HEADLINES

• Deadly explosions rocked Tehran close to a pro-government rally attended by top officials Friday. READ MORE BELOW

• Iran launched waves of drone and missile strikes against neighboring states hosting US military assets throughout the region. READ MORE BELOW

• President Emmanuel Macron announced the first death in this conflict of a French soldier, in an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq.

• Elsewhere in Iraq, a US refueling aircraft crashed, killing four crew members, though the military said it was "not due to hostile fire or friendly fire."

• Israeli planes dropping propaganda leaflets over Beirut caused a number of loud booms in the sky, terrifying residents.

• Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Friday he had not received a response to his offer to negotiate directly with Israel to try to halt its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

• Crude oil stayed above the benchmark price of $100 per barrel after Iran's leader vowed to choke the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy transport. READ MORE BELOW

Explosions rock Tehran as leaders attend rally

Deadly explosions rocked Tehran close to a pro-government rally attended by top officials Friday, as Israel and Iran unleashed fresh strikes in a war that has ignited the Middle East.

Since erupting on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the war has cascaded throughout the region, drawn in global powers, and sparked a major oil shock.

Journalists in Tehran reported loud blasts over the city skies, as Israel's military said it had hit more than 200 targets in western and central Iran in the past day.

Iran's state media said at least one woman was killed when blasts hit an area near a demonstration, where large crowds had gathered waving flags and brandishing banners reading "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

"These attacks are out of fear, out of desperation," said Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who attended the rally to mark Quds Day, the last Friday of Ramadan.

"One who is strong wouldn't bomb demonstrations at all. It's clear that it (the enemy) has failed," said Larijani in a speech broadcast on state TV.

President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also attended the rally, while images on Iranian media showed the head of the judiciary being interviewed just as a blast occurred.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei vowed Iran's military would teach the US and Israel "an unforgettable lesson."

Shortly afterwards, state television said Iran had launched a fresh salvo of missiles at Israel.

Iran launches more waves of strikes

Iran has launched waves of drone and missile strikes against neighboring states hosting US military assets throughout the region.

Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said Friday its forces had intercepted dozens of drones, including one targeting its capital's Diplomatic Quarter.

Black smoke hung above the Dubai skyline after an attack on what was once considered a safe haven in a chaotic region.

Two people died from drone debris in Oman, according to state media there, while sirens rang out early Friday at Türkiye's Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility housing US troops.

Later Friday, Turkey's defense ministry said NATO defenses had intercepted a ballistic missile from Iran in Turkish airspace, the third such incident in just over a week.

In another sign of the war's spread, President Emmanuel Macron announced the first death in this conflict of a French soldier, in an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq.

Arnaud Frion, 42, was hit by an Iranian drone as the French military took part in counter-terrorism training, his commanding officer said Friday.

Elsewhere in Iraq, a US refueling aircraft crashed, killing four crew members, though the military said it was "not due to hostile fire or friendly fire."

In Israel, a strike on the town of Zarzir injured around 60 people, according to police, with images showing burned-out vehicles and craters in the ground.

The conflict has also battered Lebanon, with authorities reporting at least 687 people killed by Israeli attacks.

Images from central Beirut showed buildings reduced to husks of rubble and burned-out shells of overturned vehicles as small fires flickered from the aftermath of strikes.

Israeli planes dropping propaganda leaflets over Beirut caused a number of loud booms in the sky, terrifying residents.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Friday he had not received a response to his offer to negotiate directly with Israel to try to halt its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Strait of Hormuz pinch-point

Crude oil stayed above the benchmark price of $100 per barrel after Iran's leader vowed to choke the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy transport.

Mojtaba Khamenei's statement said the "lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used," referring to Iran's effective closure of the waterway.

Blocking the strait is a powerful weapon for Iran, massively outgunned by Israel and the US, by hitting a sensitive pinch point for the global economy.

A Chinese sailor on an LPG tanker marooned north of Dubai, unable to pass through the strait, shared footage of smoke rising from a nearby vessel.

"Every day on the ship, I can see missile launches and hear explosions, making me feel like I am in danger," said Wang Shang.  

The war, which has also seen energy infrastructure targeted in oil-rich Gulf states, is creating "the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market," the International Energy Agency has said.

As prices at the pump soar around the world, US President Donald Trump has eased some oil sanctions on Russia, which has warned the global energy market "cannot remain stable" without its supplies.