US president Donald Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Friday, a dramatic escalation of his demands a week into the war the US has launched alongside Israel.
Trump’s remarks on social media were a setback to hopes for a quick end to the conflict. They came after Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said some countries have begun mediation efforts to end the war, without providing details. Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and Oman have all offered to mediate since the war started on Saturday.
Axios reported that US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Arab foreign ministers on Thursday that the war is expected to last several more weeks. Israeli military officials said the army has attack plans for the coming weeks in Iran.
On the ground, the Israeli military said it struck the Iranian leadership’s main bunker in Tehran on Friday. The bunker complex, under the compound of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was being used by senior Iranian officials and was destroyed. Israel said it was assessing which regime figures were eliminated.
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said on Friday that at least 1,332 Iranian civilians have died so far in the conflict with Israel and the US, and that thousands more have been injured.
Speaking to reporters at the United Nations in New York, Iravani asserted that the US and Israel had deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, while Iran had targeted military sites, not civilians.
The US and Israel have said the opposite is the case. Iranian attacks have killed 11 people in Israel.
Why have the US and Israel attacked Iran? Our Europe Correspondent, Naomi O’Leary, takes us through the latest. Video: Naomi O’Leary
The number of projectiles Iran is firing towards Israel has declined significantly. In Lebanon, the pro-Iranian Hizbullah militia is maintaining rocket and drone fire from the north, despite evacuation orders issued by Israel to hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens in areas under Hizbullah control.
Lebanon’s health ministry said 217 people have been killed since Monday and the United Nations has expressed concern that Israel’s forced displacement of residents could be a violation of international law.
The UN refugee agency, Unrwa, declared the Middle East situation a humanitarian emergency. About 300,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon in the past four days, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The headquarters of Ghana’s United Nations peacekeeping battalion in Lebanon was hit by missile attacks on Friday, leaving two soldiers critically injured, Ghana’s armed forces said in a statement.
Ghanaian soldiers are deployed as part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) mission of which Ireland is also a part.
Irish troops and bases were not targeted or hit in the missile attack, the Defence Forces said in a statement. However, it confirmed the Ghanaian UN post was struck by fire “which has resulted in casualties”.
“Irish Defence Forces personnel of the 127th Infantry Battalion have responded and are providing both casualty evacuation and fire fighting assistance. All necessary force protection measures continue to be observed and all Irish personnel are well and accounted for,” it said.
The aftermath of overnight Israeli air strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday morning. Photograph: AFP/Getty
A Unifil spokesman said “amidst heavy firing”, three peacekeepers were injured inside their base in Al Qawzah, southwestern Lebanon.
“It is unacceptable that peacekeepers performing security council-mandated tasks are targeted. We strongly remind all actors of their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and properties at all times.
“Any attack on Unifil peacekeepers constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law … and may amount to a war crime.”
Meanwhile, the first repatriation flight for Irish citizens stranded in the Gulf is due to leave Oman on Saturday. The flight was due to depart from Muscat to Dublin on Friday, but Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said it had been delayed. Department sources indicate 180 people are due to fly on the aircraft.
The war has led policing agency Europol to warn that Europe is facing a “heightened” level of threat from lone-wolf terror attacks. “The conflict has immediate repercussions for serious and organised crime and terrorism in the EU,” said a Europol spokesman.
“The terrorist and violent extremist threat level on EU soil is assessed to be heightened.” – Additional reporting: Reuters