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Defense Stocks Climb as Conflict in Middle East Widens

Provided by Dow Jones Mar 2, 2026, 12:27:00 PM

By Robb M. Stewart

Defense stocks rose strongly ahead of the bell Monday as the conflict in the Middle East widened following the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran over the weekend.

Lockheed Martin jumped 6.7% to $698.18 and Northrum Grumman rallied 5.5% to $764 in premarket trading. L3Harris Techhnologies gained 4.8% to $382 and General Dynamics advanced 2.5% to $366.05.

Hostilities widened in the Middle East as Israel launched a barrage of strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon after the Iran-backed group attacked it with rockets in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian security chief Ali Larijani has said Tehran won't resume nuclear talks with Washington, even as the U.S. and Israel have continued to strike Iran.

Write to Robb M. Stewart at robb.stewart@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 02, 2026 07:27 ET (12:27 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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