Israeli and American military operations against Iranian targets intensified over Thursday, while Iran and its proxy militias across the region sought ways to retaliate across a widening geographic arc.

The day began with reports of expanding hostilities around Iran’s borders. Early in the morning, Iranian positions in eastern parts of the country – including areas around Zahedan near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan – were reportedly struck, with air-defence systems activated in response. Opposition sources claimed the targets were military facilities in a region with a strong Sunni Baloch population that has long opposed the Iranian regime.

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At roughly the same time, the conflict appeared to spill into the South Caucasus. An Iranian drone struck near the airport in Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani exclave bordering Iran, according to reports circulating online. Azerbaijan, which maintains close security ties with Israel, was suddenly drawn into the war’s orbit as a direct target of Iranian fire.

Within Israel itself, air-raid alerts sounded across several regions, including the greater Tel Aviv area, after the detection of launches toward the country. Israeli aircraft simultaneously carried out strikes in southern Lebanon, signalling the continued expansion of the campaign against Iranian-backed forces there.

The Lebanese front became a focal point of........

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