In maps: Attacks across Iran and the Middle East continue across third week

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BBC

Energy prices have surged following a series of strikes on oil and gas facilities across the Middle East, as the US and Israel’s war with Iran continued through a third week.

Oil prices peaked at $119 a barrel on Thursday after Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field prompting Tehran to launch a series of attacks on energy facilities in Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) .

Meanwhile, strikes across Iran have continued. On Wednesday, Centcom, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said it had struck more than 7,800 targets since the conflict began on 28 February.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said 1,394 people, including 210 children, have been killed since the conflict began. Thirteen US service personnel have been killed since the start of the conflict, according to the Department of Defense.

US and Israeli strikes across Iran

The first US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on 28 February with Israel’s military saying it had targeted Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in Tehran during the initial strikes.

BBC Verify has so far confirmed visual evidence of at least 176 attacks across Iran, including at least 77 strikes in Tehran. Internet connectivity remains highly restricted across the country, according to the monitoring group Netblocks, meaning it is difficult to establish a full picture.

On Wednesday Israel hit Iran’s South Pars - part of the world’s largest natural gas field. US President Donald Trump later posted he had not known about the attack in advance.

Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify showed extensive damage to the facility, with black scorch marks clearly visible along with plumes of smoke.

On Wednesday the US said it has destroyed 120 Iranian ships including 44 mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. BBC Verify found at least 11 Iranian naval vessels were left damaged or destroyed by strikes at the Konarak and Bandar Abbas naval bases at the outset of the conflict.

At the start of the war, at least 168 people including children were killed when a primary school in Minab, southern Iran, was hit on 28 February, Iranian authorities said. Experts who analysed a video showing a missile moments before it struck the IRGC base next to the school told BBC Verify the munition was a US Tomahawk. Neither Israel nor Iran are known to possess Tomahawks, experts said.

Gulf states hit by Iranian drone and missile attacks

Iran has continued to launch strikes against the Gulf nations and has targeted energy facilities following the Israeli attack on South Pars.

In Qatar, the state-run energy company said “significant damage” was caused after missile attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City - the country’s main gas facility. Officials said the attacks had cut its export capacity by 17%.

In Saudi Arabia, defence officials said four ballistic missiles were intercepted and destroyed as they approached the capital Riyadh on Wednesday, with a number of drones intercepted since then.

The UAE defence ministry says it has now intercepted more than 2,000 drones and missiles. Since the beginning of the war eight people have been killed and 158 injured in the country.

Oman, Iraq and Azerbaijan have also come under attack since 28 February.

Iran has also launched a wave of strikes against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Data reviewed by BBC Verify shows that just 99 ships have passed through the busy waterway since the beginning of March, compared with around 138 per day before the conflict.

Israel strikes Hezbollah group in Lebanon

The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah began firing missiles and rockets into Israel following the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei at the start of the war.

On Thursday the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted more than 600 sites since operations began which aimed to “degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities” and secure “control points throughout southern Lebanon”.

Last week the IDF said it had carried out around 70 strikes in Beirut against what it called “terrorist infrastructure” in the city, and accused Iran of launching cluster bomb missile strikes on Israel, which killed two people.

The Lebanese health ministry said on Thursday that 1,001 people had been killed since Israel began its latest offensive.

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