The war in the Middle East continued to intensify early Friday as Iran launched a fresh wave of missile attacks across the region, targeting locations in Israel and the Gulf while tensions mounted among regional powers and global allies. The latest strikes come days after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an event that has dramatically escalated the conflict involving Israel, Iran and Tehran-backed groups such as Hezbollah.

Iran’s missile barrage triggered explosions across Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, while Gulf states including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia reported intercepting or suffering attacks. The Qatari defence ministry said air defences thwarted a drone attack targeting the US air base at Al-Udeid, Washington's largest military facility in the Middle East. At the same time, the conflict is drawing in more actors, with Lebanon reporting rising casualties from Israeli strikes and NATO raising its missile defence posture amid fears of further escalation.

Missile strikes hit Israel
In Israel, explosions echoed across Tel Aviv late Thursday and early Friday as Iranian missiles targeted the city. Iran’s state broadcaster said the missiles were aimed at “targets in the heart of Tel Aviv”, prompting Israeli forces to activate air defence systems.

Journalists in Tel Aviv reported two nearly simultaneous waves of blasts, while rocket trails were visible in the sky over Netanya on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said teams inspected several impact sites but reported no casualties.

Police confirmed that projectiles had fallen in central Israel, damaging buildings but leaving no injuries. One missile struck a building on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, forcing residents to evacuate, while firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze at a residential building caused by debris from intercepted rockets.

Gulf states attacked
Iran also struck Bahrain, where authorities said two hotels and a residential building in the capital Manama were targeted. The Bahraini interior ministry said the attack caused material damage but no loss of life. Separately, an Iranian missile strike triggered a fire at Bahrain’s main state-owned oil refinery, highlighting the widening geographic scope of the conflict.

Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted three ballistic missiles aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base. The Saudi defence ministry said the missiles were destroyed before reaching the facility.

The growing missile exchanges across the Gulf have heightened fears of attacks on energy infrastructure and military bases in the region.

Across the wider region, leaders warned of the economic and security consequences of the escalating conflict. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the country was in an economic “state of near-emergency”, warning that inflation and price manipulation could worsen amid the crisis. He also warned that traders accused of profiteering could face military court trials.

In Yemen, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said his group was prepared to launch attacks if the situation escalated further. “Our fingers are on the trigger, ready to respond at any moment,” he said in a televised speech.

Lebanon casualties mount
Lebanon has also been pulled deeper into the conflict. The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes had killed 123 people since the country was drawn into the war earlier this week. At least 638 people have been wounded since Monday.

The latest casualties include victims from a fresh wave of Israeli attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area considered a stronghold of Hezbollah.

NATO raises missile defence alert
The conflict has also triggered concern among Western allies. NATO announced it had strengthened its ballistic missile defence posture after Iran fired a missile toward alliance member Turkey, which was later shot down.

The alliance’s 32 member states agreed that the heightened defence posture would remain in place until the threat from Iranian missile attacks across the region subsides.

Israel, US warns of more operations
Israel signalled that its military campaign against Iran was entering a new phase. Chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said the joint US-Israeli effort aimed to dismantle Iran’s military capabilities.

“In this phase, we will further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities,” Zamir said, adding that Israel had “additional surprises ahead”.

US President Donald Trump also weighed in on the conflict, saying he would support an offensive by Iranian Kurdish fighters against Tehran. “I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it,” Trump said.

Trump also insisted he should have a role in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader following Khamenei’s death, saying the late leader’s son would not be an acceptable successor.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any ground invasion by the US or Israel would have severe consequences. “We are waiting for them,” he said, adding that such a move would be a “big disaster” for Iran’s enemies.

Inside Iran, authorities have tightened control over communications amid the crisis. Internet monitoring group Netblocks said connectivity in the country had dropped to about one percent of normal levels.

Officials warned citizens against using VPN services to bypass the communications blackout, with people who managed to connect receiving warning messages on their phones.

Sri Lanka seizes Iranian naval vessel
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka said it had taken control of an Iranian naval vessel and removed its crew after a deadly US submarine attack on another ship earlier this week.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the navy had taken 208 sailors from the vessel IRIS Bushehr, which had been participating in a naval exercise in eastern India.

As the conflict spreads across multiple fronts, the latest attacks underline growing fears that the Israel-Iran confrontation could spiral into a broader regional war.
(With AFP inputs.)