

The region is also a hub for air travel, and passengers around the world have been stranded as airlines based in the Gulf have grounded their flights. But long-haul carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines resumed limited flights on Monday.

Iran says the nuclear site was targeted

Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters that the air strikes targeted the nuclear enrichment site in Natanz on Sunday.

“Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is just a big lie,” he said.

Neither Israel nor the United States have acknowledged launching strikes on the site, which the United States bombed in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. Israel said it was targeting “nuclear leadership and infrastructure.”

Iran has said it has not enriched uranium since June, although it has reserved the right to do so while saying its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

Hezbollah opened fire on Israel, triggering a massive response

Hezbollah said it fired missiles at Israel early Monday in response to Khamenei’s killing and “repeated Israeli attacks.” This is the first time in more than a year that the armed group has claimed responsibility for an attack.

There were no reports of injuries or damage.

The Lebanese government said Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel overnight were “illegal” and demanded that the group surrender its weapons.

Rescue services in Israel said that several sites were bombed by Iranian missiles, including Jerusalem and a synagogue in Beit Shemesh. A total of 11 people were killed.

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Israel responded with raids on Lebanon, killing at least 31 people and wounding 149 others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Associated Press journalists in Beirut woke up to the sounds of loud explosions that shook buildings and shattered windows.

Iran’s proxies were a major concern to US and Israeli officials before they went ahead with strikes over the weekend.

The Iraqi Shiite Saraya Awliya al-Dam militia claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Monday targeting American forces at the airport in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. It claimed responsibility for another drone attack on Sunday on a US air base in northern Iraq.

There is no end in sight to the US-Israeli campaign

The US military said B-2 stealth bombers hit Iranian ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. President Donald Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian Navy’s headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”

“Combat operations continue at this time at full force, and will continue until all of our objectives are achieved,” Trump said in a video message on Sunday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the United States is not involved in nation-building efforts in Iran, and that there is a clear mission. “This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” Hegseth said.

He did not provide details when asked about the operation’s ultimate goals, how long it might last or what success would look like, saying doing so would harm American forces.

It is not entirely clear what the US goals are. In announcing the initial strikes, Trump cited the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. But he also cited numerous grievances dating back to Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, and urged Iranians to “take over” their government. There have been no signs so far of any such uprising.

However, the US leader also indicated that he would be open to dialogue with the new Iranian leadership, which could be chosen soon.

In a sign that the conflict could attract other countries, Britain, France and Germany said on Sunday that they were ready to work with the United States to help stop Iranian attacks.

Early Monday, Cyprus said a drone “caused limited damage” when it struck a British air base there.

The streets of Tehran are deserted

The streets of Tehran were largely deserted as people took shelter during air strikes. Witnesses said the Basij paramilitary force, which played a central role in crushing recent nationwide protests, set up checkpoints across the city.

In the northern Iranian city of Babol, a student, speaking anonymously due to fears of retaliation, told the Associated Press that armed riot police were in the streets Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday after Khamenei’s death.

He said, “We do not know whether to rejoice in the elimination of the criminals who oppress us, or to remain silent in the face of the war that the United States and Israel are waging against the country and its interests and the terrorism that is taking place.”

Liedman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Bassem Marwa and Sally Abu al-Joud in Beirut contributed to this report.