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Intense air attacks have pounded Tehran and other Iranian cities on the seventh day of the US-Israeli war on the country, amid warnings from United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the bombardment was “about to surge dramatically”.

Israel’s military said Friday morning it had begun a new “broad-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran, while the US said its B-2 bombers had dropped dozens of “penetrator” bombs on deeply buried ballistic missile launchers inside the country.

Huge explosions hit several locations in the Iranian capital, Tehran, overnight, including residential areas and the vicinity of Tehran University, according to news reports and an Al Jazeera team on the ground.

An Iranian military academy was also struck, while a journalist from Iran’s state broadcaster was reporting live near the site.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said the bombardment in the capital had been more intense than previously seen, with many attacks in the east and southeast of Tehran.

“From the very early hours of today and into the morning, we have been witnessing a continued wave of massive strikes,” he said, adding the shockwaves of the blast could be felt in the bureau of Al Jazeera.

“I can say that compared to previous days, we saw heavier bombardment overnight, at least in the capital,” he said, reporting enormous explosions and fighter jets in the skies, and a huge column of thick smoke rising from an air attack.

He said the targets reportedly included military locations but also civilian sites, including residential buildings, parking lots and gas stations.

Buried missile launchers bombed: US

Explosions were also reported around the Iranian city of Kermanshah, in an area home to multiple missile bases, as well as in the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan.

The Israeli military said attacks have already destroyed most of Iran’s air defences and missile launchers.

Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that early Friday, US B-2 stealth bombers dropped dozens of 2,000lb “penetrator” bombs on deeply buried ballistic missile launchers inside Iran.

“We’ve also struck Iran’s equivalent of Space Command, which degrades their ability to threaten Americans,” Cooper said.

Speaking alongside Cooper, Hegseth described an upcoming surge in the bombardment.

“It’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities,” Hegseth said. “And it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.”

US ‘likely responsible’ for school attack: Report

At least 1,230 people have been killed in the attacks on Iran since Saturday, Iranian state media has reported. UNICEF said on Friday that at least 181 children were among the dead.

Among the young victims were at least 175 children killed when a girls’ school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on the first day of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, according to the IRGC.

Amid scrutiny over the incident, Hegseth on Wednesday acknowledged the US military was investigating it.

The Reuters news agency reported, quoting two US officials, that US military investigators believed it was likely that US forces were responsible for the apparent strike, but have not yet reached a final conclusion.

EXPLAINER

The war between the United States, Israel and Iran has entered its seventh day, with attacks continuing across Iran and other countries in the Middle East.

Iran continues its missile and drone attacks across the Gulf as Washington and Tel Aviv claim their campaign – codenamed Operation Epic Fury – is crippling Iran’s military.

Estimates released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Thursday put the cost of the first 100 hours of Operation Epic Fury at $3.7bn, or about $891m per day. Most of this cost – $3.5bn – has not been budgeted for, CSIS reported.

Here is what has happened in the past day:

In Iran

• Ongoing US and Israeli military campaign: The US and Israel are continuing their military strikes on Iran, marking the seventh day of the conflict. More than 1,230 people have been killed in Iran since the attacks started on Saturday.
• The Israeli military claims to have achieved “near-complete air superiority”, stating it has carried out 2,500 strikes and destroyed 80 percent of Iran’s air defence systems.
• Leadership succession and US interference: Following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran on Saturday, the question over his succession remains, with reports circling that his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could take over.
• However, on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he intends to play a direct role in selecting Iran’s next leader, explicitly calling Mojtaba an “unacceptable” choice.
• Invasion warnings: Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that Iranian forces are “waiting” for a potential US ground invasion and threatened to kill and capture thousands of US troops.
• Negotiations rejected: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated there is “no reason why we should negotiate with the US”, asserting that Washington cannot be trusted.
• Iran strikes:The US says Iran’s ballistic missile attacks have fallen by 90 percent since the first day of the conflict, while drone attacks have dropped by 83 percent over the same period.

In Gulf nations

• Kuwait: The US suspended operations at its embassy in Kuwait City following retaliatory Iranian strikes, as Kuwait’s air defence systems intercepted missiles and drones.
• Bahrain: An Iranian missile hit a state-run oil refinery in a Bahraini industrial town, but the resulting fire was contained.
• UAE and Qatar: The UAE said its air defences intercepted multiple Iranian missiles and more than 120 drones. Qatar also reported being targeted by a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones on Thursday after loud explosions were heard in the capital, Doha.
• About 20,000 Americans have left the Middle East: The State Department reported that thousands have already left the region, primarily unassisted, but the government is arranging charter flights for private citizens still looking to evacuate.
• Evacuation disruption: A French evacuation flight charted by the government to rescue citizens stranded in the United Arab Emirates was forced to turn back mid-flight due to missile fire in the region.

In Israel

• Tel Aviv targeted: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced it had launched a combined drone and missile attack on Tel Aviv and central areas of Israel.
• Domestic closures and West Bank violence: Amid the security threats, Israel’s Civil Administration has closed all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City and cancelled Friday prayers.

In the US

• Military strikes: US Central Command reported striking approximately 200 targets in Iran over the past 72 hours, including ballistic missile launchers and naval vessels.
• Trump’s claims: Trump said Iran is being “demolished”, “ahead of schedule and at levels people have never seen before”, claiming the country now has “no air force, no air defence”. The air force is “gone”, he said.
• Congressional backing: The Republican-led US House of Representatives voted 219 to 212 against an effort to halt the war and require congressional authorisation for hostilities against Iran.
• Instability denied: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back against criticism, denying that the US and Israel have caused regional instability.
• Economic impact: The ongoing war has rattled US financial markets. Earlier in the week, the Dow Jones plummeted by more than 1,000 points (2.2 percent) as oil prices climbed due to the war.

In Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt

• Iraq military base: Iraqi forces shot down a drone targeting a military base with US assets near Baghdad International Airport. The drone approached Victoria airbase overnight on Wednesday but was intercepted before reaching its target, according to reports.
• Iran attacks Kurdish groups: Iranian state television, Press TV, reported early on Thursday that Tehran was striking “anti-Iran separatist forces”, referring to Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish groups believed to be based in mountainous, hard-to-reach areas near the Iran-Iraq border. It is understood that US President Donald Trump has been in talks with some of these groups with a view to their joining attacks against Iran.

• Escalating offensive in Lebanon: Israel is heavily bombarding Lebanon and has issued evacuation warnings for Beirut’s southern suburbs and parts of the Bekaa Valley.
• Egypt’s economic warning: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has warned that the country is economically in a “state of near-emergency,” as the ongoing Middle East war threatens to drive up prices.

In Europe

• Europe under pressure: European governments are divided over how to respond to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, with some deploying defensive military assets while others emphasise diplomacy.
• The United Kingdom and France have moved naval and air-defence resources to the eastern Mediterranean to help protect allied interests. A drone attack hit the British Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on Monday. Other European countries, including Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, have so far focused on diplomatic responses and have not announced direct combat deployments.
• Azerbaijan: The country halted cross-border truck traffic with Iran and is preparing “retaliatory measures” after an Iranian drone attack injured four civilians in its Nakhchivan exclave.