War in the Middle East: latest developments

PARIS — Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Monday:

IEA chief warns of crisis

International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said "the global economy is facing a major, major threat" and compared the current energy crisis to those of the 1970s and the impact of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

"This crisis as things stand is now two oil crises and one gas crash put all together," Birol said, adding that no country will be immune to its effects.

Gulf nations targeted

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were repelling fresh attacks on Monday morning, while sirens sounded in Bahrain.

Abu Dhabi authorities said an Indian national had been wounded by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile.

People visit Behesht-e Zahra cemetery to honor their deceased relatives on the last day of Eid al-Fitr in Tehran, Iran on March 22, 2026. Residents of Tehran flocked to Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, where both civilians and soldiers killed in the clashes are buried, due to Nowruz and Eid al-Fitr. (Credit: AFP)

Israel launches 'wide-scale' strikes

Israel's military announced it launched "a wide-scale wave of strikes" on Tehran Monday morning.

Iranian media reported explosions ringing out over the capital, while an AFP journalist saw a thick column of black smoke rising at least an hour later.

Macron affirms France's backing of Saudi Arabia

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to express "solidarity" with the kingdom and reiterate France's commitment to contributing to air defences against Iranian missiles and drones.

One dead in attack on Iranian broadcaster

One person was killed in an overnight US-Israeli attack on a broadcaster in the coastal area of Bandar Abbas, Iranian state-run television reported.

Iraqi group extends pause in US embassy attacks

Kataeb Hezbollah -- an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq -- says it will extend its five-day pause on attacking the US embassy in Baghdad, announced Thursday.

Since the start of the war in the Middle East, pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for near-daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.

Waving the Iraqi flag and holding up placards with the image of the assassinated Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iraqis rally in support of neighbouring Iran, in the al-Aamil district of Baghdad on March 22, 2026. On February 28, Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran killing its supreme leader and triggering a war that spread across the Middle East and unleashed chaos across global markets and sent oil prices soaring. (Credit: AFP)

Lebanon says Iran commanding Hezbollah operations

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards are commanding Hezbollah's operations in the group's war against Israel.

In an interview with the Al Hadath network, Salam once again lashed out at Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets at Israel.

Israel to expand Lebanon ground ops

Israel's military will expand its ground operations in Lebanon against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, its army chief said, warning that the offensive "has only (just) begun".

"We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.

'Weeks' more war

Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised briefing that the country faces "weeks" more fighting against both Iran and Hezbollah.

Iraq strikes

Three strikes targeted an influential pro-Iranian armed group in its stronghold south of Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said.

The group is a former paramilitary coalition called Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). It is part of Iraq's regular armed forces, but also includes some pro-Iranian groups.

The strikes came after an attack targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad International Airport, Iraqi officials told AFP.

A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Qasmiyeh bridge, located on a main highway linking villages in the Tyre district with others further north, after Israel said the bridge was being used by Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon on March 22, 2026. (Credit: AFP)

Israel probes civilian death

Israel's military said it was investigating whether its own fire killed an Israeli civilian near the Lebanese border, in an area where Hezbollah claimed an attack.

Israeli emergency workers said earlier a man was killed in a "direct hit" on his car by a rocket from Lebanon, making him the first fatality in the country's north since the latest round of fighting with Hezbollah broke out.

But the Israeli army later said it was "conducting a comprehensive investigation", including "the possibility that the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers".

West Bank arson

Palestinian residents said Israeli settlers had torched buildings and cars in attacks on several villages in the occupied West Bank, the latest violence after a spate of killings of Palestinians by Israelis in the area since the start of the war.

Lebanon condemns Israeli strikes

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun slammed Israeli strikes on bridges and other infrastructure in the country's south, calling such attacks a "prelude to a ground invasion".

Israel's defence minister said he ordered bridges in the area to be hit after alleging they were used by Iran-backed Hezbollah.