CAIRO, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict entered its 30th day on Sunday, with Israel and Iran exchanging fresh attacks, anti-war protests staged across the U.S. and Israel, and no end to the war in sight.
The following is an overview of the latest developments in the escalating crisis affecting much of the region and beyond.
The United States
-- Millions of Americans took to the streets Saturday in the third wave of "No Kings" rallies across the United States, protesting policies of the U.S. administration, ranging from military action in Iran to controversial immigration enforcement.
Over 3,100 demonstrations were planned nationwide and staged in major U.S. cities such as Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The protests reportedly involved some 900,000 people, making it one of the largest single-day protest events in U.S. history.
-- The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, as thousands of U.S. soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.
The report, citing anonymous sources, said that if U.S. President Donald Trump chooses to escalate, the potential ground operation will fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops.
Israel
-- Israeli citizens took to the streets on Saturday night to protest the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, expressing exhaustion and demanding peace amid recent escalations. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv's Habima Square, holding photos of children and memorial candles, and mourning young lives lost in recent violence.
-- A missile attack from Iran sparked a blaze at a factory in an industrial chemical complex in southern Israel on Sunday, authorities said. Footage from the scene showed a thick cloud of black smoke rising above the facility in Neot Hovav, a major industrial zone in southern Israel for chemical production and hazardous waste treatment.
-- The Israeli military said Sunday it struck infrastructures in Tehran and elsewhere across the country. A military spokesperson said the "wide-scale wave of strikes" targeted temporary command centers, as well as ballistic missile and aerial defense systems production and storage facilities, and other weapons manufacturing and storage sites.
-- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military on Sunday to widen what Israel refers to as a "security buffer zone" in southern Lebanon, as Israeli forces expanded their ground offensive.
Iran
-- The Isfahan University of Technology in central Iran was attacked by the United States and Israel on Sunday for the second time in recent days. The university was first targeted on Thursday. Officials said investigations were underway to determine any casualties and assess the extent of the damage.
-- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned Sunday that it now considers all Israeli and U.S. universities in the region "legitimate targets," following attacks on Iranian universities.
The IRGC issued the warning on its official news outlet Sepah News, responding to the attacks on the University of Science and Technology in Tehran on Saturday and on the Isfahan University of Technology in the central city of Isfahan on Thursday.
-- The IRGC said on Sunday it destroyed a U.S. E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control (AWACS) aircraft in a recent missile and drone strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement carried by its official Sepah News outlet, the IRGC said the operation was conducted by its Aerospace Division and that other nearby aircraft sustained serious damage.
Images circulating on social media purportedly show the destruction of a U.S. Air Force E-3G Sentry at the base following the Iranian attack. The United States has not responded.
-- Several areas in Tehran and neighboring Alborz province came under U.S. and Israeli attacks on Sunday night, causing power outages in some neighborhoods. Iran's Fars news agency said shrapnel damaged electricity facilities, including a transmission tower in Alborz and a substation in Tehran. Later, it reported that power had been restored.
-- U.S.-Israeli strikes hit early Sunday an Iranian port city close to the Strait of Hormuz, leaving five dead, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported. The strikes hit the Bandar Pol pier in the city of Bandar Khamir, Iran's southern Hormozgan province.
UN
-- The United Nations on Saturday urged Yemen's Houthis to refrain from further involvement in the Middle East conflict, warning that missile or drone attacks risk widening the fighting.
"We are concerned about the Houthi missile strikes against Israel earlier today. These attacks risk further expanding the military conflict in the region," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a note to correspondents.
Lebanon
-- At least 20 people were killed and many others wounded in a series of Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon overnight Saturday into Sunday, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry and local reports.
-- A total of 49 people were killed and 116 injured on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 1,238 and the number of wounded to 3,543 since the escalation of hostilities on March 2, Lebanon's Disaster Risk Management Unit at the prime minister's office said.
Kuwait
-- Kuwait said on Sunday its air defenses intercepted multiple aerial threats over the past 24 hours, while a projectile strike on a military camp wounded 10 troops, according to a military statement.
Oman
-- Oman's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that no party has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks targeting the sultanate. Denouncing the "cowardly" attacks and the broader escalation throughout the region, the ministry reiterated its call for an end to the ongoing conflict.
Earlier this month, Oman News Agency reported that two people were killed after drones came down in the Wilayat of Sohar, a coastal city some 200 km northwest of the capital.
Bahrain
-- Bahrain announced a maritime curfew on Sunday for seagoers using fishing and leisure vessels to protect the country's coasts. The ban will be in effect daily from 6:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. local time, starting Sunday, and will remain in place until further notice. ■
