TEHRAN, March 8 (Alliance News): The intensity of the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel entered its second week as fresh airstrikes targeted several Iranian cities, including Tehran and Isfahan, leaving at least eight people dead in the latest bombardment.
According to international media reports, the recent strikes targeted military bases, missile launchers and installations linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, Iranian authorities rejected the US claims and said that civilian areas were also hit during the attacks.
Israel has claimed that it destroyed about 80 Iranian fighter jets during the ongoing military campaign.
According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, since the beginning of the conflict at least 5,535 residential units, 1,041 commercial buildings, 14 medical centres, 65 schools and 13 Red Crescent facilities have been damaged or targeted across Iran.
Meanwhile, Wang Yi said that attempts to impose regime change in Iran were unlikely to gain international support. He stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty and security of Iran and Gulf countries and called on major powers to prevent the conflict from expanding.
China also opposed the attacks on Iran and urged an immediate halt to military operations.
Saudi Arabia has, for the first time, warned Iran of possible retaliation. According to reports, Saudi officials conveyed a message to Tehran saying that while Saudi Arabia prefers a diplomatic solution to the crisis between Iran and the United States, attacks on Saudi security or oil facilities would not be tolerated.
Sources said Gulf countries have so far refrained from allowing US forces to use their airspace for operations against Iran. However, Saudi Arabia may reconsider this stance if the conflict continues to escalate.
Iran has also claimed it carried out counterattacks against US and Israeli targets. The Iranian military said dozens of US personnel were killed or injured in strikes targeting American positions, including the United States Fifth Fleet and the Al Dhafra Air Base.
Iranian officials also reported missile strikes on strategic targets in Tel Aviv, while the Revolutionary Guards claimed they shot down an Israeli drone in Hormozgan province.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that the United States would bear responsibility for further escalation, saying Iran was prepared for any level of confrontation.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese group Hezbollah claimed it launched a barrage of missiles at an Israeli naval base in the city of Haifa and fired a special missile toward the Tel Hashomer military base near Tel Aviv.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel, with US support, had gained near-complete control over Iranian airspace. He said Israel would continue its military campaign with full force and suggested there was a systematic plan aimed at weakening Iran’s ruling structure.
In another development, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed to have targeted a US military site in Dubai Marina. However, authorities in the United Arab Emirates said debris from a drone struck a building in the Marina area, causing minor damage but no casualties.
Separately, a Pakistani citizen was killed in Dubai after debris from an air defence interception hit a vehicle in the Al Barsha area during the ongoing regional tensions.
