New Delhi: More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the US-Israel military campaign, with heavy bombardment striking Tehran and several other cities on the seventh day of the conflict, according to Iranian authorities and international organisations.
Intense airstrikes pounded the Iranian capital early Friday as Israeli forces launched what they described as a new phase of attacks targeting “regime infrastructure”. At the same time, the United States confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers carried out strikes on deeply buried ballistic missile launch facilities using specialised “penetrator” bombs.
Explosions were reported across several parts of Tehran, including locations linked to Iran’s military and political establishment, as well as residential areas and the vicinity of Tehran University, according to field reports cited by Al Jazeera.
Iran’s Noor News reported that residential buildings in the capital had been hit, while footage posted online by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei showed damage to an elementary school near Niloufar Square. Baghaei said the school had been struck during the bombardment. UNICEF said that at least 181 children were among those killed in the conflict so far.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said diplomatic mediation efforts should focus on the United States and Israel, whom he accused of initiating the conflict. “We are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation’s dignity and sovereignty,” Pezeshkian wrote on X.
Strikes were also reported in other cities including Shiraz, Qom, Isfahan and Kermanshah. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, the overall death toll from attacks since the start of the war has reached at least 1,332.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military said its air force destroyed six Iranian missile launchers overnight before they could be used against Israeli territory. The Israeli Defence Forces also claimed to have destroyed three advanced Iranian air defence systems during the latest operations.
“50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets dismantled Ali Khamenei’s underground military bunker beneath the Iranian regime’s leadership compound in Tehran,” Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X.
In the central Iranian city of Qom, Israeli forces issued evacuation warnings for residents in the Shokouhiyeh industrial zone, instructing them to leave the area ahead of potential strikes.
US Central Command said American forces were continuing operations against Iranian military targets. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, earlier said B-2 bombers had dropped dozens of 2,000-pound bunker-penetrating bombs on underground missile launchers.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that the intensity of the attacks could increase in the coming days. “It’s more fighter squadrons, more capabilities, more defensive systems and more bomber pulses,” he said, warning that the campaign was expected to intensify.
In a further escalation, Iranian military authorities said their forces had struck a “US-owned” oil tanker off the coast of Kuwait. Iranian state radio reported that the vessel caught fire following the attack.
The war began after joint US and Israeli strikes targeted Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure, including an attack that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier in the campaign. Since then, the conflict has spread across the region, with Iran launching missile and drone strikes and warning that it is prepared to confront any further escalation.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the conflict has also intensified as Israeli air strikes continued to target several areas across the country. At least 123 people have been killed and 683 injured in Israeli attacks since the start of the week, Al Jazeera reported citing the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Fresh strikes hit multiple towns in southern Lebanon early Friday, while Hezbollah warned residents in Israeli settlements within about five kilometres of the northern border to evacuate amid rising hostilities along the frontier.
