<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Intense Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon on Friday as the US apparently struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea in its unrelenting campaign against the Islamic Republic’s fleet of warships.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Iran launched new retaliatory attacks in the Middle East at the end of a full week of bombardment, which US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned was “about to surge dramatically”.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Israel’s military said on Friday morning it had begun “a broad-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran, Iran’s capital. Witnesses described the Israeli airstrikes as particularly intense, shaking homes in the area. Others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah in an area that is home to multiple missile bases.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/us-israel-attack-iran-relief-flights-to-australia-sitting-half-empty-reports/7de212da-5747-4328-9495-d06eb297e1e2"><strong><span>'Disappointing' footage shows ghost flights arrive from Middle East</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Israeli military said strikes have already destroyed most of Iran’s air defences and missile launchers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The war has escalated to affect countries across the Middle East and beyond. Early on Friday, Iran fired missile and drone attacks into Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, all countries that host US forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In Lebanon, where the war has rekindled fighting between Israel and Iran-allied Hezbollah militants, Israel launched a series of airstrikes late on Thursday into Friday in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas. Motorists jammed roads trying to flee or seek shelter.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-attack-iran-intense-israeli-strikes-hit-iran-and-lebanon-as-us-warns-the-bombardment-will-surge-dramatically/54df6dd0-a095-4f6e-aa8d-3973335f1500" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The US and Israel have battered Iran with nationwide strikes, targeting their military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In addition to Israel, Iran’s attacks have targeted their Arab neighbours, disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel. The war has killed at least 1230 people in Iran, more than 120 in Lebanon and about a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six US troops have been killed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/us-israel-attack-iran-anthony-albanese-confirms-australian-military-assets-deployed-to-middle-east-amid-iran-war/d906fec1-69a7-44c7-a87d-3941f4b66720"><strong><span>PM confirms Australian 'military assets' deployed to Middle East</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>US says it struck an Iranian drone carrier</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The US military said early on Friday that it struck an Iranian drone carrier, setting it ablaze.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The US military’s Central Command released black-and-white footage of the burning carrier. The Iranian military did not immediately acknowledge the attack.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The drone carrier, the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, is a converted container ship with a 180-metre-long runway for drones. The vessel can travel up to 22,000 nautical miles without needing to refuel in ports, reports said at the time of its 2025 inauguration.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, described the carrier as “roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier”.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“And as we speak, it’s on fire,” Cooper told reporters.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Earlier in the week, an American submarine sank an Iranian frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka as it was returning from an exercise hosted by the Indian navy that the US also joined. The sinking killed at least 87 sailors.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Under cover of darkness on Friday morning, B-2 stealth bombers dropped dozens of 2000-pound “penetrator” bombs on deeply buried ballistic missile launchers inside Iran, Cooper said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“We've also struck Iran's equivalent of Space Command, which degrades their ability to threaten Americans,” Cooper said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Speaking alongside Cooper, Hegseth gave few details when he promised an upcoming surge.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“It’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities,” Hegseth said. “And it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.”</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Iran targets country's hosting US forces</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Qatar’s Defence Ministry reported early on Friday it intercepted a drone attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the US Central Command.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles fired early on Friday toward Prince Sultan Air Base south of Riyadh, which hosts US forces, said a spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, where the Interior Ministry said Iranian strikes targeted two hotels and a residential building. It said there were no casualties. In Kuwait, where the six US soldiers were killed Sunday, the Kuwaiti army said its air defences were activated when missile and drone attacks breached Kuwait’s airspace.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Cooper said Iranian attacks had now hit a dozen countries, who would be welcome to play a more active role in the conflict.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“Those 12 countries are none too happy and I look forward to working with all the partners who are willing to join us,” he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In Israel, the sound of explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv on Friday morning after a warning about missiles incoming from Iran, as air defence systems worked to intercept the barrage.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Trump again urges Iranians to 'take back' their country</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In brief remarks at the White House, US President Donald Trump again urged the Iranian people to “help take back your country”. This time he promised the US would grant them “immunity” amid the war and ongoing dangers under the current Iranian regime.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“So you’ll be perfectly safe with total immunity,” Trump said, without giving any details about what that meant. “Or you’ll face absolutely guaranteed death.”</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Cooper and Hegseth cautioned Iranians not to take to the streets while the conflict is still raging, however.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“It's common sense, don't go out and protest while bombs are dropping” Hegseth said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“The best thing for them to do now is just to lay low,” Cooper added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In an interview with the news website Axios, Trump said he should be involved in choosing Iran's new supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war. Trump spoke dismissively of Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, being a front-runner to replace his father, calling him “a lightweight”.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Iranian officials meet to discuss new leadership</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Iranian state television reported on Friday that a leadership council had started discussing how to convene the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the new supreme leader.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the Assembly of Experts would meet in person or remotely for the vote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Buildings associated with the Assembly of Experts, a 88-member clerical panel, have been attacked during the Israeli-US airstrike campaign.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Israel hits Lebanon with multiple airstrikes around Beirut</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Israel carried out at least 11 airstrikes late on Thursday and early on Friday, targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut. Fires broke out near a gas station.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Israeli army issued a warning on Thursday evening, urging residents to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately”. Two hospitals evacuated patients and staff. No casualties were immediately reported.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Lebanese health ministry said the death toll has risen to 123 since the resurgence of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which struck Israel in the opening days of the war.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div>