The war in the Middle East entered its seventh day on Friday, with the US military releasing footage of what it described as multiple precision strikes on Iranian targets.In a post on X, US Central Command shared a video showing US forces carrying out strikes against Iranian assets.
“US forces are destroying Iranian targets, paving the way to continue delivering overwhelming US military firepower,” the command said while sharing the footage.
Arab countries look to withdraw investments from the United States as security spending increases due to the Iran war
The video comes amid escalating hostilities across the region involving the United States, Israel and Iran, with missile attacks, air strikes and cross-border threats reported across the region.Israel said it launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran, targeting what it described as “the regime’s infrastructure” in a “new phase” of the war.
Agence France-Presse journalists in the Iranian capital reported hearing loud explosions, while Iranian media also reported violent strikes. An Iranian official said that at least 20 people were killed in US and Israeli raids in the southern city of Shiraz, although Agence France-Presse said it could not independently verify the death toll.The Iranian missile launch sparked air strike warnings in Israel, with reports of multiple explosions over Tel Aviv after the Israeli military said it had detected missiles launched from Iran.
The army said: “A short while ago, the Israeli army identified missiles launched from Iran towards the territory of the State of Israel. Defense systems are working to intercept the threat.”The conflict has also exacerbated tensions across the Gulf. Dubai residents on Friday received phone alerts from the UAE Ministry of Interior warning of potential missile threats and urging people to seek shelter away from windows and open areas.Saudi Arabia said that its air defenses intercepted three drones east of Riyadh and destroyed three missiles that targeted an air base. Qatar said it thwarted a drone attack targeting the US-run Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military facility in the Middle East.Elsewhere in the region, Bahrain said that Iran bombed a hotel and two residential buildings in the capital, Manama, amending a previous statement that reported damage to two hotels.Humanitarian losses are also rising. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that a “humanitarian catastrophe is looming” as Israeli evacuation orders led to a large-scale exodus from Hezbollah-controlled areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut and southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that at least 123 people have been killed in Israeli raids since the country entered the conflict earlier this week, including victims of new strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for “transparent and impartial investigations” into the deadly raid on a school in Iran. “It is clear that what we have asked for is rapid, transparent and impartial investigations, which we know the United States of America has announced,” he told reporters in Geneva, adding, “We need that to happen very quickly and we also need to make sure that there is accountability as well as compensation for the victims.”The military repercussions also extended beyond the main combat zones. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense said that 67 army personnel have been injured since Iran began its retaliatory campaign, the highest number announced by any Gulf army so far.In Europe, British authorities arrested four men in London on suspicion of assisting the Iranian intelligence service by allegedly spying on sites and individuals linked to the Jewish community in the city.
Police said that one of the suspects is Iranian, while the others hold dual British and Iranian citizenship.Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that sending US ground forces to Iran is not currently under consideration. “It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they could possibly lose,” he told NBC in a phone interview, rejecting statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi that suggested Tehran was ready for a ground invasion.In a separate development, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that three Australian military personnel were on board a US submarine that participated in sinking an Iranian navy ship near Sri Lanka earlier this week as part of training arrangements.Trump also indicated his support for Iranian Kurdish fighters who could potentially launch an attack on Tehran, saying: “I think it’s great that they want to do that, and I would be all for that.”
