Military confrontations between Israel and Iran entered their eighth day on Saturday, with both sides exchanging missile and air strikes while attacks spread across parts of the Gulf and Iraq, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.
Israel said it had carried out “extensive strikes” on targets in Iran’s capital, Tehran, while Iranian state television reported an explosion in the western part of the city. The developments come amid continued heavy bombardment by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets, while Tehran has responded with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israel and U.S. positions in the region.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched the 25th wave of Operation “True Promise 4,” firing what it described as strategic and precision missiles, including the Fattah and Emad models, along with attack drones against U.S. and Israeli targets.
Several Gulf states reported intercepting aerial attacks. Bahrain’s Defence Force said it had intercepted and destroyed 86 missiles and 148 drones since the start of Iranian attacks against neighbouring countries. Kuwait’s National Guard said it had also shot down a drone in an area where it provides support to the Ministry of Defence.
In the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Al Dhafra Air Base with a large number of attack drones early on Saturday. Iranian military officials said their forces would not attack countries that do not allow their airspace or facilities to be used by “our enemies,” stressing respect for the sovereignty of neighbouring states.
The escalation has also reached Iraq. Iraqi authorities said missiles followed by drones struck the perimeter of Baghdad International Airport on Friday evening, where a military base hosts a logistics support team linked to the U.S. embassy. In southern Iraq, a drone targeted an oil facility hosting foreign energy companies for the second time the same day.
In the north, a powerful explosion shook the city of Erbil, sending a column of smoke rising from one of the city’s hotels. The United States had earlier warned that Iran-aligned factions could target hotels in the Kurdistan region that are frequented by foreigners.
Politically, U.S. President Donald Trump said there would be no agreement with Iran unless it accepted “unconditional surrender,” adding that the United States and its allies would then work to rebuild Iran’s economy. He later clarified that the statement could mean the “complete destruction of the regime’s military capabilities,” rather than a formal surrender.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said military operations in Iran could last between four and six weeks, adding that the U.S. administration was considering several individuals who could potentially lead Iran in the future.
Israeli military officials, quoted by the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, said the army was preparing for additional weeks of fighting and air strikes on Iran. The officials said the objective of Israel’s operations was not the immediate overthrow of Iran’s government but rather “to create the conditions to weaken it.”
Iranian media reported a new wave of missile launches toward Israel, while a senior official in the office of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not attack regional countries if they did not cooperate with Washington in attacks against Iran. He added that Iranian armed forces would respond to any attack launched from U.S. bases in the region.
Earlier, Iran’s president apologised to neighbouring countries over attacks that had affected some of them and pledged to halt such strikes unless attacks against Iran were launched from their territories.
Diplomatic efforts to calm tensions are also under way. Bloomberg reported, citing European officials, that Saudi Arabia has activated informal diplomatic channels with Iran in recent days in an effort to de-escalate tensions and prevent the conflict from expanding.
On the humanitarian front, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the attacks had struck civilian areas, reporting that ten medical workers had been killed and more than 20 educational centres had sustained major damage.
Regional diplomacy has also intensified. Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls with his counterparts in Oman, Iraq and Bahrain to discuss the escalating military situation.
Abdelatty warned that continued escalation threatens regional peace and security and called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, reduce tensions and adhere to international law and the United Nations Charter.
He also reaffirmed Egypt’s solidarity with Gulf states and Iraq in the face of attacks targeting their territories, rejecting any justification for violations of Arab states’ sovereignty or threats to their stability.
