Iran War Expands Across Middle East as Bahrain Oil Site Hit and Lebanon Death Toll Surges
The widening war between the United States, Israel and Iran has begun disrupting critical maritime trade routes and triggering fresh military and humanitarian crises across the Middle East, with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz collapsing, new strikes hitting Gulf energy infrastructure, and fighting intensifying along Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Shipping and logistics data released Thursday indicated that vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints, has nearly halted as the conflict escalates.
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| Representational Image: US Central Command |
The shutdown could rapidly affect food supplies across the Arabian Peninsula, where more than 50 million people depend heavily on imported agricultural goods and where over 90 percent of food consumption relies on overseas shipments.
The latest wave of Iranian-linked strikes has also reached Bahrain, where authorities confirmed that a facility in the industrial town of Maameer, south of the capital Manama, was targeted on Thursday.
The area houses oil refinery installations and factories that form part of the kingdom’s industrial infrastructure. Bahrain’s interior ministry said a fire broke out at the site but was quickly contained and caused only limited damage. No casualties were reported and the refinery remained operational, though air raid sirens sounded across the country earlier in the day as residents were urged to seek shelter.
The regional conflict also continues to intensify along Israel’s northern frontier. Lebanon’s health ministry has now said that at least 102 people have been killed and 638 wounded since clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement erupted earlier this week.
The fighting began after Hezbollah launched rocket attacks toward northern Israel, prompting Israeli strikes across large parts of Lebanon, including southern regions and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israeli forces have since expanded operations while evacuations continue in areas near the border.
Inside Iran, the humanitarian impact of the U.S.–Israeli airstrike campaign is becoming increasingly visible. Iran’s Health Ministry said strikes have damaged key parts of the country’s medical infrastructure, including 11 hospitals, seven emergency bases, nine ambulances, a medical laboratory, two pharmaceutical manufacturing plants and a national emergency command center. Iranian officials said at least four healthcare workers — including a radiology technician, a general practitioner, an emergency medical technician and an orthopedic resident — were killed, while 28 others were injured.
Air travel across the Gulf remains heavily disrupted, though some limited recovery has begun. Emirates Airlines has said on Thursday it had started restoring a restricted schedule of flights in and out of Dubai as portions of regional airspace gradually reopened.
The carriers have cautioned that operations remain fluid and urged passengers not to travel to airports unless they have confirmed bookings, as many routes remain suspended due to ongoing security concerns.
The widening conflict is also drawing new international military coordination. France, Italy and Greece have agreed to work together to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea after rising disruptions to shipping routes linked to the war. The move followed consultations between French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Military activity, drone strikes, shipping disruptions and diplomatic tensions are now being reported across over a dozen countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Oman, Azerbaijan and even the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka.
With global shipping routes disrupted, regional infrastructure under attack and multiple armed actors entering the conflict, the war has evolved into a broader geopolitical crisis whose economic and security consequences now extend far beyond the Middle East battlefield.