Since the United States and Israel launched their attacks on Iran on February 28, at least 2,000 people have been killed in the Middle East. The conflict has quickly spread to other countries in the region, including the Gulf states, where US military bases are located, as well as Lebanon. This is according to data compiled by Reuters. The agency noted that the figures could not be independently verified.
Iran itself reports the highest number of casualties. State media reported at least 1,270 deaths on Monday, while the Iranian ambassador to the UN said on March 6 that at least 1,332 people have died since the start of the war. The discrepancy between these figures has not been explained. It is also unclear whether the figures include the at least 104 people who, according to the Iranian military, were killed in a US attack on an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka on March 4.
Lebanon has also suffered heavy losses, with Israeli attacks claiming the lives of at least 850 people, according to local authorities, which has not yet been corroborated. The World Health Organisation reported that at least 98 children were among the victims.
In Iraq, at least 30 people were killed, according to health authorities, most of them members of the Shiite Popular Mobilisation Forces. One foreign crew member was also killed in an attack on tankers near an Iraqi port, port security officials said.
