Tehran, March 8 — The humanitarian situation in Iran has deteriorated as continuing hostilities drive rising casualties and large-scale displacement. Officials cited by Al Jazeera say the death toll has surpassed 1,300 and roughly 100,000 people have fled their homes seeking safety more than a week into the fighting.
The mass displacement is overwhelming relief operations. The UN refugee agency reported a sharp increase in urgent requests for assistance as communities confront growing shortages of shelter, food and medical care.
Separately, the Israel Defence Forces said the Israeli Air Force conducted targeted strikes on several Iranian military sites in Tehran. In a social media post, the IDF said it struck fuel storage facilities used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, describing them as distribution hubs for armed units. The military said the operation, directed by Israeli intelligence, inflicted significant damage to Iran’s military infrastructure and released an illustrative map identifying a Tehran fuel site it said was linked to Iran’s forces.
In the United States, former President Donald Trump asserted that US actions had eliminated Iran’s leadership, calling it the removal of a major ‘‘cancer.’’ Asked about reports that an elementary girls’ school in Iran had been bombed, he denied US responsibility and blamed inaccuracies in Iranian munitions. Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to Miami, he declared the US was prevailing, and listed what he described as heavy damage to Iran’s navy, air force, missile stockpiles, drone capacities and leadership.
Meanwhile, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, also on Air Force One, said a diplomatic settlement with Tehran remains possible but suggested Iran would need to change its approach after initial talks proved unproductive.
The escalation has drawn international alarm. UK MP Tom Tugendhat warned the conflict could destabilize the wider region, putting countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar at risk and threatening large expatriate communities, including millions of Indians and hundreds of thousands of other foreign nationals. He also highlighted economic repercussions, notably for global energy markets, and urged a rapid resolution to protect families worldwide.
These events follow a joint US-Israel strike on February 28 that, according to reports, killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, prompting a fierce Iranian response. Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles and drone attacks on US positions and regional partners, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, broadening the conflict across West Asia and increasing risks for civilians and expatriates.
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