The strikes in Lebanon were the heaviest since a 2024 ceasefire ended the last war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, who fired rockets at Israel in the opening days of the latest conflict. Tens of thousands have fled Beirut's suburbs and southern Lebanon after sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings.
The war has escalated to affect more than a dozen countries across the Middle East and beyond. The United States said it had struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea as it waged an unrelenting campaign against the country's navy that earlier included torpedoing of a warship in the Indian Ocean.
The US and Israel have battered Iran with strikes, targeting their military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program. The stated goals and timelines for the war have repeatedly shifted, as the US has at times suggested it seeks to topple Iran's government or elevate new leadership from within.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump said that after Iran's surrender, "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."
The war has already caused a spike in oil prices, and Qatar's energy minister warned that it could "bring down the economies of the world," predicting a widespread shutdown of Gulf energy exports that could send oil to $150 a barrel. Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times newspaper that even if the war ended immediately it could take "weeks to months" to resume normal exports after an Iranian drone strike on Qatar's largest liquefied natural gas plant.
ADVERTISEMENT
