Iran has threatened to target American universities in the Middle East since Monday, after reporting the destruction of two of its institutions of higher education by American-Israeli strikes in Tehran and Isfahan.
One month after the start of the war in the Middle East, airstrikes continued to shake the warring countries and their neighbors, causing new casualties, including around fifty in Lebanon. Here is what you need to know from the day.
The Middle East still under attack
American and Israeli strikes hit a quay at an Iranian port near the Strait of Hormuz, killing five, reported the official Iranian news agency IRNA. Overnight, the Israeli army also struck one of the two sites in Tehran used by the Iranian Ministry of Defense to produce ballistic missile components. Iran continued its retaliatory operations by injuring ten soldiers in Kuwait in an Iranian attack on their camp, while the United Arab Emirates were once again hit by missile and drone strikes. Meanwhile, Houthi rebels from Yemen launched a new missile “towards Israeli territory,” according to the Israeli state.
Israel expands its operations in Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli army to “further expand the security zone” forcibly established in southern Lebanon, where Israel has been conducting operations against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah since early March. This new ground phase aims to “definitively neutralize the invasion threat” from Hezbollah in northern Israel “and move away missile attacks from the border,” carried out by the Islamist movement. Earlier, the Israeli army announced the death “in combat” of one of its soldiers in southern Lebanon, the fifth killed in a month. The Lebanese Ministry of Health recorded 1,238 casualties from Israeli strikes in the country since March 2, including at least 49 this weekend.
Iran accuses the US of preparing a land operation
The Iranian Parliament President accused the United States of secretly planning a ground offensive while publicly conducting diplomatic efforts to end the war in the Middle East. “Our men are waiting for the arrival of American soldiers to attack them,” warned Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while the Iranian army stated that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier would be targeted if it approached within firing range.
According to unnamed American officials cited by The Washington Post, the United States is indeed preparing for several weeks of ground actions. These actions would not lead to a large-scale invasion of Iran but would involve raids into Iranian territory conducted by special forces and other soldiers. President Donald Trump has been ambiguous about this possibility for weeks.
Middle Eastern universities caught in the war
The University of Technology in the Iranian city of Isfahan claimed to have been hit for the second time in four days by an American-Israeli strike. “The attack on one of the university’s research institutes also damaged several other buildings and caused four minor injuries among the university staff,” the institution stated. The University of Science and Technology in Tehran was also damaged in bombings Friday to Saturday. In response, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards threatened “retaliation” against American universities in the Middle East starting on Monday. Shortly after, the American University of Beirut announced that its classes would be entirely conducted online on Monday and Tuesday, “as a precaution.”
Residents confined in Israel near a burning industrial zone
The Neot Hovav industrial zone, housing over 40 factories in southern Israel, was hit by a fire likely caused by “missile debris,” according to the Israeli army. “As a precaution, an incident involving hazardous materials was declared, and all factory employees were instructed to stay in protected areas,” the site management stated. The Israeli Home Front Command, responsible for civilian protection in emergencies, asked residents near the complex to stay at home due to the risk of toxic leaks. This is the second time in a month that an industrial installation has been affected in Israel. By the end of the day, the Revolutionary Guards claimed this attack in response to strikes “against the industrial centers of our dear Iran.”
