Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday vowed to press ahead with the war against Iran, declaring that Israel has a “systematic plan to eradicate the Iranian regime” and warning that the next phase of the conflict would bring “many more surprises”.
In a televised address, Netanyahu said Israel would continue the campaign “with all our force”, even as Iran launched waves of missiles and drones targeting countries across the Gulf region, reported AFP.
“Our success will bring not only the removal of the nuclear threat to the entire world, and not only peace between Israel and Iran. It will also bring a dramatic expansion of the circle of peace around us,” Netanyahu said.
“Today, everyone understands that the Ayatollahs’ regime endangers the entire world. In recent days, Iran has attacked 12 countries around it. We stand with them,” he added.
The Israeli leader also said many nations were now seeking closer cooperation with Israel as the conflict unfolds.
“All of these countries see Israel’s tremendous strength, our readiness to fight the tyrants in Tehran, the bravery of our army and our people, and our vast military and technological capabilities.
And many countries are turning to us. I am telling you many countries are now approaching us for cooperation,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli leader also claimed that his country now has near-total control of Iranian airspace. “We have almost total control of the skies over Tehran,” he said, as Israel expanded its strikes on Iranian military and strategic targets.
Heavy strikes as war enters second week
Israel and the United States intensified their attacks on Iran on Saturday, with air strikes hitting several locations in the capital Tehran, including a major oil storage facility that erupted in flames, reported news agency AP.
Associated Press footage showed pillars of fire lighting up the night sky as smoke rose over the city.
Israel’s military confirmed it had launched a fresh wave of strikes that shook neighbourhoods in eastern and southern Tehran, though it did not immediately disclose all targets.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli strike set part of Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport ablaze. Israeli officials said the attack destroyed 16 aircraft and fighter jets stationed there.
Israel said other targets included a military academy, an underground command centre and a missile storage facility.
Iran retaliates across the Gulf
Even as Israel stepped up its offensive, Iran continued retaliatory attacks across the region. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they struck the US naval base in Juffair in Bahrain, claiming the base had earlier been used to attack an Iranian desalination plant.
Missile and drone attacks were reported across the Gulf, including in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The UAE said its air defences intercepted 15 missiles and 119 drones on Saturday morning. Video footage showed one projectile crashing near Dubai airport.
Air raid warnings and explosions were also reported in Jerusalem, Doha and several Gulf cities, while AFP journalists heard blasts in Baghdad, Erbil and Dubai.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei warned that attacks would continue against countries seen as assisting Israel or the United States.
“Evidence from Iran’s armed forces shows that the geography of some countries in the region is openly and covertly at the disposal of the enemy,” he said. “The heavy attacks on these targets will continue,” he added.
Tehran rejects calls to surrender
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a defiant tone, rejecting calls from Washington for Tehran to surrender.
In a speech, Pezeshkian dismissed US President Donald Trump’s demand for “unconditional surrender”.
“Iran’s enemies must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” he said, reported AFP.
However, Pezeshkian also apologised to neighbouring countries that had been struck by Iranian missiles, saying Tehran did not intend to escalate the conflict with them.
“I should apologise to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran,” he said in remarks. He also suggested that disputes should eventually be resolved through diplomacy.
Trump warns of tougher action
Trump earlier warned that Iran would face harsher attacks as the conflict escalates.
“Today Iran will be hit very hard!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that new targets and groups of people were under consideration due to what he called Iran’s “bad behaviour”.
Later, speaking in Florida, he again claimed Iran had been close to developing a nuclear weapon.
“They’re crazy and they would have used it. So we did the world a favour,” Trump said.
Conflict spreads beyond Iran and Israel
The war, now entering its second week, began after joint Israeli and US air strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggering a wider regional conflict.
Fighting has since spread beyond Iran and Israel, reaching Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey and Azerbaijan, while clashes have also extended to waters near Sri Lanka where US forces reportedly sank an Iranian warship, AFP reported.
Israel has also intensified air strikes in Lebanon, particularly targeting areas where the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has a strong presence.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Lebanon would face a “very heavy price” if Hezbollah is not disarmed.
Rising casualties and fear inside Iran
Inside Iran, damage to infrastructure and residential areas is increasing as the bombardment continues.
Iran’s health ministry said at least 926 civilians had been killed and around 6,000 injured as of Friday, though the figures could not be independently verified.
Residents in Tehran described a climate of fear as air strikes intensified.
“I don’t think anyone who hasn’t experienced war would understand it,” a 26-year-old teacher told AFP on condition of anonymity. “When you hear the bombs, you have no idea where they will hit.”
According to AP, the conflict has so far killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 290 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, along with six US troops.
Global markets shaken by escalating war
The widening conflict is also shaking global markets. Stock markets have fallen sharply while crude oil prices have surged amid fears that the war could disrupt energy shipments.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck two oil tankers with explosive drones in the Gulf as part of efforts to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial chokepoint for global oil trade.
Analysts warn the conflict could last for weeks, with US and Israeli officials suggesting the war might continue for a month or longer.
Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, insisted that the country’s future leadership would be determined internally after Khamenei’s death.
“The selection of Iran’s leadership will take place strictly in accordance with our constitutional procedures and solely by the will of the Iranian people, without any foreign interference,” he said.
