US & ‘Israel’ at war with Iran | Day 33 coverage
The 2026 Iran War began on February 28 when the United States and ‘Israel’ launched an operation dubbed Epic Fury by the US and Lion's Roar by ‘Israel’, unleashing nearly 900 airstrikes in 12 hours on Iranian missile systems, air defenses, nuclear facilities, military bases, and leadership targets.
Yemen’s Houthi movement entered the war early, launching missile and drone attacks toward ‘Israel’ and expanding the war beyond the Gulf and Levant theaters.
This direct assault followed years of shadow war, including the first-ever Iran-‘Israel’ missile exchanges in April and October 2024 and a limited 12-day war in June 2025 that damaged Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of top officials were killed in the opening salvo, while a US Tomahawk strike on a school adjacent to a naval base near Bandar Abbas killed about 170 civilians, mostly children.
Iran responded within hours by firing hundreds of ballistic missiles and launching thousands of drones at ‘Israel’, US bases in the Gulf, and targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait.
Tehran restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz—through which 20% of global oil flows—disrupting shipping and spiking oil prices.
The retaliation reignited fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon, prompting ‘Israeli’ strikes there and spreading the conflict regionally while hitting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, airports, and heritage sites.
Over the next three weeks, US-‘Israeli’ forces conducted sustained air campaigns that destroyed much of Iran’s air-defense network, missile production sites and navy assets.
Iran appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader, but pragmatic senior official Ali Larijani was assassinated in an ‘Israeli’ strike on March 17.
More than 80,000 civilian sites were hit, including 260 medical facilities and UNESCO-listed buildings, causing widespread blackouts, fuel shortages, toxic pollution, and over 2,000 total deaths across Iran, ‘Israel’, Lebanon, and Gulf states.
The war remained active in its fourth week with ongoing US-‘Israeli’ airstrikes on remaining Iranian targets and Iranian retaliatory barrages, including recent cluster-munition attacks on ‘Israel’ and a failed long-range missile attempt at Diego Garcia.
Trump has threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz reopens fully but has signaled possible winding down or deals, which Tehran denies pursuing.
Iran says Elon Musk’s Starlink is ‘legitimate’ target
Iranian state media has labeled Elon Musk’s satellite internet network, Starlink, a “legitimate” target, signaling a new escalation in the technology and communications front of the conflict.
The Fars news agency published an infographic showing Starlink’s infrastructure operating across the Gulf, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Officials framed the network as part of the region’s military and strategic communications landscape.
Trump to provide ‘important update’ on Iran on Wednesday night, says White House
US President Donald Trump is set to deliver a prime‑time address to the nation on Wednesday at 9 PM Eastern Time with what the White House says will be an “important update” on the war with Iran. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt announced the speech on social media without offering details on the content.
The speech comes amid an ongoing US‑'Israeli' military campaign against Iran that entered its fifth week. Trump has signaled repeatedly he aims to wind down US involvement soon and has suggested the conflict could end within weeks, framing recent gains as weakening Iran’s military capabilities.
‘Israel’ uses air defenses unsuited for Iranian missiles: Hebrew media
‘Israel’ is reportedly using air defense systems that were not originally designed to intercept Iranian missiles, according to Channel 13. The move highlights growing challenges facing the country’s interception capabilities.
The report states that the 'Israeli' military is relying on US-made interceptor systems alongside lower-tier defenses such as David’s Sling. These systems were not built for the type or scale of missile threats coming from Iran, unlike more advanced systems such as the Arrow 3.
Trump says US to leave Iran 'very soon'
US President Donald Trump said the United States plans to leave its military operation in Iran 'very soon', indicating a potential shift in strategy as the conflict continues.
Trump told reporters that while US forces are not yet ready to exit, the withdrawal is expected in the 'very near future', without providing a specific timeline.
Pregnant woman, husband killed in Lebanon by 'Israeli' air strike
‘Israel’ carried out a series of air strikes across southern Lebanon, killing at least eight people within the span of one hour, according to Lebanese state media.
An air attack on the town of Jebchit, in the Nabatieh district, killed a pregnant woman and her husband, the National News Agency reported. The strike is among the deadliest incidents reported in the area in recent hours.
In a separate raid on the nearby town of Kafra, also in Nabatieh, two more people were killed. The identities of the victims were not immediately released.
VIDEO - Netanyahu says ‘Israel’ will continue to “crush Iran's terror regime”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a televised statement that ‘Israel’ will continue to "crush Iran's terror regime."
Day 32 of the US-‘Israeli’ war on Iran
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