Israel and Hezbollah trade fire as Trump vows revenge and Gulf states pledge defence, with EU warning of costly prolonged war in the Middle East.

PARIS: Israel and Hezbollah traded significant fire on Monday, marking a dangerous escalation in the ongoing regional conflict.

President Donald Trump vowed to avenge the deaths of US service members, stating the war with Iran could last for weeks.

The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon in response to rocket and drone attacks.

It warned residents of about 50 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate ahead of imminent attacks, prompting many to flee by car.

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said the rocket attacks on Israel undermined his government’s efforts to keep Lebanon out of a wider war.

In Tehran, Israeli forces launched large-scale strikes, targeting the heart of the Iranian capital.

Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, said the country “will not negotiate with the United States”, blaming Trump’s “delusional fantasies” for regional chaos.

The US and its Arab allies condemned Iran for launching strikes on Gulf states hosting American troops.

A joint statement with Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE called the targeting of civilians “reckless and destabilising behavior”.

Gulf states later vowed to defend themselves, including by “responding to the aggression” if necessary.

Fresh strikes also hit the Jurf al-Nasr military base in Iraq, a bastion of the pro-Iran Kataeb Hezbollah group.

An Iranian missile attack killed at least nine people in the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh.

Seven others were injured in Jerusalem after a separate missile barrage.

Trump told the Daily Mail he envisaged a four-week military operation, saying “it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks — or less”.

He also called on Iranians to rise up, warning the Revolutionary Guards to surrender or face “certain death”.

The US military announced it had destroyed the Revolutionary Guard headquarters in a strike on Saturday.

The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, warned the Middle East “stands to lose greatly from any drawn-out war”.

The bloc plans to reinforce its naval mission in the Red Sea with additional vessels, including two new French ships.

Container shipping giant Maersk said it was halting passage through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz for safety reasons.

In Iran, media reported a police station on the outskirts of Tehran was hit, killing an unspecified number of people.

The ISNA news agency also reported that Gandhi hospital in northern Tehran had been targeted by strikes.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is scheduled to hold the first US press conference on the campaign on Monday.

Top US officials will also brief Congress on Tuesday to make the case for the war.

British forces responded to a suspected drone strike at its RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, with no casualties reported

 The Sun Malaysia