Explosions echoed across parts of the Middle East on Saturday as tensions intensified in a rapidly expanding regional conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, raising fears of a wider war with significant humanitarian and economic consequences.
A drone strike hit the United States Embassy in Baghdad, marking the second reported attack on the diplomatic compound since February 28.
The strike occurred amid ongoing military exchanges following coordinated operations by the United States and Israel against Iranian targets.
Witnesses reported seeing dark smoke rising above the embassy compound in Baghdad after strikes targeting the Iran-backed militia Kataeb Hezbollah. Security sources said at least two members of the group, including a senior figure, were killed.
Across the Gulf region, black smoke was also seen rising from the Emirati port city of Fujairah, home to oil storage facilities and an export terminal.
Iranian authorities had earlier warned civilians in the United Arab Emirates to avoid port areas that could become targets in the escalating confrontation.
The conflict has spread across several countries, with waves of missile, drone and aerial attacks reported across the region.
Iran’s health ministry said more than 1,200 people have been killed in the country since the fighting began, while millions have reportedly been displaced.
The fighting intensified after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iranian targets, including military installations linked to Tehran’s missile programme.
According to the Pentagon, more than 15,000 targets have been struck across Iran in the past two weeks.
Israel’s military said it alone carried out 7,600 strikes, many aimed at missile infrastructure.
The crisis deepened further after the reported death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, during the opening phase of the campaign.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was later named as his successor but has not appeared publicly and is reportedly wounded.
Amid the escalating hostilities, Donald Trump said American forces had struck military targets near Kharg Island, while avoiding damage to oil export facilities.
Iranian media also reported that the country’s key oil infrastructure remained intact.
Meanwhile, the strategic Strait of Hormuz has become a major flashpoint. The narrow waterway normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, but shipping traffic has slowed dramatically after Iranian threats to target vessels linked to the United States and its allies.
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Oil markets have reacted sharply, with crude prices rising more than 40 percent since the conflict erupted.
Trump said the US Navy would soon begin escorting tankers through the strait to restore global energy flows.
The fighting has triggered a chain reaction across neighbouring countries. Qatar reported intercepting two missiles over its capital, Doha, while Saudi Arabia said its air defences destroyed dozens of drones approaching its territory.
In Turkey, officials said NATO forces intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran, the third such interception since the conflict began.
The war has also spread to Lebanon, where the Iran-backed group Hezbollah has launched attacks on Israel following Khamenei’s death.
Lebanese authorities said Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah positions have killed at least 773 people across the country, including a dozen medical personnel at a healthcare clinic in southern Lebanon.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that up to 3.2 million people have been displaced within Iran since the conflict began.
Iranian authorities have also imposed a nationwide internet blackout, further limiting information flow from the country.
The United States is now reinforcing its military presence in the region, including deploying the USS Tripoli, based in Japan and carrying approximately 2,500 Marines.
As hostilities continue to expand, analysts warn that the widening conflict could destabilise the Middle East further while placing enormous strain on global energy markets and humanitarian systems already under pressure.