War widens to include Iranian-backed militias as Israeli and American planes pound Iran

War widens to include Iranian-backed militias as Israeli and American planes pound Iran 1 of 8 | Israel’s military released footage of what it said was a strike on the headquarters of the Iranian leadership in Tehran on Sunday. The footage was released after a large explosion had rocked Iran’s capital as the Israeli military said it was targeting the “heart” of the city. 2 of 8 | Israel’s rescue services said five people were wounded in Jerusalem late on Sunday after missiles were fired from Iran. (AP video: Moshe Edri) 3 of 8 | Israel launched strikes on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired missiles across the border early Monday. (AP video: Hussein al-Malla ) 4 of 8 | Iraqi Shiites hold pictures of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a U.S. airstrike in Tehran, during a symbolic funeral, in Najaf, Iraq, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil) 5 of 8 | This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows a Navy sailor observing flight operations aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)) in support of Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy via AP) 6 of 8 | A man takes pictures of the damage in an apartment building after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburb, Lebanon, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) 7 of 8 | In this photo taken with a slow shutter speed, a Middle East Airlines plane flies over Beirut as smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh in Beirut’s southern suburbs, early Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) 8 of 8 | This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows a F/A-18F Super Hornet preparing to make an arrested landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)) in support of Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy via AP) 1 of 8 Israel’s military released footage of what it said was a strike on the headquarters of the Iranian leadership in Tehran on Sunday. The footage was released after a large explosion had rocked Iran’s capital as the Israeli military said it was targeting the “heart” of the city. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 8 Israel’s rescue services said five people were wounded in Jerusalem late on Sunday after missiles were fired from Iran. (AP video: Moshe Edri) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 8 Israel launched strikes on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired missiles across the border early Monday. (AP video: Hussein al-Malla ) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 8 Iraqi Shiites hold pictures of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a U.S. airstrike in Tehran, during a symbolic funeral, in Najaf, Iraq, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 8 This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows a Navy sailor observing flight operations aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)) in support of Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 8 A man takes pictures of the damage in an apartment building after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburb, Lebanon, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 7 of 8 In this photo taken with a slow shutter speed, a Middle East Airlines plane flies over Beirut as smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh in Beirut’s southern suburbs, early Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 8 of 8 This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows a F/A-18F Super Hornet preparing to make an arrested landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)) in support of Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, apparently hitting the U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait, while Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran as the war expanded on Monday with statements of defiance and increasing casualties.Fire and smoke rose from inside the embassy compound in Kuwait City and an alarm wailed after the Iranian attack, which came not long after the U.S. issued a warning to Americans there to take cover and for others to stay away. There were no immediate reports on damage or casualties. Meantime, as the American and Israeli airstrikes continued, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani vowed defiantly on X that “we will not negotiate with the United States.” In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting U.S. troops at the Baghdad airport, the day after it said it fired at a U.S. base in the city of Irbil in the north, and Cyprus said a drone attack targeted a British base on the Mediterranean island nation. Israel and the U.S. bombed Iranian missile sites and targeted its navy, claiming to have destroyed its headquarters and multiple warships. More than 200 people have been killed since the start of the strikes, according to Iranian leaders. As the bombardment continued, Hezbollah said it fired missiles from Lebanon into Israel early Monday in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and “repeated Israeli aggressions.” It was the first attack the Lebanese militant group has claimed in more than a year. There were no reports of injuries or damage, and Israel said that it had intercepted one projectile while several fell in open areas. Israel retaliated with strikes on Lebanon, killing at least 31 people and wounding 149 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. About two thirds of the dead were in the country’s south. Following its initial strikes on Beirut, Israel urged civilians in nearly 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of more possible attacks, sending people fleeing. Lebanon’s government said it was holding an emergency meeting after Hezbollah’s attack on Israel triggered the Israeli airstrikes.Iran has been firing missiles at Israel and Arab states in a counteroffensive since the joint America-Israeli attack Saturday that killed Khamenei and many top Iranian officials.Gulf Arab states have warned that they could retaliate against Iran after strikes that hit key sites and killed at least five civilians, and U.S. President Donald Trump promised Washington would “avenge” the deaths of three American troops who were killed in Kuwait.“Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” Trump said. “That’s the way it is.”Trump has urged Iranians to “take over” their government and, while he has also signaled he would be open to dialogue with new leadership there following the death of Khamenei, suggested Sunday there was no end in sight to the military operations. “Combat operations continue at this time in full-force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved,” he said in a video message. “We have very strong objectives,” he added, without elaborating. The U.S. military said B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran’s ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy’s headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”In an indication the conflict could draw in other nations, Britain, France and Germany said they were ready to work with the U.S. to help stop Iran’s attacks, and a group of Gulf Arab countries said it reserved the right to respond to Iranian strikes.The weekend attacks were the second combined strikes in eight months from the U.S. and Israel against Iran. In the 12-day war last June, Israeli and American strikes greatly weakened Iran’s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear program. But the killing of Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, creates a leadership vacuum, increasing the risk of regional instability. Also Monday, the World Health Organization called for sparing civilians and healthcare facilities in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict. “The protection of civilians and health care must be absolute,” Hanan Balkhy, regional dietitian at WHO wrote on social media. “All parties must … ensure medical facilities remain protected.”___Rising reported from Bangkok and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report. Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. Rising covers regional Asia-Pacific stories for The Associated Press. He has worked around the world, including covering the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine, and was based for nearly 20 years in Berlin before moving to Bangkok. Magdy is a Middle East reporter for The Associated Press, based in Cairo. He focuses on conflict, migration and human rights abuses.