The United States and Israel launched a joint military strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment complex early Saturday, prompting retaliatory Iranian drone attacks on Israel’s primary international airport.
The exchange marks a significant escalation in the third week of the regional conflict. Iran’s atomic energy organization confirmed the Natanz strike via the Tasnim news agency, stating no radioactive materials leaked from the facility.
The Iranian Army subsequently announced it deployed drones targeting fuel tanks and refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. The attacks reflect a widening theater of operations that has drawn in multiple nations. As Iranians mark their first wartime Nowruz in decades, the civilian toll and infrastructure damage continue to mount across the Middle East.
Iran’s army said on Saturday that it targeted fuel tanks, refueling aircraft and military infrastructure at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in a drone attack.
Repeated attacks by the army and the IRGC had seriously disrupted military aircraft refueling, airport operations, and the…
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 21, 2026
The violence spilled further into neighboring countries on Saturday. In Iraq, a drone attack struck an intelligence services building in a residential neighborhood of Baghdad, killing an Iraqi officer according to AFP. The Israeli military conducted airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in Beirut after issuing evacuation warnings for seven neighborhoods in the Lebanese capital.
In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he is considering winding down American military operations against Iran, though he explicitly ruled out a formal ceasefire.
To address mounting global economic pressure, the U.S. government issued a 30-day sanctions waiver. The measure eases restrictions on the sale of Iranian oil at sea, attempting to stabilize a global supply crisis exacerbated by the ongoing conflict.
The Natanz facility, which serves as Iran’s primary nuclear enrichment site, has been a repeated target. It was previously struck during the first week of the current war and was heavily targeted by Israeli airstrikes during a prior 12-day conflict in June 2025.