Tehran has met the assaults by firing missiles and drones at Israel and across the Gulf in the last weeks, hitting energy sites and US embassies alike. “Citizens of Israel, we face more weeks of fighting against Iran and Hezbollah,” Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said. More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon since Israel launched strikes, according to the health ministry, with more than one million people displaced. Iran said the Dimona strike was in response to an earlier attack on its nuclear site at Natanz. AFP is not able to access the sites of strikes nor independently verify tolls in Iran.

Source: Punch March 23, 2026 06:15 UTC