Tensions in the Middle East have escalated after US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28, followed by Iranian retaliatory strikes. Thousands of people have died across multiple countries since the conflict started.
In Iran, the rights group HRANA reported 3,268 deaths as of March 22, including 1,443 civilians and at least 217 children. State media put the toll at 1,270, while Iran’s UN ambassador previously reported 1,332 deaths. Discrepancies remain regarding casualties from a US attack on an Iranian warship near Sri Lanka.
Lebanon has recorded around 1,039 deaths due to Israeli strikes since March 2. More than 100 children were among the casualties, according to Lebanese health authorities and the World Health Organization.
In Iraq, at least 81 people were killed, mostly members of the Shi’ite Popular Mobilisation Forces. One foreign crew member died in a tanker attack near an Iraqi port.
Iranian missile attacks in Israel have killed 16 civilians, with two Israeli soldiers also reported dead in southern Lebanon. An Israeli civilian was accidentally killed by Israeli artillery near the Lebanon border. In the West Bank, four Palestinian women died in Iranian missile strikes.
In the United States, 13 service members have been killed. Six died after a US refuelling aircraft crashed over Iraq, while seven others were killed in operations targeting Iran.
Other Gulf states have also suffered casualties. Eight people died in the UAE, seven in Qatar, six in Kuwait, two in Oman, two in Saudi Arabia, and two in Bahrain due to Iranian strikes. Additionally, a French soldier was killed, and six were wounded during a drone attack in northern Iraq.
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Analysts say the US-Israeli actions and Iran’s counterstrikes have heightened global instability, with oil prices and regional security under pressure. The conflict shows no signs of slowing, and humanitarian concerns continue to grow across affected countries.
