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Mar 2, 2026 3:07 PM - Connect Newsroom - Ramandeep Kaur with files from The Canadian Press
Heavy exchanges of fire were reported Monday between Hezbollah and Israel following what officials described as a joint U.S.–Israeli military strike on Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would respond to the deaths of American troops and warned that any conflict involving Iran could last “several weeks.” It was not immediately clear how many U.S. personnel were killed or where the deaths occurred. U.S. officials had not publicly released further operational details at the time of publication.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed its missile strikes targeted the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the headquarters of Israel’s air force commander. Israeli authorities had not confirmed damage to those sites by publication time.
According to Iranian officials, about 555 people have been killed across more than 130 cities in Iran since the start of the reported U.S.–Israeli military action. Israeli authorities said 11 people have been killed in Israel. Connect Newsroom has not independently verified the casualty figures from either side.
The exchange marks a significant escalation involving state and non-state actors in the region. Military officials in Israel and Iran have not publicly outlined timelines for further operations.
Context
The escalation raises concerns about wider regional involvement, including cross-border attacks from Lebanon. Officials in Washington and Jerusalem have not detailed the scope or duration of the current operation.
