Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu described the attacks as “the final desperate” acts of militants seeking to spread fear, but security analysts said the scale and coordination of the bombings suggest strength rather than decline.

The assault on Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State and the birthplace of the insurgency, involved multiple suicide bombers targeting an urban center long fortified by security forces.

Experts said the incident indicated failures in intelligence and surveillance, allowing militants to penetrate one of the country’s most secured cities.

It remains unclear which group carried out the attack, underscoring the fragmented nature of the insurgency involving Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an Islamic State-affiliated faction.

Analysts said recent attacks attributed to both Boko Haram and ISWAP raise the possibility of coordination between the rival groups, which have historically operated separately but share overlapping objectives.

“We have to see this as the groups oozing confidence in their ability to wreak terror in that part of the country,” said Ikemesit Effiong, a partner at SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based risk advisory firm.

“We think this is the start of a spate of bombings, not just in Maiduguri but also less protected urban areas in the northeast,” he said.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a crisis monitoring group, said the attack was the deadliest suicide bombing in Nigeria in seven years.

President Tinubu said he had approved additional equipment and support for the military, reiterating pledges by successive administrations to defeat the insurgents.

Nigeria has fought Islamist militants since 2009, when Boko Haram launched an uprising aimed at establishing an Islamic state. The group was driven from major urban areas after a military crackdown, but it later splintered into factions.

One faction aligned with Islamic State has emerged as the most powerful, controlling parts of northeastern Nigeria and maintaining operational capabilities.

As violence has expanded to other regions, including the northwest, the United States has conducted air strikes and deployed military advisers in support roles, though it remains unclear whether U.S. forces will be involved in responding to the latest attacks.

Despite sustained military operations, analysts said militant groups have entrenched themselves in rural areas, enabling them to regroup and launch attacks intermittently.

Vincent Foucher, a senior research fellow at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, said insurgent groups have maintained a presence over time, adapting their tactics and exploiting gaps in governance and security.

The latest bombings illustrate the enduring challenge posed by the insurgency, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across the region.

In an interview, Herzog said “Europe should support any effort… to eradicate Hezbollah,” while also welcoming diplomatic initiatives, including an offer by Emmanuel Macron to host direct talks between Israel and Lebanon.

The Israeli military said its troops had begun “limited and targeted ground operations” against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, describing the campaign as part of broader defensive efforts to dismantle infrastructure and neutralize threats to northern Israel.

The operations followed intensified air and artillery strikes in border areas. Military chief Eyal Zamir said more than 400 Hezbollah fighters had been killed in the latest phase of fighting.

Lebanon’s government said more than one million people had been displaced within two weeks of fighting. Authorities reported that Israeli strikes since March 2 had killed 886 people, including 111 children, according to state figures.

The conflict widened after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on March 2, citing retaliation for the killing of Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Israel has since responded with extensive air raids and troop incursions.

Hezbollah said it fired rockets and drones at northern Israel, including the city of Nahariya, where emergency services reported injuries and property damage.

Regional and international concern has grown over the potential for further escalation. Turkey condemned Israel’s ground operations, warning of worsening instability and the risk of a humanitarian crisis.Leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom said a large-scale Israeli offensive could have severe humanitarian consequences and lead to a prolonged conflict.

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said displaced Lebanese civilians should not return to areas south of the Litani River until security conditions for northern Israel residents improve, as the military signalled operations would continue as needed.

Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth said the younger Khamenei had issued only a written statement following the attacks and had not appeared publicly in audio or video since an Israeli strike early in the war killed members of his family, including his father, former Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

“We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured,” Hegseth said. He added that the absence of a public appearance suggested the Iranian leader was injured and in hiding, questioning his legitimacy and ability to govern.Iranian officials have acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded but dispute the severity of the injuries.

Iran’s ambassador to Japan, Peyman Saadat, told Asahi TV that the Iranian leader had suffered injuries during the conflict but remained capable of carrying out his duties. “He is a functioning leader,” Saadat said, adding that his condition had not impaired his ability to govern.

Hegseth and Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. military operations in Iran have focused on degrading Tehran’s missile and drone capabilities as well as elements of its naval forces.

The briefing came as Washington increased military pressure on Iran following nearly two weeks of strikes carried out by the United States and Israel against Iranian military infrastructure.

Officials said additional U.S. firepower was being sent to the region as the conflict widened across the Middle East.

During the briefing, Hegseth said U.S. forces would continue their campaign without easing pressure on Iran’s military.

“We will keep pressing, keep pushing, keep advancing,” Hegseth said. “No quarter, no mercy for our enemy.

”The phrase “no quarter” refers to refusing to spare an opponent who attempts to surrender, a practice prohibited under the laws of armed conflict.

Reports during the conflict have indicated Iranian drone activity in several countries across the Gulf and Middle East, including Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman.

The fighting has also affected U.S. forces in the region. Six U.S. service members died in an aircraft crash in Iraq during the conflict, U.S. officials said.

The strike marked the first attack within the city limits of Beirut since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah resumed last week. It came amid continued airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs as well as southern and eastern Lebanon, areas where Israel says militant infrastructure linked to Iran-backed groups is concentrated.

Israel’s military said the operation targeted senior commanders from the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The military did not publicly identify those killed.

“The commanders of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians, while operating simultaneously for the IRGC in Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

An Israeli military source said the strike targeted five senior Quds Force members involved in intelligence and financial operations connected to Iranian activity in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s health ministry said four people were killed in the drone strike in the capital. The ministry said the cumulative death toll from Israeli strikes across Lebanon since the escalation began has reached 394 people.

The health ministry said those killed include at least 83 children and 42 women. Lebanese authorities do not differentiate in official tallies between civilians and fighters.

The attack in Beirut represents a significant expansion of Israel’s operations, which had previously focused largely on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon and areas near the Syrian border.

Israel’s military said it has killed approximately 200 Hezbollah militants since the start of the conflict, according to military spokesman Nadav Shoshani, who provided the figure during an online briefing. Hezbollah has not released an official count of its fighters killed.

The Israeli army also reported its first battlefield losses since the war began, announcing on Sunday that two Israeli soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon.Military officials did not provide details about the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The latest escalation follows Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel earlier in the week, which drew large-scale Israeli airstrikes across Lebanese territory.

Lebanon became directly involved in the broader confrontation between Iran and a U.S.-Israel alliance after Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran, launched attacks toward Israel on Monday.

Israel responded with extensive bombardment targeting southern and eastern Lebanon and areas near Beirut.

Earlier in the conflict, Israel also carried out a rare airborne raid deep inside Lebanese territory that Lebanese authorities said killed 41 people.

The expansion of Israeli operations into Beirut highlights the widening geographic scope of the conflict as regional tensions linked to Iran continue to intensify

The incident occurred during the first day of coordinated U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran.The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the investigation remains open and that new evidence could potentially attribute responsibility elsewhere. They declined to provide details on the type of munition used, what evidence informed the preliminary assessment, or the rationale for the potential strike.Pentagon and White House statementsU.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Wednesday that the Pentagon is conducting an investigation into the incident, emphasizing that the U.S. military does not target civilian sites. “We’re investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we’re taking a look and investigating that,” Hegseth told reporters.The Pentagon referred inquiries to U.S. Central Command. Its spokesperson, Captain Timothy Hawkins, stated, “It would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”

The White House declined to directly address U.S. responsibility, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt asserting that Iran targets civilians and children, not U.S. forces.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on Monday that the United States would not deliberately strike a school. “The Department of War would be investigating that if that was our strike, and I would refer your question to them,” Rubio said.Casualties and ongoing military operationsIranian officials, including Ambassador Ali Bahreini at the United Nations in Geneva, reported that 150 students were killed in the Minab strike, although Reuters could not independently verify the toll.

The attack took place amid the initial wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure.According to a senior Israeli official and a source with knowledge of joint operational planning, Israeli and U.S. forces have coordinated attacks geographically and by target type. Israel has focused on missile launch sites in western Iran, while U.S. forces have concentrated on southern targets, including naval facilities.The incident underscores the complex operational environment in southern Iran, where civilian areas are in proximity to military targets, and highlights the challenges of real-time verification during active hostilities.Investigation scope and implicationsThe U.S. inquiry is ongoing, and officials did not indicate how long it might continue or what specific evidence is being sought.

They stressed that preliminary assessments are subject to revision as further information becomes available. Analysts note that confirmation of U.S. responsibility could have significant diplomatic and legal ramifications, potentially influencing both U.S.-Iran relations and international perceptions of the military campaign.The investigation continues alongside active hostilities, with both U.S. and Israeli forces maintaining offensive operations against Iranian military installations, underscoring the evolving and high-stakes nature of the conflict.