How the US-Israel war on Iran unfolded in its first four weeks

Al Jazeera revisits major military, political and economic developments that took place in first month of the conflict.One month into the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, the Middle East is starting to look significantly different — and the effects are being felt across the world.Energy prices are soaring, violence is intensifying across the region, and efforts to reach a diplomatic off-ramp are offset by bellicose rhetoric and threats of further escalation by both sides.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US diplomat Marco Rubio denounces settler violence, tolls in Hormuz straitlist 2 of 3Israel launches strikes on nuclear sites as Iran warns of retaliationlist 3 of 3Grieving Iranian mother tells UN about children before school attackend of listExperts say the past 28 days have also ushered in new political, security and economic realities. Many top-level leaders in Iran have been killed, and the US has been struggling to rally allies to its aid.The death toll in Iran sits at more than 1,937 people, and more have been killed around the Middle East, including US military members.Here, Al Jazeera revisits the events of the past four weeks to look at how the war has unfolded so far.Week 1The war started with enormous US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, which the Pentagon said amounted to twice the firepower of the “shock and awe” campaign that kicked off the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Military developments: The opening Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who served as the country’s de facto head of state as well as the top spiritual authority for millions of Shia Muslims across the world. The initial attack also included the assassination of several top officials, including top general Abdolrahim Mousavi; Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); and Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei. The Iranian response was quick. Hundreds of missiles and drones were launched against Israel and US assets across the region, as well as civilian and energy targets in the Gulf. Tehran also succeeded in swiftly blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the global oil trade. After the initial onslaught, the US and Israel continued to strike Iran daily, with aides for US President Donald Trump saying that Washington was raining “death and destruction” on the country. The US military announced the first casualties from the war: Six soldiers were killed in an attack on a base in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. The US military said three US fighter jets were accidentally shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait. Less than 48 hours into the conflict, Hezbollah entered the fray by firing rockets at Israel, which it said was in response to the killing of Khamenei and daily Israeli attacks in Lebanon, in violation of a 2024 ceasefire. Israel started a bombing campaign and a ground invasion in Lebanon.