Israel heavily bombs an underground bunker prepared for Iranian leaders

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.

Intense Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon on Friday as the IDF reportedly heavily bombed an extensive underground bunker that Iran's leaders had planned to use during the hostilities.

Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut and Tehran as Iran launched more retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries on the seventh day of the war.

The strikes in Lebanon were the heaviest since a 2024 ceasefire ended the last war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, who fired rockets at Israel in the opening days of the war now underway.

READ MORE: 'Disappointing' footage shows ghost flights arrive from Middle East

More than 95,000 people have fled Beirut's suburbs and southern Lebanon after sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings.

The US and Israel have battered Iran with strikes, targeting its military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program.

The stated goals and timelines for the war have repeatedly shifted, as the US has at times suggested it seeks to topple Iran's government or elevate new leadership from within.

Russia has meanwhile provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike the US military, according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter.

Qatar's energy minister Saad al-Kaabi warned in an interview with the Financial Times that the war could "bring down the economies of the world," predicting a widespread shutdown of Gulf energy exports that could send oil to $150 a barrel.

Trump says US will help rebuild Iran once it has 'ACCEPTABLE' leaders

In a social media post on Friday, Trump said that after Iran's surrender, "and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s)," that the U.S. and its allies would help rebuild Iran, making it "economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before."

Those comments were likely to raise further questions about the endgame of the war launched a week ago by the United States and Israel.

The war has killed at least 1230 people in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six US troops have been killed.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on social media that "some countries" had begun mediation efforts in the conflict, without elaborating.

On Thursday, Trump urged the Iranian people to "help take back your country," promising the US would grant them "immunity," without elaborating.

READ MORE: 'Disappointing' footage shows ghost flights arrive from Middle East

Trump also told media outlets that he should be involved in choosing a replacement for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war. Trump spoke dismissively of Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei — a front-runner to replace his father — calling him "a lightweight."

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.

Buildings associated with the 88-member clerical panel, have been attacked during the Israeli-American air campaign. Israel has said it would target the next supreme leader if he poses a threat.

Russia providing information to Iran, officials say

Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with US intelligence on the matter.

The people, who were not authorised to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the US intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information.

Still, it's the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war that the US and Israel launched on Iran a week ago.

Heavy strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks

Israel's military said on Friday it had launched "a broad-scale wave of strikes" on Tehran, Iran's capital, and that over the past week it has heavily bombed an extensive underground bunker that Iran's leaders had planned to use during the hostilities.

Witnesses described Israeli airstrikes as particularly intense, shaking homes in the area and sending columns of smoke rising. Others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah, an area that is home to multiple missile bases. They spoke anonymously for fear of retribution.

Countries across the Gulf said they intercepted Iranian missiles and drones on Friday, including attacks aimed at US bases. Strikes have killed at least 15 civilians, including in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia said on Friday they intercepted projectiles headed toward U.S. bases. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, where the Interior Ministry said Iranian strikes hit two hotels and a residential building, though no casualties were reported.

The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait — where six US soldiers were killed on Sunday — also reported missiles and drones breaching their airspace.

In Israel, the sound of explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv throughout on Friday after warnings about missiles incoming from Iran, as air defense systems worked to intercept the barrage. Five soldiers have been wounded in the fighting with Hezbollah, Israel's military said.

Israel bombards Lebanon as death toll rises

Israel has carried out waves of airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah has a large presence but which is also home to hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said 217 people had been killed by Israeli strikes since Monday and 798 wounded.

Roads in the Lebanese capital were choked with evacuating traffic as smoke rose over the city's southern districts. Two hospitals evacuated patients and staff.

"What can we do? We prayed here under the tree. During the night we slept in the car because there is no place to stay," Jihan Shehadeh, one of the tens of thousands of displaced, said.

READ MORE: PM confirms Australian 'military assets' deployed to Middle East

One Israeli strike hit near the Iranian embassy in Beirut, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions about the report.

Hezbollah's military command on Friday urged its fighters not to relent and to "defend the nation," casting the escalating war in religious terms and calling on them to "kill them wherever you find them."

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam slammed both Israel and Hezbollah, saying the Lebanese state and people "did not choose this war."

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned attacks were “about to surge dramatically”.

US says it struck an Iranian drone carrier

The US military said early on Friday that it struck an Iranian drone carrier, setting it ablaze.

The US military’s Central Command released black-and-white footage of the burning carrier. The Iranian military did not immediately acknowledge the attack.

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.

Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, described the carrier as “roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier”.

“And as we speak, it’s on fire,” Cooper told reporters.

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.

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.

“We've also struck Iran's equivalent of Space Command, which degrades their ability to threaten Americans,” Cooper said.

Speaking alongside Cooper, Hegseth gave few details when he promised an upcoming surge.

“It’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities,” Hegseth said. “And it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.”

Iran targets country's hosting US forces

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.

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.

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.

Cooper said Iranian attacks had now hit a dozen countries, who would be welcome to play a more active role in the conflict.

“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.

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.

Trump again urges Iranians to 'take back' their country

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.

“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.”

Cooper and Hegseth cautioned Iranians not to take to the streets while the conflict is still raging, however.

“It's common sense, don't go out and protest while bombs are dropping” Hegseth said.

“The best thing for them to do now is just to lay low,” Cooper added.

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”.

“We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said.

Iranian officials meet to discuss new leadership

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.

The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.

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.

Buildings associated with the Assembly of Experts, a 88-member clerical panel, have been attacked during the Israeli-US airstrike campaign.

Israel hits Lebanon with multiple airstrikes around Beirut

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.

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.

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.

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.

READ MORE: Trump identifies his next target for attack

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here