Israel says it has plans for at least three weeks of war as airstrikes pound Iran

TEL AVIV/DUBAI: Israel said on Monday it had detailed plans for at ​least three more weeks of war as it pounded sites across Iran overnight, while Iranian drone attacks temporarily shut Dubai airport and hit a key oil facility in the United Arab Emirates.

The U.S.-Israeli war ‌on Iran is now entering its third week with no clear end in sight, largely shutting the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flow, pushing up energy prices and raising fears of a spike in global inflation.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called for a coalition of nations to help reopen the strait and said the U.S.-led NATO defence alliance faced a “very bad” future if its members failed to help.
But while allies voiced support for diplomatic efforts to reopen the route, they were cautious about joining any military ​action.

ISRAEL STILL HAS ‘THOUSANDS’ OF TARGETS IN IRAN

Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters there were detailed operational plans for the war with Iran for the next three weeks, and other plans extending further ​ahead.

Israel has said it wants to weaken Iran’s capacity to threaten it, striking ballistic missile infrastructure, nuclear facilities and the security apparatus, and that it still has thousands of ⁠targets to hit.

“We want to make sure that they are as weak as possible, this regime, and that we degrade all their capabilities, all parts and all wings of their security establishment,” Shoshani said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi for ​his part said Tehran had not asked for a ceasefire or exchanged messages with the U.S., according to Iran’s semi-official Student News Network.

In a post on X, Araqchi also said that some “neighbouring states” that host U.S. forces and permit attacks ​on Iran were also actively encouraging the killing of Iranians.

“Stances should be promptly clarified,” he said.

He said 200 children were among the hundreds of Iranian civilians killed in U.S. or Israeli bombings.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said five people had been killed and seven wounded in overnight strikes on Markazi province in central Iran.

It said that in Khomein city, in the same province, a boys’ school had been targeted, causing some damage to the surrounding area. No casualties were reported.

Fars News Agency reported that several civilians had been killed in a ​strike near Tehran’s Martyrs’ Square, without giving figures.

Rescue workers in Tehran worked to pull people from the wreckage of a building in what an Iranian Red Crescent aid worker said was an entirely residential alleyway.

“Rescue teams are currently pulling ​people out from under the rubble,” he said without giving his name.

ISRAEL CLAIMS STRIKES ON IRAN’S SPACE PROGRAM

The Israeli military said on Monday it was carrying out air strikes on Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz.
It said its Air Force had also struck sites linked ‌to Iran’s space ⁠program, including destroying a research facility in Tehran involved in developing a satellite launched in 2024.

One Tehran resident told Reuters that there had been no internet overnight and Iranians felt isolated from the world.
“People are being killed,” Shahnaz, 62, said via WhatsApp. “Just days before Nowruz (Iranian New Year, on March 20), but people are not in the mood to celebrate. When will this end?”

Asked if she supported the Islamic Republic, Shahnaz said: “No, I don’t. How can I? They killed my granddaughter in (January’s) protests. We want this regime to go. We want this misery to end.”

In Israel, air raid sirens warned of Iranian missiles. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Tehran had launched attacks on areas In Tel Aviv, the U.S. al-Dhafra air base ​in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. naval base in Bahrain, and ​Bahrain’s Sheikh Issa air base.

Furthermore, oil loading operations at ⁠the UAE port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman were suspended following an Iranian drone strike.
Fujairah is a key exit point for the UAE’s Murban crude – a volume equivalent to roughly 1% of global demand.

Flights at Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, were suspended for several hours after a drone strike on a nearby fuel storage facility ​sent plumes of black smoke into the sky. Saudi Arabia intercepted 34 drones in its eastern region in one hour, state media said. No injuries were reported in ​either incident.

Later on, Reuters reporters also heard ⁠booms in the Qatari capital, Doha.

OIL SLIPS ON BESSENT SHIPPING COMMENTS

Despite the turbulence, oil prices , , which had been above $100 a barrel, fell sharply and stocks rallied after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC the U.S. was “fine” to let some Iranian fuel vessels sail through the strait, and believed Indian and Chinese tankers had also passed through.

On Sunday, Trump ​had demanded that countries relying heavily on oil from the Gulf should help protect the strait, and said he hoped China, France, Japan, ​South Korea, Britain and others would participate.
However, many – including Germany, Italy, Greece, Japan and Australia – said they would not send warships.

Israel continued to strike Lebanon and Gaza, attacking Iran-backed Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas militants. The Israeli military said its troops had begun limited ground operations against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.