War expands as Iranian-backed militias join US-Israeli Iran strikes
By Associated Press, March 2, 2026Several U.S. warplanes crashed on Monday, March 2, 2026, in Kuwait, the country’s defence ministry said, with all the pilots safely bailing out.
The ministry did not elaborate on what caused the crashes, but they came during an intense period of Iranian fire targeting the country.
The Kuwaiti Defence Ministry said the pilots had been taken to a hospital for checkups and their condition was stable.
The U.S. military’s Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP), Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, apparently hitting the U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait, while Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran as the war expanded on Monday with statements of defiance and increasing casualties.
Fire and smoke rose from inside the embassy compound in Kuwait City, and an alarm wailed after the Iranian attack, which came not long after the U.S. issued a warning to Americans there to take cover and for others to stay away. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Meantime, as the American and Israeli airstrikes continued, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani vowed on X that “we will not negotiate with the United States.”
In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting U.S. troops at the Baghdad airport, the day after it said it fired at a U.S. base in the city of Irbil in the north, and Cyprus said a drone attack targeted a British base on the Mediterranean island nation.
Israel and the U.S. bombed Iranian missile sites and targeted its navy, claiming to have destroyed its headquarters and multiple warships.
Hezbollah fires on Israel
As the attacks on Iran continued, Hezbollah said it fired missiles from Lebanon into Israel early Monday in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and “repeated Israeli aggressions.” There were no reports of injuries or damage, and Israel said that it had intercepted one projectile while several fell in open areas.
Israel retaliated with strikes on Lebanon, killing at least 31 people and wounding 149 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. About two-thirds of the dead were in the country’s south.
Lebanon’s government said it was holding an emergency meeting after Hezbollah’s attack on Israel triggered the Israeli airstrikes.
Iran has been firing missiles at Israel and Arab states in a counteroffensive since the joint American-Israeli attack Saturday that killed Khamenei and many top Iranian officials.