Signaling that neither the United States nor Israel had any intention of easing their military campaign, Donald Trump and Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz both declared Friday that the assault on Iran and its allies was far from over. Trump called Iranian leaders “deranged scumbags” on social media and vowed that Iran would be struck very hard in the coming days. Katz separately warned Lebanon’s government that it would pay an “increasing price” for damage to Lebanese national infrastructure used by Hezbollah.
Israel’s military reported over 200 strikes in a 24-hour period targeting Iranian missile launchers, air defences, and weapons production sites. Trump announced late in the day that US Central Command had obliterated every military installation on Kharg Island, Iran’s vital oil export hub, calling it one of the most powerful raids in the region’s history. Combined US and Israeli strikes have now exceeded 15,000 targets since the conflict began, according to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Lebanon is bearing a devastating portion of the conflict’s toll, with over 600 killed and more than 800,000 displaced across the country since the latest round of fighting began. On Friday alone, at least eight people were killed and nine wounded in an Israeli strike on the coastal city of Sidon. Israeli forces also struck the Zrarieh Bridge crossing Lebanon’s Litani River, claiming it was being used by Hezbollah fighters to move between the country’s north and south. Nearly 60 people were injured in northern Israel when Hezbollah fired rocket salvoes at the area.
Iran has expanded its campaign of attacks beyond Israel and Lebanon, striking civilian and industrial infrastructure across the Gulf. Saudi Arabia intercepted almost 50 Iranian drones in coordinated attacks across a single day. In Oman, drones crashed in an industrial zone near Sohar, killing two people. Debris from intercepted projectiles struck a building in Dubai’s prestigious International Financial Centre. Qatar issued evacuation orders in parts of Doha before explosions and a confirmed missile interception.
The ripple effects of the war have reached far beyond its immediate geographic boundaries. Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted around one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies. European governments have reportedly opened quiet negotiations with Tehran to secure their ships’ safe passage, while Trump threatened immediate strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure if the disruption continued. The United States has lost 13 service members in the conflict, including six who died in a refuelling aircraft crash in Iraq.