Two Hotspots to Watch: West Bekaa and Isfahan

Two strategically significant regions took center stage in overnight military operations from Monday, March 30, to Tuesday, March 31, amid the ongoing Middle East conflict that began on February 28: Isfahan in Iran and West Bekaa in Lebanon.

In the overnight hours of Monday, U.S. air forces carried out particularly intense raids on Isfahan, targeting major weapons and ammunition depots belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. U.S. sources reported Tuesday morning that large bunker-busting bombs, each weighing over a ton, were used to destroy deep underground weapons caches. Video footage released Tuesday morning, following a night of devastation in the Isfahan region, captures scenes of apocalyptic explosions and towering columns of dense flames rising from the sites struck by American aircraft.

These intensive raids on the Isfahan area are particularly significant due to the presence of energy, nuclear, industrial, and military facilities operated by the Pasdaran. The escalation of U.S. airstrikes in such a strategic hotspot like Ispahan is likely motivated by the Trump administration’s clear intent to inflict heavy losses on the mollah’s regime, pressuring them to comply militarily with the conditions set out in Washington’s 15-point plan to end the war.

In this context, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth echoed, on Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s reference to a “new power” in Tehran, urging it to exercise “wisdom.” Like the president, he stressed that strikes against the regime would intensify if Tehran refused to endorse the agreement proposed by the U.S. administration. Analysts interpret these statements as confirming that the intense bombings in Isfahan during the night of Monday were meant to give the mollahs a stark “preview” of the consequences of rejecting the American plan.

There is growing speculation that a U.S. commando operation could be launched to seize and remove from Iranian territory the 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent currently held by the Pasdaran. A ground assault to take control of the strategic Kharg Island is also reportedly under consideration.

As the course of military operations continues to unfold, nearly 2,500 Marines arrived in the region earlier this week. They are expected to be joined shortly by several thousand additional paratroopers and Marines, who would be deployed in preparation for potential targeted missions inside Iranian territory.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force has intensified its raids against military and industrial infrastructure. An IDF source told on Tuesday that, in the past 24 hours alone, airstrikes have struck nearly 250 sites, including missile launch ramps.

West Bekaa

The second “hotspot” in the ongoing military operations is West Bekaa. During the night of Monday, the Israeli Air Force carried out a series of intensive air raids on several localities in West Bekaa, notably Yohmor, Sehmor, and surrounding villages. The strikes aimed to isolate West Bekaa from southern Lebanon by rendering the main roads connecting the two regions impassable.

The Bekaa and Baalbek areas have drawn particular attention from analysts because of the risk of escalation in these regions, as Hezbollah reportedly uses the region to launch missiles toward Israel.

Lebanese Army Withdrawal

The most significant development on the ground on Tuesday was the Lebanese army’s decision to withdraw from the Bint Jbeil area, specially from the Christian border villages of Debel and Rmeich. This retreat could signal the beginning of a battle centered around the town of Bint Jbeil.

On the diplomatic front, the UN Security Council held an emergency session on Tuesday evening (Beirut time) at France’s request to discuss the situation created by recent attacks on UNIFIL, which left three peacekeepers dead. Beyond the formal statements, the session was notable for an intervention by Lebanon’s permanent UN representative, who strongly condemned Hezbollah for dragging the country into a war against the government’s will.

In a related move, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to the Lebanese UN mission instructing it to inform UN bodies that the Cabinet has decided to consider any military or security presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon as illegal.