Iran-Israel conflict intensifies as missile attacks spread across region

2026-03-15 - 18:34

Military tensions across the Middle East intensified on Sunday as Iran and Israel exchanged missile and drone attacks while several regional countries reported intercepting aerial threats, raising fears of a wider regional conflict and potential disruptions to global supply chains. The Israeli military said northern Israel came under renewed missile attacks from Iran, with warning sirens sounding along the border with Lebanon and in the Golan Heights. Israeli media reported that around 10 missiles were launched toward northern Israel, with some intercepted by the country’s air defence systems while others fell in open areas. No injuries were immediately reported. Israel’s Home Front Command later said sirens also sounded in the greater Tel Aviv area following an Iranian missile attack. The newspaper Israel Hayom reported that emergency crews were dispatched to several locations where missile fragments fell, though no casualties had been confirmed. Channel 12 reported a direct hit by an Iranian missile in central Israel, while other Israeli media outlets said loud explosions were heard across the greater Tel Aviv area. The Ynet news website reported that the building housing the U.S. consul in Jerusalem was struck by missile shrapnel. Meanwhile, the municipality of the northern border settlement of Shlomi announced the evacuation of about 70 residents because shelters capable of protecting them from potential missile attacks were unavailable. Iran’s military said it carried out drone strikes against Israel, stating that one of the attacks targeted a police unit. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also announced the launch of the 53rd wave of what it called Operation “True Promise 4”. In a statement, the Guards said the operation included the launch of a combined salvo of 10 missiles, including Fattah hypersonic missile and Qadr missile systems, along with suicide drones. The statement said the strikes targeted U.S. forces at Al Dhafra Air Base, which Iran claimed provides intelligence support for attacks against the country, as well as regional command centres and Israeli Home Front Command facilities. Iranian state television later reported that the 54th wave of the operation had been launched, including the use of the Sejjil ballistic missile for the first time since the conflict began. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said its air defence forces intercepted several drones. The Saudi Ministry of Defense said four drones were destroyed over the Riyadh region, according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Arabia had earlier announced intercepting 14 drones over Riyadh and the country’s eastern region, where many major oil facilities are located. Iran denied launching the drones Saudi authorities said they had intercepted. In Bahrain, the Bahrain Defence Force said its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed 211 drones and 125 missiles since what it described as Iranian attacks began. The Bahraini military said the use of ballistic missiles and drones targeting civilian sites and private property constituted a serious violation of international humanitarian law and the United Nations Charter, posing a direct threat to regional peace and security. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Iran was ready to sit with countries in the region and form a joint investigation committee to determine the nature of the targets that had been attacked and whether they were American sites. He said Iran’s strikes were targeting U.S. bases and interests in the region in response to attacks launched against Iran from those bases. In Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said Baghdad rejected any targeting of headquarters belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces or Iraqi security forces and warned against actions that could drag Iraq into the conflict. Sudani said continued fighting in the region could fuel instability, increase extremism and disrupt global supply chains. A senior Iranian commander from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Iran’s armed forces now held the strategic initiative, adding that Tehran could use what he described as its geopolitical capabilities, including managing transit through the Strait of Hormuz. As tensions mount, several countries have begun evacuating their citizens from the region. South Korea said a military aircraft evacuated 204 nationals from Saudi Arabia in the first such military evacuation since the conflict began. The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers said the government had assisted 1,315 overseas Filipino workers and their family members affected by the crisis in the Middle East and repatriated them between March 5-14. Separately, the United Arab Emirates said its public prosecutor ordered the arrest of 25 suspects of various nationalities and referred them to an expedited trial for publishing misleading digital content that could harm defence measures or praise acts of military aggression against the country. The state news agency Emirates News Agency said authorities had been monitoring misleading information and fabricated digital content circulated online intended to create confusion and undermine public security. CNN quoted an Israeli military spokesman as saying Israel planned to continue its campaign against Iran for at least three more weeks, adding that the military had thousands of potential targets and was prepared to carry out operations in coordination with the United States. The widening exchange of attacks has heightened concerns that the confrontation could expand into a broader regional conflict with potential consequences for energy security, global trade routes and international supply chains.