Washington, United States. The US and Israeli air war against Iran widened with no end in sight, as Israel attacked Lebanon following strikes by Hezbollah and Iran continued attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. military bases.
Trump comments on duration and Iran’s leadership
President Donald Trump said the operation could continue for weeks and that it was unclear who was in charge in Iran after the targeted killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israel campaign over the weekend.
Regional and global disruption
The attack on Iran has pitched the Gulf into war, killed scores of civilians in Iran, Israel and Lebanon, thrown global air transport into chaos and shut down shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil trade skirts the Iranian coast, sending oil prices surging.
Kuwait incident and US military update
Kuwait mistakenly shot down three American F-15E fighter jets during an Iranian attack, US Central Command said. All six crew members ejected and were safely recovered.
The US military said it had struck more than 1,250 targets in Iran and destroyed 11 Iranian ships. Six US service personnel have been killed so far, all in Iran’s retaliatory attacks over the weekend on Kuwait.
Strikes in Lebanon, Tehran, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh
As night fell on Monday, Israel warned of imminent attacks on towns in Lebanon and said it had attacked the complex that houses Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran. Explosions shook buildings across Tel Aviv as air defenses intercepted incoming Iranian missiles.
Early on Tuesday, two drones struck the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, causing minor damage and starting a fire, Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said.
Political and economic impacts in the United States
For Trump, joining Israel to attack Iran amounts to the biggest US foreign policy gamble in decades and a major political risk for his Republican Party in this year’s midterm elections. Only one in four Americans support the Iran campaign, according to a weekend Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Average US retail gasoline prices rose above $3 per gallon, in part due to the conflict, as Trump faces growing discontent over bread-and-butter issues.
Trump has said the US faced an imminent threat from Iran that justified war, although he gave no specifics and some US lawmakers said he has shown no evidence to back that assessment.
How do you think the widening conflict will affect the United States domestically in the weeks ahead?