President Donald Trump dismissed Iran’s latest barrage of missiles and drones at Israel as doomed to fail on Friday, calling Iranian leaders “deranged scumbags” and promising that the US military response would be overwhelming and immediate. The dismissal came even as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced new coordinated salvoes against Israeli targets in conjunction with Hezbollah, declaring the operation part of the annual al-Quds Day observance. US and Israeli forces simultaneously continued their intensive bombing campaign over Tehran and other Iranian targets.
The Revolutionary Guards statement described the new missile and drone salvoes as being launched in coordination with Hezbollah as part of their annual demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Hezbollah simultaneously fired several rocket salvoes at northern Israel, injuring close to 60 people. Israel’s military responded with continued strikes in Lebanon, killing at least eight in the coastal city of Sidon and targeting the Zrarieh Bridge over the Litani River. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon’s government that it would face an escalating price for infrastructure used by Hezbollah.
The US-Israeli campaign against Iran itself has struck more than 15,000 combined targets since the conflict began. Israel alone reported over 200 individual strikes in the most recent 24 hours. Trump announced late Friday that US Central Command had obliterated every military facility on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub, describing the operation as one of the most powerful raids in the history of the Middle East. He threatened to strike the island’s oil infrastructure next if Iran continued to disrupt Strait of Hormuz shipping.
The conflict continued to spread across the region. Lebanon has counted over 600 deaths and 800,000 displaced. Saudi Arabia intercepted close to 50 Iranian drones. Qatar ordered Doha evacuations before a missile interception. Two died in Oman in drone crashes. Dubai’s financial district sustained building damage. Iran has reported over 1,300 deaths. The United States has lost 13 service members, including six in a tanker aircraft crash in Iraq. France lost a soldier to a pro-Iranian militia drone in Iraq.
Tehran residents described unceasing bombardment, power cuts, fuel shortages, and trapped civilians. A shopkeeper counted six explosions in one hour. A retired professor begged the world to intervene. Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was described by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as wounded, disfigured, and hiding underground. European governments sought diplomatic channels with Tehran for Strait of Hormuz shipping safety. Trump’s threats about striking Iranian oil infrastructure kept global energy markets in a state of sustained anxiety, as the war between the US-Israeli alliance and Iran showed every sign of continuing to intensify.