LONDON — The Iran conflict has entered a deadly new phase following coordinated strikes that left dozens of civilians dead and wounded in Dorud county, western Iran, according to state media reports Tuesday.

Combined US-Israeli forces targeted residential districts in the operation, which Tehran's Tasnim news agency described as the most serious attack on civilian infrastructure since hostilities began. The strike pattern suggests a shift in military strategy, moving beyond industrial and military targets to areas with significant civilian populations. Iran's judiciary separately announced the execution of three people convicted of collaborating with American and Israeli intelligence services during earlier domestic protests.

President Trump confirmed Israeli involvement in attacks on Iran's South Pars gas field while distancing the United States and Qatar from those particular operations. "Israel carried out the South Pars strike independently," Trump stated during a White House briefing, though he declined to comment on other joint military activities. Regional analysts interpret this selective acknowledgment as evidence of coordinated but distinct operational commands between Washington and Tel Aviv.

The conflict has spread beyond Iran's borders, with Iraqi paramilitary forces reporting casualties among Popular Mobilisation Force units that include several Tehran-aligned militias. At least two fighters died in separate attacks targeting the umbrella organization, which has served as a proxy force for Iranian influence across Iraq since 2014. Dr. Sarah Bennett, senior fellow at the Institute for Strategic Studies, warned that "expanding the theatre to include Iraqi militias risks drawing Baghdad directly into a multi-front war that could destabilize the entire region."