Joint US and Israeli strikes rocked Iran overnight and into the day, including the bombing of residential areas, as the death toll topped at least 1,332, and President Donald Trump vowed further attacks.
Trump said Iran is being demolished “ahead of schedule and at levels people have never seen before”, as explosions were heard at Tehran University.
At least 20 people have been killed in the city of Shiraz, including two paramedics, while 30 others have been wounded.
Jalil Hasani, deputy governor of Iran’s Fars province, told Iranian state media that the attack struck a residential part of the city, killing “innocent civilians”.
The Iranian Red Crescent also said that over 3,000 homes have been damaged since the US and Israel launched attacks on the country, adding that medical sites have also been targeted.
The tensions have raised the alarm across the region and the world, with Indonesia announcing it will gradually start evacuating its citizens from the country today, with the first phase being carried out via Azerbaijan.
The strikes on Iran and the retaliatory attacks have also caused severe disruptions to flights. Etihad Airways and Emirates said they would resume limited flight schedules to key global cities from their UAE hubs on Friday, despite the ongoing missile fire.
The UK has started repatriating citizens, with a flight from Oman landing at Stansted Airport early on Friday.
This comes after Iran carried out overnight attacks on Bahrain’s capital, Manama, striking the Financial Harbour Towers commercial complex, the location of the Israeli embassy in the city.
Other countries, too, have been dragged into the crosshairs of the war, with many Gulf states working to intercept missiles.
Qatar’s ministry of defence said its forces successfully intercepted a drone attack targeting the Al-Udeid Air Base in Doha that hosts US assets.
Saudi Arabia said its air defence systems were able to shoot down three drones east of the capital on Friday. This comes after authorities said they had intercepted three missiles directed towards the Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh, which hosts US troops.
Meanwhile, Iran said it is working to restore administrative activities in Tehran Province, with ministries and employees expected to operate with 20 percent of staff on site, from 8 March.
According to the announcement, banks will remain open and managerial ranks in Tehran Province are required to be present in person; however, female employees will work remotely.
The UNHCR refugee agency said on Friday that around 330,000 people have been forcibly displaced across the region, mostly internally with around 100,000 fleeing the capital after the first few days.
Over 84,000 people are now sheltering in collective areas, and around 30,000 people have crossed into Syria since the war on Iran started.
