Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: At least 555 people have been killed across Iran in US and Israeli strikes that began two days ago, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said on March 2 . In a post on Telegram, the humanitarian group said 131 cities have been affected so far by what it described as “Zionist-American terrorist attacks” carried out in various regions of the country.
“Regrettably, 555 of our compatriots have been killed,” it said, adding that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The Red Crescent said in its post that rescue teams are present in affected areas, with more than 100,000 responders on full alert nationwide. It also said a network of around four million volunteers is on standby to provide humanitarian aid, assistance and psychosocial support.
Meanwhile, Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and several Arab states as Israel and the United States continued strikes on Iranian targets, expanding the conflict, according to AP.
In Kuwait City, fire and smoke were seen rising from inside the US Embassy compound after it was apparently hit. Kuwait’s defence ministry said “several” American warplanes had crashed in the country, adding that the pilots were hospitalised in stable condition. The US military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. There were no immediate reports of casualties at the embassy compound.
As airstrikes continued, senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani said on X that Iran would not negotiate with the United States. In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting US troops at Baghdad airport, a day after it said it fired at a US base in Irbil. Cyprus also reported a drone attack targeting a British base on the Mediterranean island.
