President Donald Trump declared Friday’s military operations among the greatest the United States had ever conducted against a foreign adversary, specifically pointing to the massive bombing of Iran’s Kharg Island and calling Iranian leaders “deranged scumbags” in a post that was shared widely around the world. The declaration came on a day when Iran and Hezbollah simultaneously fired new salvoes of missiles and drones at Israeli territory, and when violence continued to escalate across Lebanon, the Gulf, and Iraq. It was a day of extraordinary violence across the entire region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced new missile and drone attacks on Israel on Friday, framing the campaign as part of the annual al-Quds Day, a day traditionally used to express solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Hezbollah, Iran’s close Lebanese ally, simultaneously fired several rocket salvoes at northern Israel, wounding close to 60 people. Israel’s military said it had carried out more than 200 strikes in the previous 24 hours in Iran, targeting missile systems, weapons factories, and air defence infrastructure, in addition to continuing strikes in Lebanon.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that more than 15,000 enemy targets had been hit by combined US and Israeli forces since the war began. Late Friday, Trump announced that US Central Command had executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in Middle Eastern history against Kharg Island, completely destroying every military installation on Iran’s primary oil export hub. He then warned Iran that any interference with Strait of Hormuz shipping would result in immediate strikes on the island’s oil infrastructure.
The conflict’s toll continues to climb across the region. Iran has reported more than 1,300 deaths since the war began with the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Lebanon has seen over 600 killed and 800,000 displaced, with eight more dying in an Israeli strike on Sidon on Friday. Israel reports 12 deaths. Thirteen US service members have been killed, including six in a tanker aircraft crash in Iraq. France lost one soldier in Iraq to a pro-Iranian militia drone strike.
Gulf states bore fresh blows from Iran’s daily infrastructure attacks. Saudi Arabia intercepted close to 50 drones in coordinated waves. Qatar ordered Doha evacuations before intercepting a missile. Two people died in Oman. Debris struck a building in Dubai’s financial district. Tehran residents described a city under siege, with explosions too continuous to count, power outages, rubble, and dwindling fuel supplies. European governments sought diplomatic channels with Tehran hoping to protect their commercial shipping from a conflict that showed no signs of abating.
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