A coordinated wave of US and Israeli airstrikes hit military, intelligence, and energy targets deep inside Iran and Iraq. In response, Iranian forces and their proxies launched widespread drone attacks targeting Israel, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Extensive US-Israeli Offensive on Iranian Territory
On March 9, 2026, a massive joint aerial campaign by the United States and Israel struck numerous high-value targets across the Middle East. According to
News from the Field on Telegram, a channel with a strongly pro-Israel and anti-Iran editorial stance, the Israeli Air Force dropped
more than 170 bombs simultaneously on Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. The strikes targeted the Quds Force headquarters, anti-aircraft missile production sites, and Basij military checkpoints. The IDF Spokesperson explicitly framed the operation as
"part of the phase of deepening the damage to the core systems of the Iranian regime".
The offensive reportedly extended beyond military targets. Citing Iranian opposition sources, News from the Field noted that Israel attacked an oil depot near the city of Qom, explicitly noting this was done "despite the US request not to attack energy infrastructure."
Assassinations and Regional Proxy Targets
The airstrikes also resulted in high-profile casualties among Iranian leadership. Quoting the Iranian news agency ILNA, Israeli sources reported that
Deputy Intelligence Minister Akbar Ghafari was killed in the joint US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, while Iranian Air Force base commander Ismail Dehghan was killed in a strike on a residential building in Arak. In Lebanon, Iranian state media claimed Israel assassinated
"four Iranian diplomats" in Beirut strikes, a framing that contrasts heavily with Israeli sources which typically label such figures as terror operatives.
Simultaneously, coalition forces targeted Iranian proxy networks in Iraq. US airstrikes hit the Al-Saqr camp in Baghdad, a known pro-Iranian militia facility. Additionally, reports from Al-Arabiya highlighted by Israeli channels indicated that an airstrike on a militia base near the Iraq-Syria border left approximately 20 dead and wounded, completely destroying the installation.
Iranian Retaliation Across the Gulf
In immediate response to the coalition strikes, Iranian forces and their regional proxies launched a widespread counter-offensive using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The IDF reported intercepting drones launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory, noting that the IAF had destroyed
more than 250 Iranian UAVs, launchers, and launch sites.
The retaliatory strikes heavily impacted neighboring Gulf states. Reports emerged of Iranian UAVs attacking the US embassy in Riyadh and oil fields in Saudi Arabia, as well as striking a residential building in Dubai.
Cross-Narrative Analysis
While the primary source channels in this dataset—News from the Field and
Israel News | Uncensored Israel News—are Hebrew-language platforms exhibiting a clear pro-Israel and pro-US bias, they frequently aggregate reports from Arab and Iranian state media to build their narrative.
The Israeli/Hebrew Framing: Describes the joint offensive as a necessary and overwhelmingly successful operation against a "terror regime." The destruction of Iranian capabilities is emphasized, alongside the IDF's successful interception of incoming threats.
The Iranian/Arab Framing (as aggregated): Focuses heavily on the civilian and diplomatic toll of the strikes. Iranian agencies explicitly labeled the Beirut casualties as "diplomats" and highlighted strikes on residential buildings in Arak. Meanwhile, the targeting of Saudi and Emirati infrastructure by Iranian drones signals an expansion of the conflict zone, framing the retaliation as a regional war targeting US allies and energy markets.