The U.S.-Iran war entered its 20th day Friday with a dramatic escalation in the Gulf, as Iranian drone strikes hit Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery — one of the country's three major refineries — for a second consecutive day. Explosions were also reported in Dubai, and Israeli air strikes over Tehran lit up the sky as Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year, under a war footing.

The attacks intensified after Israel struck Iran's South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf earlier this week. Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei — who succeeded his father after the elder Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the war's first day — issued a statement vowing that Iran's enemies must have their "security" taken away.

For San Diego County, the conflict carries a human toll that grows with each passing week. At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28. Marines and sailors at MCAS Miramar and Naval Air Station North Island remain among the active-duty personnel deployed or on heightened readiness in the region.

Locally, the Gulf energy strikes are expected to put additional upward pressure on gas prices, which have already hit record highs across San Diego County in recent weeks. Santee and East County residents — who commute farther on average than their coastal counterparts — feel the squeeze most acutely.

With no ceasefire talks publicly underway and Iran showing no sign of de-escalation, military families across East County face another uncertain weekend as the conflict moves deeper into its third week.