Iran blasts hit pro-government rally; Israel strikes continue

Deadly explosions shook Tehran on Friday during a pro-government rally attended by top officials, marking the escalation of Israel and Iran’s ongoing war that has rumbled through the Middle East and threatened to destabilize global economies.

The blasts were reported across city skies following recent Israeli attacks targeting Iran. Israel’s military claimed to have hit more than 200 targets in western and central parts of Iran within a single day, while Iranian state media confirmed at least one woman was killed when explosions struck an area near the demonstration site.

“Attacks are fueled by fear and desperation,” Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council who attended the rally, told a state TV address. “It is clear that our enemy has failed.”

In a separate development, Iranian military officials warned they would respond with greater force to any future anti-government protests.

The conflict, which began on February 28, has intensified across the region and beyond, involving global powers and causing significant economic disruption through major oil market volatility. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have promised further strikes against Israel, while President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and judiciary head were among those who attended the rally in Tehran.

Iranian officials have vowed a brutal response to any new protests, citing the January bloodshed that resulted in several thousand deaths. Amidst this chaos, images from state-run media showed Iranian authorities grappling with shortages of supplies like bread and cash as residents rushed to withdraw their savings from banks.

The United Nations refugee agency has estimated over 3 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the war began, while Iran’s health ministry reports more than 1,200 casualties. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the US and Israel had already hit nearly 15,000 targets.

Iran continues to launch waves of drone and missile strikes against neighboring states housing US military assets, including Saudi Arabia and Oman, which have intercepted several Iranian drones in their airspace. Sirens sounded at Turkey’s Incirlik airbase, a critical NATO facility hosting US troops, as Nato defense systems successfully intercepted a ballistic missile from Iran.

In Iraq, France has experienced its first death from an attack—a 42-year-old soldier named Arnaud Frion, killed by Iranian drone in Erbil. A US refuelling aircraft crash off the coast of Turkey also resulted in four fatalities, although officials attributed it to a technical failure rather than hostile action.

In Lebanon, Israeli strikes have claimed at least 687 lives. Damage from these strikes is evident throughout Beirut’s central district, with buildings reduced to rubble and vehicles left overturned post-bombing scenes that continue to emit small fires as rescuers work to mitigate the damage.

This international conflict has also impacted other nations, including Israel itself, where a strike on the town of Zarzir injured around 60 people. Elsewhere in Lebanon, Iraqi forces reported civilian casualties following Israeli drone strikes and are urging immediate intervention by neighboring countries to prevent further harm.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of its first soldier during the conflict in Iraq earlier that day, adding another layer of suffering and loss to this already harrowing situation.