Summary: The article details escalating military actions between Israel, the U.S., and Iran, including Israeli evacuation warnings for neighborhoods in Beirut and strikes targeting Iran's ballistic missile capabilities. It reports retaliatory strikes by Iran and its proxies, widespread regional displacement, and significant disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns about a broadening conflict and global economic impact.
Main Topics Covered:
1. Military escalations and strikes between Israel/U.S. and Iran.
2. Evacuations and humanitarian impact in Lebanon.
3. Disruption of maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz.
4. Broader regional involvement and international responses.
Iran War Maps: Tracking the Mideast Conflict
Maps show where U.S. and Israel have struck Iran, and where Iran has retaliated.
Major developments — March 5
The Israeli military on Thursday warned residents to evacuate from four neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah holds sway. The warnings have prompted fears that Israel might begin a large-scale bombing campaign there.
Israeli officials told residents of the Burj al Brajneh and Hadath neighborhoods to head east toward Mount Lebanon and residents of the Shiya and Haret Hreik neighborhoods to move north toward Tripoli.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Lebanon since the latest onset of hostilities began, according to the United Nations. At least 102 people have been killed in Lebanon since Monday, according to a statement from the Lebanese health ministry.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTNATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile headed toward Turkey, the United States sank an Iranian Navy ship in international waters and several European nations deployed military assets to the region to protect their interests. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 4
A senior Iranian military official threatened this week to “set on fire” any ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. Vessels in the region have already come under attack since the conflict began on Feb. 28. Several oil and gas facilities have also been struck or affected by nearby shelling, though the damage did not initially appear to be catastrophic.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTTankers have been staying away from Hormuz since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that began on Saturday. A prolonged conflict could ripple broadly across the global economy, threatening the energy supplies of countries halfway around the world and stoking inflation.
On Monday, just two oil and gas tankers appear to have crossed the strait, according to a New York Times analysis of shipping activity from Kpler, an industry data firm. On Tuesday, one tanker passed through.
Since the U.S. and Israel jointly began attacking Iran on Saturday, destroying Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities has emerged as a top objective for President Trump despite the unlikelihood that it can be accomplished without ground troops.
A New York Times analysis of satellite imagery shows how these sites have been targeted since the Pentagon’s most recent air campaign against Iran began on February 28.
Strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile sites
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe State Department urged Americans to depart immediately from 14 Middle East countries, citing “serious safety risks.” Three U.S. embassies in the region ceased operations. Two of those embassies, one in Riyadh and one in Kuwait, were the subject of Iranian drone strikes in the first days of the conflict.
The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, striking Tehran, the capital, and other large cities in an assault that has since embroiled much of the region.
Iran responded with retaliatory strikes aimed at Israel and U.S. interests in the region, including U.S. facilities in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Officials in Jordan and Saudi Arabia said that they had intercepted Iranian attacks. Iranian proxy forces in Lebanon and Iraq also joined the fray, broadening the conflict.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe Israeli military told residents of dozens of towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate on Monday and Tuesday as it moved to seize more areas across the border in an escalating fight with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group.
Israeli forces on Monday told people within a few miles of the border to evacuate. They expanded the order on Tuesday to include more than 80 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, some more than 20 miles from the border, according to announcements posted to social media.
Tens of thousands of people in Lebanon have fled their homes, according to the United Nations. Attacks since Monday have killed at least 52 people there, Lebanon’s minister of social affairs, Haneen Sayed, told The New York Times.
Israel already controlled five military outposts inside Lebanon, close to the border. Its forces had refused to withdraw after reaching a cease-fire with Hezbollah in November 2024 following a year of fighting.
The latest rounds of attacks began when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel early Monday, prompting Israel to attack with a barrage of airstrikes targeting the group’s strongholds outside Beirut.
Israeli officials have said that the new advance is intended to better defend Israeli communities near the border, but military analysts said that Israel could be weighing a wider ground assault similar to the one it launched in 2024.
Meridiano
