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The death toll from U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran has risen to 555, the Iranian Red Crescent said Monday, as the conflict expanded with Israel mobilizing 100,000 reservists and Iranian forces launching retaliatory missile strikes against U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities in the Gulf.
"Following the Zionist-American terrorist attacks carried out in various regions of our country, 131 cities have been affected to date and, regrettably, 555 of our compatriots have been killed," the Iranian Red Crescent said in a post on Telegram.
The updated figure marked a sharp increase from the 201 deaths reported by Iranian Red Crescent spokesperson Mojtaba Khaledi on Feb. 28, the first day of the strikes. No updated figure for wounded was provided.
The earlier report had cited 747 injured.
The United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 while negotiations between Tehran and Washington were still underway.
The strikes have killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and numerous senior officials.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and that it does not seek to produce nuclear weapons. Washington and Tel Aviv accuse Tehran of pursuing nuclear and missile programs that threaten Israel and U.S. allies in the region.
Israel has begun mobilizing 100,000 reservists as it prepares to expand its ongoing offensive beyond Iran and Lebanon, Israeli media reported Monday.
Military intelligence units launched a reserve call-up as part of preparations for "additional theaters of operation and an expansion of the war," the Walla news website said. The Israeli army said it was preparing to absorb the reservists under its "Operation Roaring Lion," the code name for its ongoing offensive against Iran.
The Israeli military said early Monday that it launched an "offensive battle" against the Lebanese group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israeli airstrikes targeted Beirut's southern suburbs and areas in southern Lebanon, killing 31 people and wounding 149, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
Hezbollah said early Monday it had fired missiles and drones at an Israeli military site in response to the near-daily attacks by Tel Aviv on Lebanon and the assassination of Khamenei.
The Iranian military announced it targeted the U.S. Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait and enemy ships north of India with 15 cruise missiles, according to Iran's state television.
"Iran Army land and naval force missile units, in recent hours from different regions, targeted the US Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait and enemy ships north of India with a total of 15 cruise missiles," the statement said.
Eyewitnesses speaking to Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) said explosions were heard in Kuwait's capital during morning hours.
Witnesses reported smoke rising from the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, and Kuwaiti media published reports that the embassy had been struck.
The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait issued an urgent advisory telling citizens to shelter in place and not come to the embassy amid the continuing threat of missile and drone attacks. The embassy said its personnel were also sheltering in place but did not confirm whether the embassy had been struck.
Iran has retaliated against Israeli and U.S. targets across the region since Saturday, striking Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in addition to Israel.
The strikes have targeted countries hosting U.S. military bases, notably Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
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