Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Europe should support Israel's campaign against Hezbollah as Israeli forces carried out ground operations inside southern Lebanon. Lebanon was pulled deeper into the war after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on March 2 following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent wishes to the Iranian public ahead of the Persian New Year, sending Nowruz greetings and expressing hopes for "a year of freedom and renewal" for the people of Iran.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump urged European allies to play a greater role in securing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran effectively disrupted traffic through the vital oil route, sending global energy prices sharply higher.

Security incidents were also reported in Iraq, where a drone ignited a fire at a luxury hotel in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, an area that hosts foreign embassies and government buildings. Shortly afterwards, Iraqi air defences intercepted rockets targeting the US Embassy in the capital.

In the Gulf, authorities in Abu Dhabi said a drone strike triggered a fire at the Shah oil field in the United Arab Emirates, though no injuries were reported.

Along the Israel-Lebanon border, Hezbollah claimed it had targeted Israeli troops and military vehicles in several border towns as Israeli forces expanded limited ground operations.

In Iraq, the Iran-aligned armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah announced that its senior security commander, Abu Ali al-Askari, had been killed, although the group did not reveal how he died. He was widely known as the organisation's key spokesperson and a prominent figure within the militia.