Israel carried out heavy airstrikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, warning residents to evacuate before the attacks. Explosions and flashes lit up the night sky as Israeli forces carried out 26 waves of strikes targeting Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities.
Hezbollah, in a message published in Hebrew on its Telegram channel, warned Israelis living within five kilometers of the border to evacuate. The group accused Israel of attacking civilians, destroying infrastructure, and conducting an expulsion campaign. “Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens will not go unchallenged,” it said.
Tehran Strikes and Iranian Retaliation
On Friday, Israel escalated its campaign by launching a “broad-scale” wave of attacks on Iranian infrastructure in Tehran. In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired Kheibar missiles toward Tel Aviv as part of the 21st wave of its “Operation True Promise 4,” a combined missile and drone offensive targeting sites in the heart of the Israeli city.
Iranian drones also struck the U.S. Al Udied airbase in Qatar, the largest U.S. base in the Middle East, though there were no reported casualties. According to the IRGC, Iranian forces had additionally targeted the Ramat David air base and a radar site in Israel, a U.S. military camp in Kuwait, and a base hosting U.S. troops in Erbil, Iraq. A Guards spokesperson said new initiatives and weapons would soon be deployed to confront Israeli and U.S. actions, without providing further details.
Regional Escalation and Widening War
The seven-day war has expanded rapidly, with Iran targeting Israel, the Gulf states, Cyprus, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. The conflict has even reached the Indian Ocean, where a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian naval vessel near Sri Lanka. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh called the confrontation an “existential war,” insisting that Tehran must respond wherever American attacks originate.
Casualty reports highlight the human cost of the conflict. The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported at least 1,230 deaths in Iran since the fighting began a week ago. In Lebanon, the health ministry reported 123 killed and 683 wounded from Israeli strikes, while no fatalities have been reported in Israel from Hezbollah attacks.
Azerbaijan, after reporting four Iranian drones crossing its border and injuring four people in the Nakhchivan exclave, said it was preparing unspecified retaliatory measures. Iran denied targeting its neighbor.
U.S. Involvement and Political Stakes
U.S. President Donald Trump has encouraged Iranian Kurdish forces in Iraq to launch attacks against Iran, describing the initiative as “wonderful” and expressing support for American coordination in selecting Iran’s next leader after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clarified that Washington was not expanding military objectives in Iran, focusing instead on destroying Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and preventing nuclear development. U.S. commanders emphasized that munitions are sufficient to sustain ongoing operations.
The military campaign carries significant political and economic risks. Trump’s actions represent a major gamble for the Republican president, with public opinion showing little support and Americans concerned about rising gasoline prices amid global energy disruption. Oil prices surged, weighing on Wall Street, while air transport and global logistics continue to face widespread disruption.
With information from Reuters.
