Explosions rock Tehran during protest rally as Israel intensifies attacks on Iran

Israel’s military announced a new “extensive wave” of air strikes on Tehran, intensifying the ongoing war with Iran as violence spread across several countries in the Middle East on Friday.

Multiple explosions were reported in the Iranian capital, including near the location of a large al-Quds Day protest rally, where thousands had gathered. Witnesses and local media reported blasts on major streets around the demonstration site, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.

Iranian outlet Nournews reported that an air strike hit the Javadieh neighbourhood in southeastern Tehran, injuring several people. Footage shared online showed rescuers working amid piles of debris and damaged buildings.

The Israeli military said the strikes were part of a broader campaign targeting what it described as Iranian military infrastructure in the capital.

The escalation comes as Israel also issued forced evacuation warnings in parts of Beirut, signalling possible new attacks in Lebanon.

In southern Lebanon, a strike on the town of Qalila left four people trapped under rubble, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency, as civil defence teams worked to rescue them.

Further south, emergency responders were seen searching through the wreckage of a five-storey residential building destroyed in the suburbs of Sidon. Video circulating on social media showed medics carrying what appeared to be a body on a stretcher to an ambulance. The conflict is increasingly spreading across the region.

In Oman, authorities said two people were killed after a drone was shot down in Sohar province, while Saudi Arabia reported intercepting eight drones over its central and eastern regions, including near the capital Riyadh.

Meanwhile, Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed power after the assassination of his father Ali Khamenei, issued his first public warning since taking office.

In a statement, he demanded that countries hosting US military bases in the region shut them down, warning that attacks would continue otherwise.

The humanitarian impact of the war continues to mount. The UN Refugee Agency said around 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the conflict began on February 28 following US-Israeli attacks.

With Israeli strikes hitting Tehran, fighting continuing in Lebanon, and drone attacks spreading across Gulf states, the conflict is increasingly turning into a wider regional confrontation.