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Israel Pounds Tehran, Beirut 03/06 06:13
Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut and Tehran on Friday as Iran launched
another wave of retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries. There
was no sign of the war letting up on its seventh day, as Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth warned the U.S. air campaign against Iran would "surge dramatically."
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut and
Tehran on Friday as Iran launched another wave of retaliatory strikes against
Israel and Gulf countries. There was no sign of the war letting up on its
seventh day, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned the U.S. air campaign
against Iran would "surge dramatically."
The strikes in Lebanon were the heaviest since a 2024 ceasefire ended the
last war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, who fired rockets at
Israel in the opening days of the latest conflict. Tens of thousands have fled
Beirut's suburbs and southern Lebanon after sweeping Israeli evacuation
warnings.
The war has escalated to affect more than a dozen countries across the
Middle East and beyond. The United States said it had struck an Iranian drone
carrier at sea as it waged an unrelenting campaign against the country's navy
that earlier included the torpedoing of a warship in the Indian Ocean.
The U.S. and Israel have battered Iran with nationwide strikes, targeting
their military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program. The stated goals
and timelines for the war have repeatedly shifted, as the U.S. has at times
suggested it seeks to topple Iran's government or elevate new leadership from
within.
Israel's military said Friday morning it had begun "a broad-scale wave of
strikes" on Tehran, Iran's capital. Witnesses described the Israeli airstrikes
as particularly intense, shaking homes in the area. Others reported explosions
around the Iranian city of Kermanshah in an area that is home to multiple
missile bases.
Iran meanwhile launched missile and drone attacks at Israel, as well as
Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, all countries that host U.S. forces.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
In addition to Israel, Iran's attacks have targeted their Arab neighbors,
disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel. The war has killed at
least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 120 in Lebanon and around a dozen in
Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six U.S. troops have been
killed.
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Volker Trk, urged
all countries involved to de-escalate, saying "the world urgently needs to see
steps to contain and extinguish this blaze."
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that "some countries" had
begun mediation efforts in the conflict, without elaborating.
US says it struck an Iranian drone carrier
The U.S. military said early Friday that it struck an Iranian drone carrier,
setting it ablaze.
The U.S. military's Central Command released black-and-white footage of the
burning carrier. The Iranian military did not immediately acknowledge the
attack.
The drone carrier, the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, is a converted container ship
with a 180-meter-long (yard) runway for drones. The vessel can travel up to
22,000 nautical miles without needing to refuel in ports, reports said at the
time of its 2025 inauguration.
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, described the carrier as
"roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier."
"And as we speak, it's on fire," Cooper told reporters.
Earlier in the week, an American submarine sank an Iranian frigate off the
coast of Sri Lanka as it was returning from an exercise hosted by the Indian
navy that the U.S. also joined. Sri Lanka's navy rescued 32 crew members and
recovered 87 bodies.
Under cover of darkness Friday morning, B-2 stealth bombers dropped dozens
of 2,000 pound "penetrator" bombs on deeply buried ballistic missile launchers
inside Iran, Cooper said.
Iran targets countries hosting US forces
Qatar said early Friday it intercepted a drone attack targeting Al Udeid Air
Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. Central Command.
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles fired early
Friday toward Prince Sultan Air Base south of Riyadh, which also hosts U.S.
forces, said a spokesperson for Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry.
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, where the Interior Ministry said Iranian
strikes targeted two hotels and a residential building. It said there were no
casualties. In Kuwait, where the six U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday, the army
said air defenses were activated when missile and drone attacks breached its
airspace.
The unified military command of the Gulf Cooperation Council was one of the
facilities attacked in Bahrain, according to Qatar, which has troops assigned
there. Qatar called the assault "a direct threat to its security and stability
and the security of the region."
The British ambassador to Bahrain said Friday that the United Kingdom would
help defend the country with its fighter jets. Ambassador Alastair Long's
announcement came the day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was
sending four more Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters to Qatar following requests
from allies for further help.
In Israel, the sound of explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv early Friday
morning after a warning about missiles incoming from Iran, as air defense
systems worked to intercept the barrage.
Trump again urges Iranians to 'take back' their country
In brief remarks at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump again urged
the Iranian people to "help take back your country." This time he promised the
U.S. would grant them "immunity" amid the war and ongoing dangers under the
current Iranian regime.
"So you'll be perfectly safe with total immunity," Trump said, without
giving any details about what that meant. "Or you'll face absolutely guaranteed
death."
Cooper and Hegseth cautioned Iranians not to take to the streets while the
conflict is still raging, however.
In an interview with the news website Axios, Trump said he should be
involved in choosing Iran's new supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war. Trump spoke
dismissively of Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, being a front-runner to
replace his father, calling him "a lightweight."
"We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran," Trump said.
Iranian officials meet to discuss new leadership
Iranian state television reported Friday that a leadership council had
started discussing how to convene the country's Assembly of Experts, which will
select the new supreme leader.
The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.
The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader,
nor information on whether the Assembly of Experts would meet in person or
remotely for the vote.
Buildings associated with the Assembly of Experts, a 88-member clerical
panel, have been attacked during the Israeli-U.S. airstrike campaign.
Israel hits Lebanon with multiple airstrikes around Beirut
Israel carried out at least 11 airstrikes late Thursday and early Friday,
targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut. Fires broke out near a gas station.
Two hospitals evacuated patients and staff. No casualties were immediately
reported.
Trk, the U.N. human rights chief, said he was "extremely concerned" about
the situation, particularly what he described as "blanket, massive displacement
orders" by Israel to civilians in Lebanon.
The Lebanese health ministry said the death toll has risen to 123 since the
resurgence of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which struck Israel in
the opening days of the war.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam slammed both Israel and Hezbollah,
saying the Lebanese state and people "did not choose this war."
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