By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, escalated drone attacks, while US casualties rose and Lebanon faced deadly Israeli strikes.

Key Developments

• Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and warned oil exports would halt.
• IRGC launched 13th wave under Operation “True Promise 4.”
• US death toll in Kuwait rose to six service members.
• Hezbollah launched drones at Ramat David airbase.
• 52 Lebanese civilians killed and 28,500 displaced in Israeli strikes.

‘Not One Drop of Oil’

Brigadier General Ebrahim Jabbari, advisor to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned Monday that Iran has officially closed the Strait of Hormuz.

“Not one drop of oil will be allowed to leave the region,” Jabbari said, adding that any vessel attempting to transit the strait “will burn.” He further stated that oil pipelines could also be targeted and predicted oil prices could surge to $200 in the coming days.

❗️🇮🇷/🇮🇷/🇮🇱 Impacts are reported in Israel following a joint Iran-Hezbollah attack. pic.twitter.com/WeNxcOHn12

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Oil markets reacted sharply. Brent crude climbed roughly 10–13%, reaching between $80 and $82 per barrel amid fears of supply disruptions through the strategic waterway. Nearly all LNG exports from Qatar and the UAE transit the strait, leaving limited alternatives if passage is restricted.

Qatar’s state-run energy company announced the suspension of LNG production after Iranian drone strikes reportedly targeted facilities at two major processing bases. The Dutch TTF gas benchmark surged nearly 45%, rising above €46 ($54).

The IRGC stated that the fuel tanker Athens Nova remains ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by two drones.

13th Wave

Meanwhile, the IRGC announced the launch of the 13th wave of attacks under Operation “True Promise 4,” stating that one-way attack drones struck the US Marine Corps base at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.

Iran also said facilities linked to the US naval fleet in Bahrain were targeted by six drones and destroyed.

❗️Impacts at the US military base in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. 🇺🇸/🇮🇷/🇮🇶 pic.twitter.com/lnrctgvMt9

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Separately, IRGC naval air defenses in Bushehr shot down what was described as the 21st Hermes-type drone. Iranian military officials stated that air defenses have downed 22 drones since the beginning of the aggression, including US-operated MQ-9 drones and an IAI Eitan (Heron TP).

US Death Toll Rises

According to a statement from the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the number of US service members killed in action has risen to six.

“As of 4 pm ET, March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action,” CENTCOM said, noting that two previously unaccounted-for personnel were recovered from a facility struck during Iran’s initial attacks.

ABC News reported that all six personnel were serving in Kuwait and died in a single incident.

Iran’s IRGC claimed it downed three US fighter jets over Kuwait. CENTCOM, however, stated that three US-operated F-15E jets were downed by Kuwaiti air defenses in what it described as “friendly fire.”

Hezbollah Expands Drone Operations

Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced at dawn Tuesday that it launched a swarm of attack drones targeting radar sites and control rooms at the Ramat David airbase in northern occupied Palestine.

The group said the operation came “in response to the criminal Israeli aggression that targeted dozens of Lebanese cities and towns,” including Beirut’s southern suburb.

❗️🇮🇷 Massive crowds are gathered in Tehran to protest against the US-Israeli aggression and in support of the government's actions. pic.twitter.com/dPtS6msJQ4

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Hezbollah stressed that the strike was directed at military targets and framed it as a defensive response to continued Israeli escalation.

Lebanon’s Disaster Management Unit announced Monday that Israeli airstrikes killed 52 civilians and wounded 154, with at least 28,500 forcibly displaced.

Israeli forces struck a building facing Al Mayadeen’s headquarters in Jnah, Beirut. Five raids on the Manshiyeh neighborhood in the southern suburb leveled three buildings completely.

Earlier bombardment targeted Aita al-Shaab, al-Shahabiya, al-Sultaniya, Nabatieh, Adshit, Harouf, Toul, Kfour, Qana, Ain Qana, and numerous towns across Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts. Israeli aircraft were reported flying at low altitude over the Bekaa Valley.

The escalation follows the joint US–Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Ali Khamenei.

Iran has now carried out at least 13 waves of retaliatory operations, targeting Israeli territory and US military assets across West Asia.

(PC, Al Mayadeen, CENTCOM, ABC News)