Kathmandu. The conflict between Israel, Iran and its allies has spread across the Middle East after Israel launched a massive bombing across Iran-backed Lebanon.

Tensions triggered by a major US-backed attack on Iran and the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have escalated into a regional war.

The Tehran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah said it had fired rockets and drones into Israel in retaliation for Khamenei’s killing. Explosions were heard in the capital Beirut in the early hours of the morning as people fled their homes in the Sidon area.

Meanwhile, the US military has expanded its operations on strategic targets inside Iran. Washington says it has destroyed the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran has responded by firing missiles and drones at Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and other Gulf countries. At least nine people were killed and dozens wounded in the attacks near Tel Aviv and in the Beit Shemesh area. He was also injured in Jerusalem.

Explosions were also reported in Doha, Dubai and Manama. At least four people have been confirmed dead in retaliatory attacks in the Gulf region. Inside Iran, the Red Crescent says 201 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the latest attacks. Iran’s judiciary confirmed that Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei, and General Mohammad Pakpour, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, were killed.

U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to avenge the death of the first U.S. soldier. According to the Pentagon, three US soldiers have been killed in Operation ‘Epic Fury’. Trump called on Iran’s security forces to give up their arms, warning them of “certain death” if they resisted.

However, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, said there would be no talks with the United States. President Massoud Pejeskian declared Khamenei’s killing a declaration of war on Muslims and reserved the right to retaliate. After Khamenei’s death, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi was appointed to the Interim Leadership Council.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called Hezbollah’s rocket attack an “irresponsible move” that put the country at greater risk. At least 17 people have been killed in an attack on the US consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, officials say.

Israel and the United States have called on Iranians to stand up against the regime. Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, also urged him to wait for the right time. Khamenei’s death has sparked mixed reactions in Iran — celebrates, anti-American protests.

The confrontation took place two days after talks over Tehran’s nuclear program took place in the Strait of Hormuz. Ships have been attacked and prices have soared in the global oil market after Iran threatened to close the waterway. The Pentagon denies that nine Iranian naval ships have been sunk, although Iran has claimed that it targeted the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

Israel-Iran tensions appear to have escalated from limited confrontation to regional conflicts, with serious implications for both the security balance in the Middle East and the global economy.