US tells Americans in Lebanon to take shelter as Israeli strikes kill over 480 in a week

The United States has urged its citizens in Lebanon to take shelter as the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran intensifies across the Middle East, with Israeli strikes reported to have killed 486 people over the past week.

Even as violence continued to spread across the region, US President Donald Trump said Washington and Tel Aviv were closing in on their military objectives in Iran and suggested the war could end soon.

Speaking in interviews with American media outlets, Republican lawmakers and later at a press briefing, Trump said the military campaign was progressing faster than expected. “I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” he told CBS News, adding that the operation was “very far ahead of schedule”.

At a separate briefing, Trump said the United States had made significant progress toward its goals. “We are achieving major strides towards completing our military objective,” he said.

The US President also claimed that thousands of targets inside Iran had already been struck and that the remaining ones could be eliminated quickly if needed. “We could take them out in one day,” he said, though he made it clear that Washington was not yet ready to end the operation.

“We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” Trump added, saying the administration was “nowhere near” deciding whether to deploy US troops on Iranian soil.

Despite the continuing escalation, Trump maintained that the conflict might soon come to an end. “The war will be over very soon,” he said.

Escalation across the region

Hostilities have continued on multiple fronts as Iran stepped up missile and drone attacks on Israeli and US-linked targets across the Middle East, while Israel launched fresh strikes inside Iran and against groups aligned with Tehran.

According to Iranian media, a US-Israeli airstrike in the western Iranian city of Arak hit a residential building, killing five people and injuring several others.

Israel also said it had targeted around 30 sites linked to Al-Qard al-Hasan, a financial association accused by Israel and the United States of helping fund Hezbollah operations, including weapons purchases and payments to fighters.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that a drone was intercepted over the country’s northern border after sirens sounded in towns in the western Galilee region.

The conflict has also spilled into neighbouring countries. Airstrikes hit the headquarters of Iraq’s Hashd Shaabi forces near Kirkuk, killing four fighters and injuring 12 others, according to security sources.

Global tensions and oil fears

The widening conflict has rattled global energy markets, particularly after Iran warned it could block oil shipments through the strategic Strait of Hormuz — a key route for global crude supplies.

The United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran triggered the biggest spike in oil prices since the upheaval following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though prices later eased after Trump signaled possible de-escalation.

Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the Iran conflict, the war in Ukraine and the potential impact of the crisis on global energy markets.

“I had a very good call with President Putin,” Trump told reporters, adding that the Russian leader wanted to be helpful in addressing the situation in Iran.

As tensions continued to mount, Senator Lindsey Graham urged Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to join the United States if Iran escalates attacks in the region, underscoring fears that the conflict could draw in more countries.