Iran retaliatory strikes hit Israel and US bases as fighting spreads across the region

Iran launched a new wave of retaliatory strikes against Israel, US bases, and other regional targets as the conflict entered a sixth day. Israel escalated operations linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon, including evacuation warnings in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Azerbaijan alleged Iranian drone attacks, which Tehran denied, while US forces reported sinking an Iranian frigate off Sri Lanka.

Iran launched fresh attacks on Israel, US bases and other regional states on Thursday. The moves widened Tehran’s retaliation as Israel and the US struck Iran for a sixth day. Officials said the conflict had spread daily, drawing in 14 more countries across the Middle East and beyond. Iran also warned the US would regret sinking an Iranian warship.

The war has disrupted oil flows and global air routes, with strikes reaching Arab neighbours. Officials in Iran said at least 1,230 people had been killed there. Lebanese officials reported more than 100 deaths, while Israel reported around a dozen. Six US troops have been killed. Gulf states also reported being targeted as missiles and drones crossed borders.

Iran attacks widen as Israel strikes Iran missile sites

Israel reported multiple incoming missile attacks on Thursday as sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The Israeli military said it struck Iranian ballistic missile launch locations. At the same time, the US and Israel continued nationwide attacks inside Iran. Those strikes targeted military capacity, leadership and Iran’s nuclear programme, according to officials.

Israeli and American leaders also suggested removing Iran’s government was a war aim. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed when the war began on Saturday. Yet officials’ goals and timelines have shifted several times. The conflict has also looked increasingly open-ended as both sides intensified operations.

US bases targeted as Gulf countries report Iran drones and missiles

In the United Arab Emirates, authorities said a drone was downed near Al Dhafra Air Base. The base hosts US forces, and falling shrapnel injured six people. Qatar moved residents living near the US Embassy in Doha as a temporary precaution. Qatar later reported a missile attack on the city.

Saudi Arabia said it destroyed a drone in a province bordering Jordan. In Bahrain, sirens sounded on Thursday afternoon. Bahrain’s Defence Ministry said its forces had intercepted 75 Iranian ballistic missiles and 124 drones since Saturday. Bahrain also said an Iranian missile hit a state-run oil refinery, but the fire was extinguished and operations continued.

Iran drone claims disputed as Azerbaijan accuses Iran of attacks

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev accused Iran of a "groundless act of terror and aggression\". The charge followed a drone crash near Nakhchivan airport on Thursday. Nakhchivan borders Iran and is separated from Azerbaijan by Armenia. Another drone fell near a school, and prosecutors said four civilians, all airport workers, were wounded.

Aliyev said the military had been told to prepare and carry out retaliation. Iran’s armed forces general staff denied launching drones towards Azerbaijan. Iran has also repeatedly denied striking oil sites and other civilian locations. Those denials continued even as missiles and drones hit such locations during the war.

Oil supplies disrupted as shipping risks rise amid Iran attacks

A tanker appeared to come under attack off Kuwait early Thursday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre. The centre, run by the British military, reported an explosion without stating a cause. Since Saturday, ships have been attacked in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, a route for about a fifth of global oil.

The growing danger to shipping has pushed oil prices higher, officials and analysts said. The broader conflict has also snarled international air travel. Attacks and alerts have forced rerouting and delays across the region. Several countries have tightened security around airports, ports and sensitive energy sites as fighting expanded.

Hezbollah fighting grows as Israel issues Beirut evacuation warning

Israel issued a mass evacuation warning for Beirut’s southern suburbs. The notice told residents to \"save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately\". The statement signalled possible heavy bombardment. The warning came as fighting rose with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants, who are aligned with Iran and struck Israel in the opening days.

Israel said it hit 80 targets in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, including Hezbollah command centres in Beirut. The military released video of a building being struck, without more details. Israel also repeated a blanket warning for residents of southern Lebanon to leave. The UN said it was observing fighting along the border.

A UN peacekeeping spokesperson said peacekeepers had seen and heard clashes, including ground combat, in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL spokesperson Tilak Pokharel said, \"Ground combat was observed west of Kfar Kila, a village near the border with Israel, overnight,\" and described air attacks, flares and explosions near Khiyam, about five km from the frontier.

Iran warship sunk as Iran warns US of regret and violence risks

The US said on Wednesday it sank an Iranian frigate off Sri Lanka. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the sinking of IRIS Dena as \"an atrocity at sea\". \"Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set,\" Araghchi said on social media. Sri Lankan authorities said 32 crew were rescued and at least 87 bodies recovered.

Araghchi said the ship had been carrying almost 130 crew. Officials said the vessel was returning from an exercise hosted by the Indian navy, which the US also joined. An Iranian cleric later called on state television for the shedding of both Israeli and Trump’s blood. The statement came from Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli.

Trump comments on Iran succession as war aims shift

US President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday that the US should help choose Iran’s next supreme leader. Trump also said Mojtaba Khamenei would be an unacceptable successor. The remarks came as leadership questions grew after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death. Officials have not presented a clear end point as strikes and retaliation continued across borders.

As Thursday ended, reports of strikes, interceptions and new warnings kept emerging from several countries. Iran’s expanded attacks and Israel’s operations in Iran and Lebanon remained active. Officials in multiple states continued to report casualties and damage, while shipping and travel disruptions persisted. The war’s impact stayed spread across the region, with no stated timeline for de-escalation.

With inputs from PTI