This morning, Israel carried out new attacks on Tehran and Beirut, while Iran claims to have fired rockets at Tel Aviv. Today is the seventh day of the conflict in the Middle East, where targets in Israel, Iran, Lebanon and Bahrain were targeted during the night.
Strong strikes on Iran and Beirut
As reported by the BBC, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they launched a wide wave of attacks on Beirut and Iran.
Witnesses described the airstrikes as particularly powerful, saying they shook houses in the Tehran area. Others reported explosions near the Iranian city of Kermanshah, in an area where several missile bases are located.
A wave of explosions reverberated through Tel Aviv
Iranian rockets caused a wave of explosions across Tel Aviv, and Israeli emergency services said they visited several damaged locations, but that there were no injuries.
Firefighters worked to put out a fire in an apartment building near a business center, while residents of a building on the outskirts of Tel Aviv were evacuated after a missile hit the building.
The blasts came after Israel launched massive attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, vowing to retaliate against Hezbollah, which joined the conflict on Monday.
Iranian state television said Tehran fired rockets “at targets in the heart of Tel Aviv,” after Israel’s military said late Thursday it was working to intercept incoming Iranian missiles.
Attack on Lebanon
Also, the IDF said that during the night they carried out a “wide wave” of 26 attacks in the Dahiya area of Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, reports The Guardian.
“Among the targets were the executive council command center and a facility that stored unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used to attack Israel.”
The IDF earlier issued a forced evacuation order for the entire population of Beirut’s southern suburbs – home to around 500,000 people – which sparked widespread panic and led to huge traffic jams as people tried to flee. This comes despite calls from world leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, who urged Israel not to expand the war into Lebanon. According to data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks have killed at least 123 people in Lebanon since Monday, while 683 were wounded.
The Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah warned Israeli residents on Friday to evacuate areas within 5 kilometers of the border.
“Your army’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and security of citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign you are conducting will not go unanswered,” Hezbollah said in a message posted on its Hebrew-language Telegram channel.
“New phase” of the campaign against Iran
The Israeli army has announced a “new phase” of its campaign against Iran. American and Israeli officials have given indications that the attacks could escalate.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military had completed the initial phase of the “surprise strike” and was now moving into the next phase of the campaign, with more surprises to come.
“We will intensify the strikes on the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities,” Zamir told the Times of Israel. “We have additional surprise moves, which I do not intend to reveal.”
