The ground shook in Tehran on Friday as American and Israeli bombs fell on Iranian soil with extraordinary intensity, and President Donald Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender echoed across the world’s media. Seven days into the conflict, the campaign has reached a ferocity that few analysts had anticipated, and there is no ceasefire in sight.
American B-2 stealth bombers have been operating over Iran with impunity, dropping dozens of 2,000-pound penetrating munitions on the hardened underground sites where Iran stores and launches its ballistic missiles. Witnesses in Tehran described explosions that shook homes across the capital. Explosions also rocked Kermanshah, a city near Iran’s western border that houses key missile infrastructure. A large Iranian naval vessel was struck at sea and potentially destroyed.
Israel has pursued its own objectives in Lebanon with equal force. The military issued evacuation orders covering more than one million people, emptied the Dahiyeh district of Beirut, and struck Hezbollah positions across the Lebanese capital and its surroundings. The Dahiyeh neighborhood, normally a vibrant urban community, was reduced to a smoldering ruin. Hezbollah maintained its military operations despite the devastation, launching rockets into Israel and wounding Israeli soldiers near the border.
Iran struck back with everything it had available. Missiles and drones targeted US bases and oil infrastructure in four Gulf states. Several Gulf nations confirmed intercepting incoming attacks. In Bahrain, strikes hit civilian infrastructure including hotels. The Revolutionary Guards claimed strikes on Israeli military installations and promised new weapons and approaches. Iranian state television continued to broadcast messages of defiance, showing worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran mourning Khamenei and vowing resistance.
The world has watched with alarm. The UN human rights chief appealed for a halt to the escalation. European governments have expressed concern. The UK has deployed additional fighter jets to the region. China and Russia have called for restraint. Trump has called for Iran’s surrender. The Iranian government has called for resistance. Between those two positions, more than a thousand people have already died, millions have been displaced, and the region’s future hangs in the balance.