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A U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on ​Thursday, in an incident U.S. Central Command said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or ​friendly fire, Reuters reported. 

The United States has ​surged a large number of aircraft ⁠into the Middle East to take ​part in operations against Iran.

In a ​statement, U.S. Central Command said it was carrying out rescue efforts after the U.S. KC-135 ​refueling aircraft went down. The second ​aircraft landed safely, according to Reuters. 

Israeli airstrikes hit two buildings in the heart of Beirut near ​the Lebanese government's headquarters on Thursday, ramping up Israel's offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah and dragging Lebanon deeper into the Middle East war, Reuters reported. 

A day after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched its biggest rocket salvo of the conflict, Israel's defence minister said the military had orders to expand the campaign and Israel's military chief said the operation in Lebanon would not be short.

Israel has pounded Lebanon's south and east and the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, killing nearly 700 people, according to Lebanese authorities. It has also ordered mass evacuations in those same areas, prompting more than 800,000 people to flee their homes, according to Reuters. 

Iran will fight on and keep the Strait of Hormuz shut as leverage against the United States and Israel, new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday in defiant first comments attributed to him since he ​succeeded his slain father, Reuters reported. 

Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his first press conference since the start of the war to make his own strong statement, issuing a veiled threat to kill Khamenei and defending the ‌military assault on Iran, which has claimed thousands of lives and shaken energy and stock markets.

"I wouldn’t issue life insurance policies on any of the leaders of the terrorist organization ... I don't intend to give an exact message here about what we are planning or what we are going to do," Netanyahu said, standing between two Israeli flags and taking questions via video link, according to Reuters. 

New Delhi's Middle East diplomacy paid off on Thursday as Iran allowed Indian oil tankers to pass through the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz after talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, sources told India Today.

The discussions were aimed at ensuring that India'senergy supplies remain uninterrupted amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints, through which a significant portion of global crude oil and natural gas shipments transit, according to India Today.