The Iranian Arena
Extensive strikes in Iran took place over the weekend (March 6–7). During the weekend, the Israeli Air Force attacked more than 400 targets in Iran and dropped approximately 1,465 munitions on regime military sites, including ballistic missile launchers and weapons production facilities.
In Tehran, more than 80 Israeli Air Force fighter jets dropped approximately 230 munitions. The IDF destroyed 16 cargo aircraft used by the Quds Force to transfer weapons to Hezbollah in a strike on Mehrabad Airport. The IDF also attacked several fuel depots in Tehran, including the large “Shahr Rey” oil depot, the Shahran depot, and the Nobonyad depot, as well as the military refineries in Tehran, in order to damage regime infrastructure and national infrastructure. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps university was also attacked; according to the IDF spokesperson, various assets serving the regime’s military forces had been established at the site. In addition, a missile unit storage site containing bunkers and launch infrastructure was attacked, as well as an underground site for missile storage and production.
Shahid Dastgheib Airport in Shiraz was also attacked, and at least five Iranian military aircraft were destroyed.
In Isfahan, the IDF attacked F-14 fighter aircraft at the airport and detection and defense systems.
The Israeli Air Force attacked the regime’s two most important ballistic missile production sites in the Parchin and Shahroud areas.
There were also reports of strikes on oil depots in Karaj, as well as additional strikes in Sanandaj, Yazd, Qazvin, and Tabriz.
According to U.S. Central Command, American forces attacked more than 3,000 targets during the first week of the war. Forty-three Iranian vessels were destroyed or damaged. Three regional headquarters of the IRGC Navy were also attacked.
The United States is sending the aircraft carrier George Bush to the Middle East (the third American aircraft carrier to be deployed to the region since the beginning of the war).
Iran Attacks Targets in the Middle East
The President of Iran apologized over the weekend to the countries of the region and announced that the Temporary Leadership Council had decided that Iran would not launch attacks against neighboring countries unless attacks against Iran originated from those countries. A similar statement was also issued by the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stating that “they are committed to the principle of good neighborliness and will not attack any country unless it is attacked from its territory.” In contrast, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Qalibaf, stated that as long as American bases exist on the territory of neighboring countries, they will not enjoy peace and tranquility. The head of the Iranian judiciary expressed a similar position. Later, the President of Iran expressed a more forceful stance and declared that Iran would continue to attack areas of hostility regardless of its relations with neighboring countries.
Statements (lies) aside, reality is different. Over the weekend, the pattern of attacks attributed to Iran and its proxies continued across the Gulf and the region. The attacks included a combination of missiles and UAVs against military and civilian targets, alongside interceptions by regional states.
United Arab Emirates: Over the weekend, several targets in the country were attacked, including Ben Zayed Airport in Abu Dhabi and the airport in Dubai. In addition, a residential building and a hotel in Dubai were attacked by UAVs. The UAE Ministry of Defense announced that it intercepted 16 ballistic missiles launched toward the country and that another missile fell into the sea.
The President of the United Arab Emirates stated: “We are at war. We will fulfill our duty toward our country, toward our people, and toward the residents living here who are also part of our family. We have thick skin – we are not easy prey.”
Reports that, for the first time since the beginning of the war, the United Arab Emirates carried out a retaliatory strike on a desalination facility in Iran were denied by the Emirati authorities.
Bahrain: The attacks in the country included strikes on oil facilities and a desalination plant, as well as damage to civilian buildings in the capital Manama, including a hotel and residential homes.
Kuwait: Over the weekend, several targets in the country were attacked, including Ali Al-Salem base and an American radar station. It was also reported that the National Insurance building in the capital was hit, and that a UAV struck jet fuel storage tanks at Kuwait International Airport.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia announced that it intercepted three ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward Prince Sultan Base.
Jordan: An attack on a military base in the country was reported. At the same time, a spokesperson for the Jordanian army stated that since the beginning of the war, 60 missiles and 59 UAVs have been fired toward critical targets in the country.
The maritime arena: An attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was reported.
These events indicate the continuation of multi-theater activity that includes attacks against military bases, energy and water infrastructure, airports, and civilian buildings, with extensive use primarily of UAVs but also missiles, as well as activity by pro-Iranian proxies alongside attacks attributed directly to Iran.
Iraq
Over the weekend, Kurdish targets in Erbil were attacked. At the same time, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was attacked using a suicide UAV and several missiles. An oil facility belonging to the American company KBR in the Basra area in southern Iraq was also attacked. The Iranian proxy “The Islamic Resistance in Iraq” claimed responsibility for 50 attacks over the weekend, carried out using missiles and UAVs against targets in Iraq and in countries across the region.
At the same time, a pro-Iranian militia called “Kataeb Jund al-Karrar,” which claims to operate from Syrian territory, has in recent days claimed responsibility for several additional attacks, including an attack on a U.S. forces base in Al-Tanf in Syria, attacks on Israeli targets in the Golan Heights, and an attack on a military base in Jordan. We are unable to verify this, and it may in fact be a cover name for activity by Iraqi Shiite militias operating from Iraqi territory.
The Israeli Arena
During the weekend (March 6–7), 19 Iranian attack waves toward Israel were identified using ballistic missiles. Most of the attacks were directed toward the Tel Aviv area (63.2%), while 26.3% of the attacks were directed toward southern Israel and 10.5% toward the Jerusalem area.
Since the beginning of the operation (February 28), 165 attack waves have been identified in total using ballistic missiles and UAVs. Geographically, the central region, particularly the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, was the primary target of the attacks (38.5%), followed by the south (23.1%), the north (21.3%), and the Jerusalem area (17.2%).
The high concentration of attacks on the Tel Aviv area (where approximately 4 million Israelis reside) may indicate a deliberate focus on population concentrations and Israel’s main urban and economic centers, with the aim of maximizing psychological impact and civilian harm.
In terms of the number of daily attack waves, after a peak on March 1 (55 attack waves), a gradual decline in the number of daily waves was recorded. In recent days, a relative stabilization at a lower level of attacks has been observed, with 7 attack waves identified on March 6 and12 attack waves on March 7.
Since the beginning of the war, 12 civilians in Israel have been killed, and more than 1,900 have been injured to varying degrees. In the last 24 hours alone, approximately 150 civilians were injured. More than 3,000 residents have been forced to leave their homesdue to missile strikes and interception debris. The main cities in which impacts from Iranian missiles were recorded are Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan, Petah Tikva, Beit Shemesh, and Be’er Sheva.
Since Hezbollah joined the war (March 2), it has carried out a total of 192 attack waves toward Israeli territory, including launches of rockets, missiles, and UAVs (the number refers to the number of attack waves, not the number of munitions fired toward Israel).
During the weekend (March 6–7), Hezbollah carried out 89 attack waves toward Israel using rockets, UAVs, and anti-tank missiles. The data indicate a significant increase in the scope of activity compared to the first days of the conflict.
The main areas targeted by Hezbollah are the frontline communities, the communities of the Galilee, the Krayot, and Haifa. By conducting heavy fire, Hezbollah seeks to create a “picture of victory” from its perspective and to force residents of the frontline communities in Israel to evacuate their homes, similar to the days of the war that began in October 2023. Hezbollah is also carrying out attacks against IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon, and during the weekend 8 soldiers were wounded.
In terms of firing patterns, Hezbollah’s main weapons are rockets and missiles, and over the weekend they constituted the majority of the attacks (about 67%), while about 31.8% of the attacks were carried out using UAVs, and in a single case an anti-tank missile was used against IDF forces. This trend indicates continued extensive use of UAVs alongside massive rocket fire.
An examination of the daily trend shows fluctuations in the scope of the attacks: on the first day of Hezbollah’s entry into the war (2.3), 12 attack waves were recorded. On the second day (3.3), 23 attack waves were recorded. On the third day (4.3), which was the most intense so far, 47 attack waves were carried out. On the fourth day (March 5), 21 attack waves were recorded, on the fifth day (March 6), 43 attack waves, and on the sixth day (March 7), 46 attack waves.
During the weekend, minor damage was reported to private homes, public buildings, and infrastructure in northern Israel, mainly from direct rocket impacts that fell in populated and unpopulated areas. One of Hezbollah’s rockets struck a chicken coop in one of the border communities.
Lebanon and Hezbollah
Over the past two days, extensive waves of attacks continued in Dahieh, southern Lebanon, and the Beqaa. In southern Lebanon, airstrikes and artillery fire targeted a series of locations including Qana, the Zaita–Anqoun axis, the Al-Gharbiya axis, Aaytit, Kounine, Tebnine, Al-Tiri, Al-Sultaniya, Al-Khiam, Al-Shaaitiya, Rashaf, Sabrine, Kabrikha, and Majdal Selm.
The IDF attacked senior commanders of the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were operating in Beirut. According to Arab sources, in the strike on the Ramada Hotel in Beirut, five members of the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force were eliminated, including the finance officer of the Lebanon Corps, Majed Husseini; the intelligence representative of the IRGC in Lebanon, Ali Baazazar; the intelligence officer of the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force, Ahmad Rasouli; and the head of the “Zionist file” in the Quds Force, Hossein Ahmadlou. At this stage we are unable to verify these reports.
The IDF also attacked the Raouche Hotel in Beirut; according to Israel, the target was “senior commanders” of “Filaq Lebanon,” subordinate to the Quds Force.
Following the IDF warning and the strikes, it was reported that more than 150 Iranians, including diplomats, left Lebanon over the weekend.
During the weekend strikes, commanders from the Radwan Force were also targeted.
During an IDF ground activity in Nabi Sheet in the Beqaa, exchanges of fire developed with Hezbollah operatives. The purpose of the activity was to obtain findings regarding the missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad, who was taken captive in the 1980s. As a result of the exchanges of fire, 26 Lebanese (Hezbollah operatives and Lebanese security personnel) were killed.
UNIFIL forces reported three wounded as a result of two attacks on their base in the village of Al-Kozah. At this stage it is not known who attacked the base.
The number of registered displaced persons has exceeded 450,000, reaching 454,000 people. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held a meeting with ministers and provincial governors to coordinate the response to the waves of displacement.
Army Commander Rodolphe Haikal stated that the army is operating under particularly difficult conditions, carrying out a redeployment in southern Lebanon and continuing to monitor developments along the Lebanon–Syria border. According to him, the army stands “at an equal distance from all Lebanese” and operates out of overall national responsibility. Haikal emphasized that the solution in Lebanon is not purely military, but requires the completion of political and official efforts. He noted that the army is also accompanying the wave of displacement and working to protect the centers hosting the displaced and their surroundings.
Against the background of the war, governmental discussion continues regarding the functioning of the state, crisis management, and the political preparation for postponing the elections. The proposal to delay the elections and extend the parliament’s term by two years is gaining a clear majority.
Efforts are continuing to stabilize coordination channels between Hezbollah and Nabih Berri, against the background of the war, government decisions, and the internal debate in Lebanon. According to reports, Hezbollah’s leadership tasked Mohammad Fneish with managing coordination with Nabih Berri regarding the handling of the fighting and internal challenges. Fneish met with Berri in Ain al-Tineh and conveyed a message from Naim Qassem. According to the report, the message included a detailed explanation of the considerations that led Hezbollah to decide to respond at the current time. It was also reported that Hezbollah again expressed confidence in Berri to lead the political negotiations when conditions become ripe. According to the same line, it was clarified that the previous agreement, which Hezbollah claims Israel did not respect, should serve as the basis for any future arrangement. At the same time, the need to maintain internal unity and prevent a slide into chaos was emphasized.
Among the public, a growing critical line continues regarding Hezbollah’s decision to bring Lebanon into the confrontation, particularly in light of the cost of destruction and displacement. The recurring message in Lebanese publications is that the Lebanese are paying the price for a decision that was not taken by the state.
Alongside the fighting, international efforts to halt the deterioration are continuing, but according to reports there has not yet been a real breakthrough. French President Emmanuel Macron again spoke with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun. According to reports, this was the third conversation between them within two days. According to Lebanese sources, Aoun and Berri continue to consult regarding the French proposal.
According to the IDF spokesperson, during the past week more than 600 targets in Lebanon were attacked using over 820 munitions. Among the targets were approximately 115 Radwan Force targets, about 80 assets in general Hezbollah use, about 50 high-value targets, and more than 200 targets that constituted real-time threats.
In Beirut, 27 waves of attacks were completed, including five focused waves of attacks in the Dahieh area.
In addition, about 200 operatives were eliminated, including 80 Radwan operatives and about 70 operatives from the artillery array. Among those eliminated were: a commander at the military leadership level (commander of the fire management and support array), two operatives equivalent in role to brigade commanders, and three operatives equivalent in role to battalion commanders.
Syria
Over the past day, Damascus continued to promote a public line of coordination with Lebanon, emphasizing “new relations” between the two countries and attempting to present itself as a stabilizing actor rather than an escalating one. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa held a lengthy phone conversation, lasting more than an hour, with the head of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, Sami Gemayel.
According to the report, the conversation addressed regional developments, the war taking place in the region, and the future of relations between Lebanon and Syria. Al-Sharaa emphasized that relations between Syria and Lebanon should be based on mutual respect between the two states, as well as economic cooperation and coordination for the benefit of both peoples. During the conversation he also explained that the Syrian military deployment along the border with Lebanon and Iraq is intended to secure the borders and maintain stability in Syria.
Syria opened the Al-Arida crossing for Syrians returning from Lebanon. At this stage, the crossing is open only to pedestrians and in one direction—from Lebanon to Syria.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Iranian attack that struck a building in Bahrain where forces of the Emirati and Qatari navies were staying as part of the Unified Maritime Center of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In its statement, the ministry described the attack as “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Bahrain and a threat to its security and stability.” Syria expressed solidarity with both Bahrain and Qatar. Damascus again emphasized its opposition to any aggressive action intended to undermine regional stability.
The International Arena
Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, threatened Iran not to fire missiles toward Turkey again.
In Azerbaijan, it was reported that a terrorist cell operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was thwarted while planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the country. The main target was reportedly a central energy pipeline as well as targets connected to the Jewish community.
China’s Foreign Minister said that the war “should not have happened” and called for a diplomatic solution.
The United Kingdom is preparing for a possible deployment of the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to the Middle East
