Iran's Retaliatory Actions Impact Multiple Middle Eastern Countries, US and Israel's Actions May Continue

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, resulting in the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei. Following this, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran initiated multiple retaliatory strikes against the U.S. and Israel, attacking 27 U.S. military bases in the Middle East and launching ballistic missiles at the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Lincoln. The escalation of conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran has affected multiple countries in the region, causing varying degrees of casualties and economic losses.

Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif stated on March 1 that Iran will not hesitate to defend its own security but has no intention of attacking neighboring countries. On the same day, the U.S. military released casualty figures from its operations against Iran. U.S. President Trump said on March 1 that the military operations in Iran are "going well and even ahead of schedule," but that ending the conflict "depends on many factors." Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that operations would "further escalate" in the coming days.

Iran retaliates against the U.S. and Israel

On March 1, the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, saying that the seventh and eighth waves of the large-scale offensive "Real Commitment-4" against the U.S. and Israel have begun. On the same day, Israeli media reported that at least 8 people were killed and 23 injured in Beit Shemesh, a city near Jerusalem.

On March 1, air raid sirens were sounded in several Israeli cities, indicating incoming missiles. Xinhua reporters in Tel Aviv observed air defense interceptors being launched nearby.

The Israel Times reported that "Iranian missile strikes hit Beit Shemesh." Footage released by Israel's Channel 12 showed various houses at the scene suffering varying degrees of damage, vehicles destroyed, and fires erupting. The report stated that the incident resulted in at least 8 deaths and 23 injuries.

The Ministry of Defense of the United Arab Emirates issued a statement on March 1, saying that since February 28, Iranian missile and drone attacks on the UAE have resulted in 3 deaths and 58 injuries.

The statement noted that since the attacks began, a total of 165 ballistic missiles aimed at the UAE have been detected, of which 152 were successfully destroyed, and 13 fell into the sea; 2 cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed. A total of 541 drones were tracked, of which 506 were intercepted and destroyed, while 35 fell within the territory, causing property damage.

The statement also mentioned that the attacks resulted in 3 deaths, including citizens from Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh; another 58 people were lightly injured, involving citizens from the UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

According to a report by the Iranian Tasnim News Agency on March 1, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued announcement No. 7 stating that Iran launched 4 ballistic missiles at the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Lincoln.

The announcement stated that the Iranian armed forces' strong strikes against enemy military forces have entered a new phase, declaring that "land and sea will become the graveyard of terrorist aggressors."

Currently, the U.S. military has deployed both the USS Ford and USS Lincoln aircraft carriers in the Middle East.

The U.S. Central Command stated on March 1 via social media that as of 9:30 AM Eastern Time on March 1, 3 U.S. service members had died in military operations against Iran, 5 were seriously injured, and several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions. Major combat operations by the U.S. military are still ongoing.

Iran: Targeting the U.S., no intention to attack neighbors

According to a report by the Iranian Mehr News Agency on March 1, Zarif stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Leader Khamenei is an unprecedentedly dangerous act and emphasized that Iran will not hesitate to defend its own security.

Zarif stated in the interview that Iran will act within the framework of its legitimate right to self-defense. He emphasized that Iran has good relations with Gulf countries and has no intention of attacking its neighbors, "but rather targets the U.S. military presence stationed in those countries."

Zarif acknowledged the anger of Gulf countries over the attacks but stated that this war is "imposed on Iran" and not of Iran's choosing. He pointed out that "this war was instigated by the U.S. and Israel, and they must be pressured," calling on neighboring countries to express their dissatisfaction to the U.S. and Israel.

Zarif also stated that Iranian government institutions are functioning normally, legal processes are underway, and it is likely that a new leader will be elected in the coming days.

On March 1, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Larijani, stated on social media that Iran has no intention of attacking regional countries.

Larijani addressed regional countries in Arabic: "We have no intention of attacking you. But when your domestic bases are used to target us, and when the U.S. uses those bases to carry out operations in the region, we will strike them."

He stated that Iran believes these bases do not belong to regional countries, "but rather are U.S. territory."

Reports indicate that since the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28, Iran has conducted retaliatory attacks against U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, the UAE, and Qatar.

Xinhua reporters hear explosions near their residence; U.S.-Israel actions may continue

On the evening of March 1, explosions were heard again in downtown Tehran, near the residence of Xinhua reporters. Reporters could hear the roar of aircraft overhead.

According to a report by the Iranian Tasnim News Agency on March 1, the U.S. and Israel continued to launch airstrikes that night, hitting Gandhi Hospital in Tehran.

Preliminary information indicates that the airstrikes caused the hospital to enter a state of emergency, with medical staff transferring newborns and patients to safer wards.

On the evening of March 1, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that its headquarters building was hit by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, causing damage to some facilities. At the time of the attack, the Iranian state television was broadcasting footage of the public gathering in Tehran's Revolution Square mourning Khamenei.

As of the time of publication, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting was still broadcasting programs normally. The headquarters building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting had previously been hit by missile attacks during the military conflict between Israel and Iran last June.

On March 1, Trump claimed that U.S. and Israeli military actions had killed 48 Iranian leadership figures. In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump stated that he knows "how many targets are left to strike," and that military operations are "advancing rapidly."

On the same day, Trump also stated in an interview with the U.S. Consumer News and Business Channel that U.S. military operations in Iran are "going well and even ahead of schedule." At the same time, ending the conflict "depends on many factors."

On the same day, Netanyahu issued a statement at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, stating that the Israeli military is striking the "core areas" of Tehran with "increasing intensity," and that operations will "further escalate" in the coming days, with Israel and the U.S. working together to achieve the goal of "completely collapsing the Iranian regime."

The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement saying that the Israeli military has "eliminated" all senior leaders of Iran and its "regional proxies," including Khamenei, former Hamas leader Sinwar, former commander of Hamas's military wing Dave, former leader of Hezbollah Nasrallah, and former chief of staff of the Houthi movement in Yemen, Jamali. (Reporters: Shadati, Chen Xiao, Huang Qiang, Xu Jianmei, Pang Xinyi, Chen Junqing, Feng Guorui, Cheng Shuai Peng, Zhao Danliang, Xia Xiao, Yu Shuai Shuai, Zhou Xiaotian)