The Ministry of Defense of Kuwait says that "several" US warplanes have crashed in the country, and that all crew members survived. Meanwhile, Iran has launched several missile attacks against Israel, and several explosions have occurred in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Israel launched an intense wave of airstrikes early Monday morning against the southern neighborhoods of Beirut, after the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah entered the scene in the Iran conflict and carried out an attack with missiles and drones against northern Israel. The Israeli army stated on Monday that it was conducting simultaneous attacks with hundreds of aircraft in Iran and Lebanon and warned the Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah that it would "pay dearly" for opening fire on Israel.
As a result of these attacks, at least 31 people died and 150 others were injured early Monday morning on the outskirts of Beirut and southern Lebanon.
In addition, reporters and witnesses reported hearing several loud explosions in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama, and Kuwait City. In the latter, witnesses reported smoke near the US Embassy.
Major Asia-Pacific shipping companies suspend or reorganize operations in the Strait of Hormuz
Some of the major Asia-Pacific shipping companies announced on Monday the interruption or reorganization of their activities in the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global energy trade, amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
The Chinese state-owned shipping company Cosco Shipping stated that it is reorganizing the navigation of its vessels in the Persian Gulf, after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned on Sunday that maritime transit in the area "is no longer safe," in the midst of the expansion of the conflict in the Middle East following the joint US and Israel attack against Iran on Saturday.
In a customer advisory dated March 1, the company noted that vessels that have already entered the Gulf, once their operations are completed "when it is safe to do so," have been instructed to head to safe waters and remain anchored or adrift.
Iran appoints a Revolutionary Guard general as the new Minister of Defense
The Iranian President, Masud Pezeshkian, appointed Revolutionary Guard General Mayid Ibn al-Reza as the new Minister of Defense, following the death of Aziz Nasirzadeh in the attacks by Israel and the United States on Saturday.
The Deputy Chief of Communication and Information of the President's office, Mohammad Mahdi Tabatabaei, announced the appointment of al-Reza as interim minister, as reported by the official Irna news agency.
General Aziz Nasirzadeh, the Iranian Minister of Defense whose death was announced by Israel after the joint bombings with the United States, had held the position since August 2024.
Lebanon announces it will ban all Hezbollah military activity after its attack on Israel
The Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, announced on Monday that they will ban "all" military activity of the Shiite group Hezbollah and limit its political performance, after an attack by the movement against Israel triggered a large-scale aerial offensive against Lebanon.
"For everything they have done, we are going to immediately block all military and security activities of Hezbollah considering them illegal, we are going to force them to hand over their weapons to the Lebanese government and limit their work in the political sphere to constitutional frameworks," said the leader in a press conference.