US war on Iran enters 14th day as strikes spread across Middle East

DOHA, Qatar (MNTV) — The U.S.-Israel war on Iran entered its 14th day on Friday, with heavy bombardment in Iran, missile exchanges across the Gulf, and rising casualties across the Middle East, raising fears that the conflict is rapidly expanding into a wider regional war.

American and Israeli forces have now struck more than 15,000 targets since the war began late last month, according to U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Hegseth said the two allies are now conducting more than 1,000 strikes a day, describing the current phase of the war as the most intense since hostilities erupted.

He said Friday was expected to witness the highest volume of strikes so far as both sides escalated operations across multiple fronts.

Heavy Israeli air raids pounded Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Friday morning.

Residents reported loud explosions and thick smoke rising across several districts as Israeli warplanes carried out what the Israeli military described as an “extensive wave” of attacks targeting military and security infrastructure.

The strikes came as thousands of Iranians gathered in central Tehran for the annual Quds Day rally, a demonstration held each year in support of Palestinians.

Senior Iranian leaders attended the rally, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and several top government and military officials. The gathering was widely viewed as a show of defiance amid the ongoing war.

During the rally, a strike landed near the gathering area, killing a woman who had been attending the demonstration and triggering panic among the crowd. Emergency services rushed to the scene as participants dispersed.

Iranian officials said the incident illustrated the growing danger civilians face as the conflict intensifies.

According to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, at least 1,348 civilians have been killed in the country since the war began. He said victims include people ranging in age from eight months to 88 years old.

Iran has responded to the attacks with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israel, U.S. military installations, and energy facilities across the Gulf.

Missile alerts in Israel

Missile alerts sounded in several Israeli cities early Friday after Iran launched a fresh barrage of rockets toward the country. Israeli authorities said at least 19 people have been killed in Iranian strikes since the conflict began.

The Israeli military said its air defenses intercepted many incoming missiles, but some managed to penetrate defenses and strike urban areas.

The conflict has also taken a toll on American forces deployed in the region.

The U.S. military confirmed that 11 American service members have died since the start of the war, most in missile and drone attacks targeting bases in Iraq and the Gulf.

In western Iraq, a U.S. KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft crashed during operations linked to the war. Four crew members were killed while two others survived the incident.

U.S. Central Command said the aircraft went down in friendly airspace and that the crash was not caused by hostile fire. An investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing.

However, an armed group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed it had shot down the aircraft using air defense systems.

The war has increasingly spilled into neighboring countries, especially across the Gulf, where several states host American military facilities.

Bahrain said it has intercepted more than 114 missiles and nearly 190 drones since the conflict began on February 28. The island kingdom hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Saudi Arabia reported shooting down dozens of drones that entered its airspace, including several that approached sensitive areas in the eastern province and near the capital Riyadh.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 10 drones early Friday and later destroyed another 28 that breached its airspace.

In Oman, two expatriate workers were killed when a drone came down in an industrial area in Sohar province. Authorities said the drone crashed in the Al-Awahi industrial zone, causing injuries in addition to the fatalities.

Several Gulf states have reported attempted attacks on oil facilities and tankers, raising concerns about the safety of energy infrastructure across the region.

Strait of Hormuz

The war has also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway connecting the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the wider world.

Iran has declared the strait under its control and said vessels linked to the United States or Israel are banned from passing through the channel. Other ships must seek permission from Iranian authorities.

The disruption has sent global oil prices soaring, with Brent crude rising above $100 per barrel as traders fear prolonged instability in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.

The United Arab Emirates has condemned Iranian strikes in the region and said some attacks targeted areas near Dubai International Airport and nearby hotels.

Meanwhile, several governments have begun evacuating personnel from the region.

Australia has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff to leave both Israel and the United Arab Emirates while urging its citizens to depart the Middle East, while commercial flights are still operating.

Qatar has temporarily closed its airspace but arranged more than 140 special flights to repatriate residents and stranded travelers.

Officials in Doha also rejected Israeli media claims that Qatar had intentionally suspended liquefied natural gas production to manipulate energy markets.

They said the disruption was instead caused by an Iranian drone strike on infrastructure connected to the gas sector.

Beyond the Gulf, the conflict has also intensified along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon has killed nearly 700 people since early March, according to Lebanese authorities. The victims include at least 98 children.

The strikes have forced hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes. Aid groups say Israeli evacuation orders now cover large parts of southern Lebanon as well as areas of Beirut.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said Israeli evacuation directives now extend across approximately 1,470 square kilometres, or about 14 percent of Lebanon’s territory.

Maureen Philippon, the organization’s country director in Lebanon, said the sweeping orders have triggered widespread panic among civilians.

“Israel’s mass evacuation orders have expanded to broad geographic directives,” she said. “They are creating fear across communities that strikes are imminent, even when they are not.”

United Nations peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon also reported that Israeli ground troops have conducted incursions into certain areas and erected roadblocks.

In southern Lebanon, a strike on the village of Arki near Sidon killed nine people, including five children, local officials said.

Lebanese authorities estimate that between 700,000 and 750,000 people have now been displaced by the escalating bombardment.

The war has also drawn in European forces stationed in Iraq.

French officials confirmed that a soldier was killed after an Iranian Shahed drone struck a position where French troops were deployed in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

Colonel François-Xavier de la Chesnay said the soldier, 42-year-old Arnaud Frion, was killed when the drone hit the base where he was stationed.

Six other French soldiers were wounded in a separate drone attack in Erbil. French President Emmanuel Macron said the attacks demonstrated the growing dangers facing international forces operating in the region.

Inside Iran, the political leadership has adopted a defiant tone despite the mounting casualties and damage.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed the position last week following the assassination of his father, issued his first public statement since taking office.

He warned that attacks on Israel and U.S. military assets across the Middle East would continue unless American bases in the region were shut down.

The remarks signal that Tehran intends to sustain military pressure across multiple fronts.

Israeli leaders have also hardened their stance.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military campaign aims to prevent Iran from moving its nuclear and ballistic missile programs underground.

He also suggested that the war could create conditions for political change inside Iran, though he said it would ultimately be up to the Iranian people to decide their country’s future.

In Washington, President Donald Trump said the war was progressing rapidly and praised U.S. military operations.

“Our military is unsurpassed,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Things are moving very rapidly.”

However, political pressure is mounting domestically.

More than 250 American organizations have signed a letter urging Congress to halt funding for the war, arguing that the billions of dollars already spent could be used to address urgent domestic needs.

The groups say the United States spent roughly 11.3 billion dollars in the first six days of the conflict alone.

Several lawmakers have also expressed concern about the potential for the conflict to drag on.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he does not expect the war to end quickly but suggested that a large-scale deployment of U.S. ground troops in Iran is unlikely.

“I don’t see this conflict ending today,” Graham said.

As the war enters its third week, analysts warn that the scale of the fighting and the number of countries now involved make the conflict one of the most dangerous regional confrontations in decades.

With strikes continuing across Iran, missile exchanges hitting Israel and Gulf states intercepting drones and rockets almost daily, fears are growing that the conflict could soon evolve into a full-scale Middle East war.