US-Israel Conflict With Iran Enters Fifth Day As Fighting Engulfs Lebanon And Gulf: What We Know

Last Updated:March 04, 2026, 15:59 IST

The war has rapidly expanded beyond Iran's borders, drawing in Lebanon, roiling Gulf states and sparking an intense political battle in Washington.

The United States and Israel pressed ahead with strikes on Iran as the five-day-old conflict showed no signs of abating, with bombings targeting government, military and civilian infrastructure across the country. The war has rapidly expanded beyond Iran’s borders, drawing in Lebanon, roiling Gulf states and sparking an intense political battle in Washington over whether President Donald Trump had the authority to take the US to war.

Iran Under Bombardment, Nuclear Site Hit

Joint US-Israeli strikes focused heavily on western Tehran, with video footage circulating online showing thick plumes of black smoke rising over the Iranian capital. Among the targets struck was the Natanz nuclear facility, in what marked a significant escalation of the campaign. Iranian state media said no radioactive leakage had been detected from the site.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israeli pilots were actively flying over Iran and Tehran, vowing that Israel would continue to strike “with force."

Trump, for his part, declared that “the big scale hitting goes now," warning that Iran is “in for a lot of hurt." After four days of fighting, officials report that nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran. In Lebanon, Israeli air strikes have killed at least 50 people and wounded 335, with the Israeli military saying it has struck approximately 60 Hezbollah targets in the south of the country, hitting weapons storage facilities, command centres and missile launchers.

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at Israeli forces in the northern town of Metula and carried out a missile attack on a naval base in Haifa.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes have been sweeping in scale. According to US Admiral Brad Cooper, Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones since the conflict began, targeting energy infrastructure, diplomatic compounds and military facilities across the region.

Gulf Nations On Alert

The war reached deep into the Gulf, with Iranian strikes striking near the US consulate in Dubai and hitting the US embassy compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh strike involved two drones and caused a limited fire and minor damage, Saudi authorities said.

In Qatar, air defence systems intercepted projectiles over Doha, causing loud bangs audible across the capital. Doha also announced it had arrested 10 suspected spies allegedly operating for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In Oman, the US embassy in Muscat issued an urgent directive ordering staff and all American citizens in the country to shelter in place, citing “ongoing activity."

The British maritime security tracker UKMTO reported a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile seven nautical miles east of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

Global Response

The war has triggered significant political turbulence in Washington. Trump said he ordered the strikes because he believed Tehran was preparing to hit the US first- a justification that has drawn sharp scrutiny from Democrats. The US Senate is scheduled to vote on the War Powers Act to test whether Trump had the legal authority to launch the military campaign without congressional approval.

Trump publicly attacked UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying, “This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with," after Starmer refused to endorse the military operation or permit US forces to launch strikes from the joint UK-US base at Diego Garcia.

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