Iran war: What is happening on day 18 of US-Israel attacks? 

The United States-Israel war on Iran continues to intensify as attacks on multiple cities kill civilians, including a newborn baby and his two-year-old sister in Arak city.

The conflict has spread as Iran has retaliated against US assets in neighbouring countries, while Israel has carried out bombing in southern Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group.

The war has pushed oil prices sharply higher, disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and displaced millions of civilians across the region.

An Amnesty International investigation found that the US is responsible for the attack that killed at least 170 people, including more than 160 girls, at a primary school in Minab, Iran.

Here is what we know:

In Iran

• Attacks on Iranian cities: A series of large explosions were reported in northern Tehran near the Saadabad Palace complex, following earlier attacks on central Tehran, Karaj, Shahriar and Shiraz.
• A three-day-old infant and his two-year-old sister were among those killed in a US-Israeli attack that hit their home in the city of Arak, according to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The children’s mother and grandmother were also killed in the attack, Iran’s English-language news channel Press TV cited the IRGC as saying.
• Iranian retaliation and stance: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended Tehran’s right to self-defence, saying Iran did not start the war and will not surrender to “bullies”.
• Iranian primary school: An Amnesty International investigation confirmed that a US attack on an Iranian primary school killed at least 170 people, most of whom were schoolgirls.
• Rising casualties: At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured by US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28.

In the Gulf

• UAE airspace closure: The UAE also announced a temporary closure of its airspace as its defence forces responded to incoming missiles and drones.
• Qatar: Qatar’s Ministry of Defence says a missile was intercepted, and civil defence workers were later reported to be dealing with a “limited fire” in an industrial zone caused by falling missile debris. Earlier, the country’s Defence Ministry reported successfully intercepting and destroying 13 out of 14 ballistic missiles launched from Iran.
• Kuwait: A spokesman for Kuwait’s National Guard says a drone was taken down in line with “ongoing efforts to enhance security” and “protect vital sites”. Earlier, the country’s Ministry of Interior arrested 14 Kuwaitis and two Lebanese nationals affiliated with Hezbollah, who were allegedly planning a “sabotage plot” within the Gulf nation.
• Bahrain: The country announced it has neutralised 129 missiles and 221 drones since the war began more than two weeks ago.
• Saudi Arabia: A Saudi Ministry of Defense spokesperson says 12 drones were intercepted in the Eastern region of the kingdom.

In Israel

• Netanyahu sends Nowruz wishes: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent wishes to Iranians for the coming Nowruz holidays, marking the Persian new year.
• Hezbollah targets Israeli city: Hezbollah said it launched an attack on Monday against the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, where Israeli first responders reported a man was wounded.
• Shrapnel falls on Jerusalem holy sites: Israeli police said they found missile and interceptor fragments at holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, including areas near the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday said displaced Lebanese will not be allowed to return home until the north of Israel is safe. More than a million Lebanese have been displaced since Israel launched attacks on the country. His comments came after the Israeli military announced “limited ground operations” in Lebanon.

In the US

• Trump wants Hormuz ‘enthusiasm’: US President Donald Trump stepped up pressure on the United Kingdom and France, in particular, to help secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has shut down, sending global oil prices soaring.
• European leaders reject Trump’s demands: Germany said it has no intention of joining the US-Israeli war, and the European Union foreign policy chief noted that European nations have “no appetite” to send troops.
• Trump calls Iran ‘paper tiger’: “This is a paper tiger we’re dealing with,” he said. Iran has closed access to the Strait of Hormuz “to our enemies”.
• Vance backs Trump: Vice President JD Vance said he supported Trump’s action despite his reluctance towards previous US military interventions.“We have a smart president, whereas in the past, we’ve had dumb presidents, and I trust President Trump to get the job done, to do a good job for the American people,” Vance said.
• Trip to China: Trump announced that he has asked to delay his upcoming trip to China by a month. The trip was originally scheduled for the end of March, but Trump explained that he needs to remain in the US while the conflict is ongoing, telling reporters, “We’ve got a war going on.”

In Lebanon

• Residents in the Lebanese village of Arab al-Jal in southern Lebanon have been ordered by Israel’s military to flee in advance of an imminent attack.
• Israel’s Lebanon ground offensive an ‘error’: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon was an “error” which would “further exacerbate the already highly tense humanitarian situation” in the country.

In Iraq

• An air attack on a house in Baghdad’s Jadriya district killed four people and left several wounded, a security source told Al Jazeera.
• Baghdad hotel attack: A drone sparked a fire Monday at a luxury hotel frequented by foreign diplomats in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, shortly before air defences foiled a rocket attack at the US Embassy.
• Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah commander killed: Iraq’s powerful armed group Kataib Hezbollah said its senior security commander Abu Ali al-Askari had been killed, without providing details on the circumstances of his death.
• Iraqi government response: The Iraqi government strongly condemned the attacks on the US Embassy, the Baghdad hotel, and a major oilfield in the country’s south, labelling them “terrorist attacks”.

Global economic effect

• Financial and energy markets: The war has severely disrupted global financial and energy markets, with crude oil prices surging by about 50 percent since the US-Israeli joint attacks began. Brent crude recently hit $106 per barrel.
• Japan starts releasing oil stocks: Japan said it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves after the International Energy Agency indicated earlier that the release would begin in Asia and Oceania before other regions.