Explosions rocked the Lebanese capital and Israel said it was launching a new wave of strikes on Iran, as the war engulfing the Middle East continued into Wednesday.

Here are the latest developments:

- US commander says 2,000 targets hit in Iran -

Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US military forces in the Middle East, said in a video message that nearly 2,000 targets had been struck so far in Iran.

"We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones," he said.

March 4 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect its territory, citizens and residents, the state news agency reported early on Wednesday, citing a cabinet statement.

An Iranian attack targeted the U.S. embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday amid ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes on Gulf states that host U.S. bases, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday.

(Reporting by Enas Alashray and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Nia Williams)

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Tuesday identified four of the first American soldiers killed in the war against Iran.

The U.S. Army Reserve soldiers, from the 103rd Sustainment Command out of Des Moines, Iowa, were:

* Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla.

* Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.

* Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.

* Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese)

March 3 (Reuters) - Authorities have put down a limited fire in the vicinity of the U.S. consulate in Dubai due to a drone strike and no injuries were reported, Dubai's media office said on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Jaidaa Taha and Menna Alaa El-Din; Editing by Chris Reese)

Energy prices have surged dramatically since the United States and Israel launched their attack on Iran Saturday, and that will almost certainly translate into bigger profits.

But the question remains whether the new war in the Middle East also leads to increased oilfield investment.

- What does the Middle East war mean for US oil industry profits? -

Geopolitical crises lift oil industry profits if a supply disruption causes commodity prices to spike. That's what happened after Russia invaded Ukraine.

March 3 (Reuters) - Scores of people have been killed across the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, with Gulf states that host U.S. military bases and personnel and Lebanon quickly drawn into the conflict.

Here are the death tolls from the war so far as reported by involved countries as of March 3, the fourth day of the war. Reuters has not independently verified these deaths.

France is sending its flagship aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the widening conflict in the Middle East, President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday.

"I have ordered the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, its air assets, and its escort of frigates to set course for the Mediterranean," he said in a televised speech a day after he warned of the risk of the conflict spilling over Europe's borders.

By Patricia Zengerle, Michael Martina and David Morgan

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's top national security advisers were to spend much of the day on Tuesday making the case to members of Congress for the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, as Democrats and some of his fellow Republicans clamored for more information.

PARIS, March 3 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said France was sending its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean and working to build a coalition that would help secure maritime traffic imperiledby the escalating crisis in the Middle East.

In a televised address to the nation, Macron said that action needed to be taken with the Straits of Hormuz closed and the Suez Canal and Red Sea shipping routes threatened by the widening conflict.

By David Lawder and Victoria Waldersee

WASHINGTON/MADRID, March 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States would cut off all trade with Spain after the European country refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.

"Spain has been terrible," Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to "cut off all dealings" with Spain.