The escalating war involving Iran, which has spread across the Middle East and beyond, entered its seventh day on Friday after Israel announced a “next phase” of military operations and launched air strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The Israeli military had earlier issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for the entire area, urging residents to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately”, prompting widespread panic as people fled.
The impact of the conflict has been felt as far away as the coast of Sri Lanka, where a US submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship, and in Azerbaijan, which threatened retaliation after a drone struck an airport.
On the political front, US President Donald Trump dismissed the possibility of Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei — succeeding his father, describing him as a “lightweight”.
“I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy,” Trump told Axios in an interview, referring to Delcy Rodríguez of Venezuela. He drew a comparison to the situation in the country after the United States removed Nicolás Maduro in a military operation.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said, warning that further conflict could follow if a more suitable alternative did not emerge.
The remarks suggest Washington may be open to working with a figure from within the Islamic Republic rather than seeking the complete overthrow of the government, despite Trump’s repeated calls for Iranians to rise up and reclaim their country.
Beirut strikes
Lebanon was drawn into the expanding conflict on Monday when the militant group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei.
Israel responded with air strikes and deployed ground forces to several Lebanese border villages. On Thursday it targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying it was striking Hezbollah infrastructure.
The Israeli warning ahead of the strikes triggered mass departures from the area, with severe traffic congestion on the outskirts as some residents fired guns into the air to urge others to leave quickly.
On a beach in Beirut, hundreds of displaced families gathered after fleeing their homes, uncertain where to go.
“We fled from the suburbs; we were humiliated,” one man told AFP, declining to give his name.
Lebanese authorities say at least 123 people have been killed since Monday, with 683 wounded and at least 90,000 displaced.
From Sri Lanka to Azerbaijan
Along Iran’s northern border, neighbouring Azerbaijan warned that a drone strike on an airport “will not go unanswered”, fuelling fears that another country could be drawn into the war.
Iran denied responsibility for the attack and blamed Israel, but Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Iran of “terrorism”.
Meanwhile, Australia deployed two military aircraft to the region, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would not rule out the participation of Canada’s armed forces.
Following fresh strikes on Tehran, images from AFPTV showed charred vehicles and heavily damaged buildings, with smoke still rising from some sites.
“We’re going through a very important chapter of our history, and I’m not afraid,” a 30-year-old resident of Tehran told AFP. “Hope is the only thing we have right now.”
An Iranian state-run foundation said the death toll from US and Israeli strikes had reached 1,230, although AFP was unable to independently verify the figure.
The US military has reported that six of its personnel have been killed since the war began on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi struck a defiant tone on Thursday, saying Tehran had not sought a ceasefire and did not “see any reason why we should negotiate with the US". ”.
Regarding the possibility of a ground invasion, he told NBC News: “We are confident we can confront them, and that would be a major disaster for them.”
Israel, meanwhile, said 60 per cent of Iran’s missile launchers and 80 per cent of its air defence systems had been destroyed.
Announcing a “next phase” in the campaign, Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said Israel had “additional surprises ahead”.
A fresh barrage of Iranian missiles triggered explosions across Tel Aviv, where firefighters worked to contain a blaze in a residential building near the country’s commercial hub on Friday.
Gulf under fire
The conflict has also affected the wealthy Gulf monarchies, often viewed as relative safe havens in the volatile region, as Iran has launched attacks on cities and energy infrastructure.
Thirteen people – including seven civilians – have been killed across Gulf states since the war began, among them an 11-year-old girl in Kuwait.
Bahrain said early on Friday that Iranian strikes had targeted two hotels and a residential building in the capital, Manama, though there were no fatalities.
Saudi Arabia reported intercepting three ballistic missiles fired towards one of its air bases.
And Qatar said on Thursday it had intercepted a missile attack as loud explosions – described by AFP journalists as the most intense so far – echoed across Doha, with thick black smoke rising across the skyline.
Officials in the United Arab Emirates added that falling debris from an intercepted drone injured six people in the capital, Abu Dhabi.
