Heavy bombing in Iran and Lebanon. Israel Announces 'Additional Surprises', US Threatens Firepower 'Will Increase Dramatically' / Russian Support for Iran

The Israeli military (IDF) bombed the capital Beirut on Friday and issued new evacuation warnings in Lebanon, where it has stepped up its campaign against Iran-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah. Bombings by Israel and the United States also continued in Iran, and the head of the Pentagon threatened that the firepower of American forces was “on the verge of increasing dramatically”, according to The New York Times and The Guardian.

Lebanon is shaping up to be one of the hottest fronts in an escalating regional conflict that began with the US-Israeli attacks on Iran a week ago. Thousands of people have already left the capital Beirut amid airstrikes by the IDF, which launched the strongest operation against Hezbollah since the 2024 war.

More than 200 people have been killed and more than 700 wounded in Lebanon since Monday, when Israel's campaign against Hezbollah escalated, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The most recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended in November 2024 with a fragile truce, had killed around 4,000 people in Lebanon, the bloodiest in decades.

In Tehran, the bombings were particularly intense, shaking homes in the Iranian capital, say witnesses who spoke to The Guardian. Others reported explosions in Kermanshah, an area where a missile base is located.

In Iran, the Internet currently has about 1 percent coverage, according to the monitoring group NetBlocks, which limits the availability of information about the impact of the war on ordinary Iranians.

“We have additional surprises on the horizon”

IDF chief Eyal Zamir warned that Israel's offensive against Iran is entering a new phase that will “further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities.”

“We have additional surprises on the horizon that I'm not going to reveal,” Zamir added.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said US firepower is “about to increase dramatically” by deploying more bombers.

On Friday, in the seventh day of the conflict, Tehran's forces launched missiles and drones at Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, apparently targeting US bases and civilian infrastructure, including oil pipelines.

Other rockets were fired at Israel, although fewer than in the early days of the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had fired missiles at Tel Aviv and that Iranian forces had also targeted an Israeli military air base and radar, promising new initiatives and that new weapons would be deployed soon.

Russia provides Iran with intelligence to target US forces

While the extent of Russia's support for Iran is not entirely clear, Moscow is providing Tehran with intelligence to target US forces in the Middle East, including the locations of US warships and aircraft, the Washington Post reported Friday, citing three officials with knowledge of the information.

The Iranian military's own ability to locate American forces has degraded since the United States and Israel attacked Tehran, according to the Post.

The US military has identified six reservists killed in Kuwait after a drone struck a US military installation in Port Shuaiba. Trump and other senior officials have warned that the hostilities will likely result in the deaths of more US troops.

On Friday, the Kremlin said Russia was in dialogue with representatives of Iran's leadership, but declined to elaborate when asked by reporters whether it was helping Iran or not.

Trump wants the “unconditional surrender” of Iran

The US president said in a post on Truth Social on Friday that “there will be no deal with Iran except on unconditional surrender.”

Trump, who has said he also needs to be involved in choosing a new leader in Tehran, believes the process will go “very smoothly”.

In a brief phone interview with CNN on Friday, the US leader said he was open to the idea of ​​having a religious leader continue to lead Iran, but “it depends on who that person is”.

“I don't mind religious leaders. I deal with a lot of religious leaders and they are fantastic,” Trump added, noting that he is not pushing for a democratic Iran, but wants a leader in Tehran who “will treat the United States and Israel and the other countries in the Middle East well.”