On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the Middle East experienced another day of intense escalation in the confrontation between Israel, the United States, and Iran
Israel carried out a precise airstrike in Qom, Iran, hitting a building where Iranian clerics were meeting to choose the regime’s new supreme leader.
Israeli defense sources confirmed the action, and images show the moment of the bombing.
Hours earlier, joint Israeli and US attacks had already damaged important facilities in Tehran, including Mehrabad Airport and a complex considered the center of leadership of the Iranian regime, with about 100 Israeli fighter jets dropping more than 250 bombs overnight.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will intensify attacks in both Lebanon and Iran in response to the continuous launches of rockets and missiles.
In Lebanon, Israeli forces advanced further south and carried out bombings in Sidon and areas of Beirut, while Hezbollah continues attacking northern Israel.
On the Iranian side, ballistic missiles again struck central Israel, causing injuries (reports vary from seven to twelve people, most with minor injuries) and damage in several locations, including the use of cluster bombs in some impacts.
Firefighters extinguished car fires in Tel Aviv after one of these barrages.
Iran threatened to continue retaliating and stated that if the American-Israeli attacks persist, it will target all economic centers in the region.
The Revolutionary Guard declared it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, which caused oil prices to soar, with Brent crude exceeding $85 per barrel and potentially reaching $200.
US President Donald Trump commented that Iran is running out of ammunition after days of war, but predicted it will continue launching missiles for some time.
He denied that the United States was short of interceptors, guaranteed unlimited supplies, and justified the war by claiming that Iran was close to having nuclear capability or attacking the US.
Trump said that 49 high-ranking Iranian leaders were killed in the initial attacks and stated that some emerging new leaders might be open to negotiations, but responded to alleged Iranian attempts at dialogue by saying: “The Iranians want to talk, I said it’s too late!”
Other developments include Britain sending helicopters with anti-drone technology to Cyprus and the air defense ship HMS Dragon to the region.
The US Embassy in Beirut announced it will remain closed indefinitely, and the United States urged its citizens to urgently leave almost all countries in the Middle East, including Israel.
The European Union began assisting Italy, Austria, and Slovakia in repatriating citizens stranded in the region with funded flights.
In Israel, airspace, closed since Saturday due to attacks on Iran, will begin to gradually reopen during the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday, initially with limited repatriation flights at Ben Gurion Airport.
Meanwhile, in the Judea-Samaria, the Israeli army opened a criminal investigation after a reservist killed two Palestinians during a confrontation with settlers in Qaryut, near Nablus.
In Canada, shots were fired at a synagogue in Toronto, causing no injuries, amid a rise in antisemitic incidents.
Two Turkish CNN journalists were arrested while broadcasting live in front of IDF headquarters.
The day reflects a rapidly expanding conflict, with direct attacks on high-value targets, cross-retaliation, and growing global economic impacts.
Published in 03/03/2026 18h56
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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