Israel’s IDF has released footage of it destroying the regime’s command bunker in Tehran. Watch as ITV News reports on war in the Middle East as it enters its seventh day.
Donald Trump has said the US will only accept an ‘unconditional surrender’ as he pledged to ‘Make Iran Great Again’
The UK Foreign Office said on Friday afternoon that a second charter flight bringing stranded Britons back from Oman had taken off, after the arrival of the first in the early hours of Friday morning
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has also stepped up attacks on Beirut after fighting with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah reignited
Donald Trump said late Friday that the US military was doing “phenomenally” in Iran, adding that on a scale of one to ten, he would rate America’s efforts at “a 12 to a 15”.
The president’s comments came hours after he said there will be no deal with Iran except “unconditional surrender” as Israel continued to pound Tehran and Beirut after announcing “a broad-scale wave of strikes” on the seventh day of an escalating Middle East conflict.
On his Truth Social platform, the US president wrote on Friday: “After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.
“IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).”
Israel and the US have pressed on with a relentless campaign against Iran and Iran-allied Hezbollah in Lebanon since launching a joint attack on Saturday morning on Tehran and other major cities, during which Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed.
Trump’s message came minutes after Israel said it had begun a “broad-scale” wave of strikes on Tehran, and said they were working to intercept missiles launched from Iran towards Israel.
The IDF released footage showing what it said was 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets destroying Khamenei’s underground military bunker in the initial wave of attacks.
Israel and the US continued to strike the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Friday. Residents described feeling their homes shaking, while others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah in an area that is home to multiple missile bases.
In Lebanon, where the war has rekindled fighting between Israel and Iran-allied Hezbollah militants, Israel launched a series of airstrikes late Thursday into Friday in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas.
People were pictured on jammed roads trying to flee or seek shelter, while other displaced people were photographed sleeping by the coast using campfires for warmth.
Israeli tanks are parked at a staging area in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. Credit: AP
Israel carried out a string of airstrikes late on Thursday and early Friday, targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut, after issuing a warning to residents, telling them: “Save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately.”
Israel announced on Thursday that it was beginning its “next phase” of the war, warning that it will involve “additional surprises”.
The Lebanese health ministry said the death toll in the country has risen to 123 since the latest resurgence of hostilities.
A spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, Tilak Pokharel, said on Thursday that peacekeepers had seen and heard clashes, including ground combat, in southern Lebanon as more Israeli forces have moved across the border .The current conflict began on Saturday last week when the US and Israel launched what it described as “pre-emptive” strikes on a Tehran government it says is intent on making nuclear weapons.
Iran denies this, and some legal experts have suggested the US-Israeli offensive violates international law.
Displaced people fleeing Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh sleep on the Beirut corniche. Credit: AP
The Islamic Republic has launched retaliatory attacks on Israel and several Gulf states allied with the US, including Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
At least 1,300 people have been killed in Iran, around a dozen in Israel, as well as six US troops who died in a drone strike in Kuwait.
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, urged all countries involved to de-escalate, saying “the world urgently needs to see steps to contain and extinguish this blaze”.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that “some countries” had begun mediation efforts in the conflict, without elaborating any further.
Missiles launched from Iran pictured over central Israel. Credit: AP
Britons taken from Middle East on second UK charter flight
The Foreign Office said on Friday afternoon that a second charter flight bringing stranded Britons back from Oman had taken off.
The first government-chartered plane evacuating British nationals from the Middle East touched down in the UK in the early hours of Friday morning.
The Titan Airways took off from Muscat, the capital of Oman, at 1.36pm UK time on Thursday and arrived at London Stansted just before 1am on Friday.
Passengers faced an hours-long delay, with the flight taking off later than expected due to what the Foreign Office confirmed to be “technical issues”.
Passengers arrive at Stansted Airport after the first government-chartered plane travelled from Muscat, Oman. Credit: AP
US warns attacks ‘to surge dramatically’ but rules out boots on the ground
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that US military operations in Iran are “about to surge dramatically”.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday from US Central Command, he said the mission would “advance decisively,” as the conflict in the Middle East continues to intensify.
“If you think you’ve seen something, just wait,” he told reporters.
His comments came minutes after US President Donald Trump said that the United States and Israel are “totally demolishing” Iran.
Speaking from the White House, Trump said Iran’s air force and navy are “gone”, adding that American and Israeli forces were doing “a great job.”
Donald Trump appeared to rule out sending US ground forces to Iran. Credit: AP
“Their navy is gone – 24 ships in three days, that’s a lot of ships,” the US president told reporters. “They have no air force, they have no air defence. All of their aeroplanes are gone.”
He also suggested that Iranian leaders were ready to make a deal to end the fighting, but said: “We want to fight now more than they do.”
Trump appears to have ruled out the need for a ground invasion of Iran, however, telling NBC News: “It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose.”
He also suggested that the US has the capacity to continue its strikes, adding: “We have massive ammunition, which people didn’t understand. We have the most we’ve ever had. We have a lot in other countries.”
The war against Iran is widening further, more countries are finding themselves caught up in the conflict, as ITV News’ Emma Murphy reports from Iraq
Iranian ship taken into custody in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel to shore on Friday after the ship sought assistance while anchored outside the country’s waters.
Sri Lankan navy spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath said 204 sailors of the IRIS Bushehr were brought to the Welisara Naval Base near the capital, Colombo.
About 15 others have been left aboard the ship with Sri Lankan naval personnel for assistance because they had reported a fault with the vessel.
It comes after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship, the IRIS Dena, off Sri Lanka’s coast on Wednesday.
Two Iranian sailors rescued from the IRIS Dena warship are escorted to a Judicial Medical Officer in Galle, Sri Lanka. Credit: AP
The Dena had been taking part in naval exercises hosted by India before heading into international waters on its way home.
The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies after a distress signal was sent out.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Dhadena been carrying “almost 130” crew and called the sinking an “atrocity at sea” that the US would “bitterly regret”.
UK to bolster support in the region
The UK announced Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities have begun arriving in Cyprus on Friday.
The prime minister also confirmed on Thursday that he would send four additional Typhoon jets to join the UK squadron in Qatar.
On Thursday night, F-35s and Typhoons carried out “defensive” air patrols over Qatar, Jordan and the eastern Mediterranean, the Ministry of Defence has said.
US soldiers killed in first days of Iran war named
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On Friday the British ambassador to Bahrain, Alastair Long, said he was “delighted” to tell people the RAF will be flying jets above Bahrain to aid the defence of the country, which he said was “one of our closest allies in the whole world”.
“This matters hugely to the UK that we are part of defending Bahrain and making sure it prevails in this terrible attack against it by Iran,” he said.
The newly announced resources will arrive ahead of the warship HMS Dragon, which is due to leave Portsmouth for Cyprus next week.
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Vladimir Putin speaks to his Iranian counterpart
The Russian president had a call Friday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
He expressed condolences over the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and “numerous civilian casualties resulting from the U.S. and Israel’s armed aggression.”
In the call, the first reported by the Kremlin since the start of the war, Putin “reaffirmed Russia’s principled stance in favor of an immediate cessation of hostilities, the rejection of force as a method to solve any issues surrounding Iran or arising in the Middle East, and a swift return to the path of diplomatic resolution,” according to the Kremlin’s readout.
It said Pezeshkian “expressed gratitude for Russia’s solidarity with the Iranian people as they defend their sovereignty and the independence of their country” and offered a “detailed update on the developments during the latest active phase of the conflict.”
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