TEHRAN/JERUSALEM: The escalating Iran–Israel conflict has left hundreds dead across the region, with Iranian authorities reporting at least 787 fatalities, while casualties were also recorded in Israel, Lebanon and several Gulf states.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Tuesday that a US-Israeli military operation had killed at least 787 people in Iran. The organisation did not provide figures for the number of injured but said search and rescue operations were continuing at damaged buildings.
In Israel, officials reported that Iranian missile strikes hit several locations, killing 11 people. Meanwhile, Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon killed 52 people, according to regional reports.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency said 13 Iranian troops were killed in airstrikes in Kerman, about 800 kilometres southeast of Tehran.
Casualties reported across the Gulf
The United States military confirmed the deaths of six American service members. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all six were Army soldiers assigned to a logistics unit in Kuwait.
Three US F-15E fighter jets go down over Kuwait, CENTCOM confirms
Three people were reported killed in the United Arab Emirates, while one person each died in Kuwait and Bahrain amid the broader regional escalation.
In one incident highlighting the confusion of the conflict, the US military said Kuwait had mistakenly shot down three American fighter jets during Iranian attacks involving aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones. US Central Command said all six pilots ejected safely.
Nuclear and military sites targeted
Iranian state television reported two explosions early Tuesday at a broadcasting facility in Tehran but said there were no injuries.
Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said airstrikes had targeted the Natanz nuclear enrichment site. He rejected claims that Iran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons, describing the allegation as unfounded.
Israel and the United States have not publicly acknowledged strikes on Natanz. Israeli officials have said their operations are aimed at Iran’s leadership and nuclear infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump said the objectives of the military campaign were to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, neutralise its naval forces and prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. He also said the operation sought to curb Iran’s support for allied groups, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful and said it has not enriched uranium since June, while asserting its right to pursue nuclear energy under international agreements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran was rebuilding underground facilities related to nuclear development but did not provide evidence to support the claim.
Satellite imagery analysed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two Iranian nuclear sites before the latest escalation. Analysts suggested Iran may have been assessing previous damage and conducting recovery operations.
International organisations have urged restraint. Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization for Migration, warned that further military escalation would increase civilian displacement across the region.
“Millions are already displaced in the region,” she said, calling on the international community to press for de-escalation.
Today's E-Paper