Israel intensifies strikes on Iran as Tehran prepares to elect new supreme leader

The Israel-Iran conflict intensified on Friday as both sides escalated military operations on the eighth day of hostilities, with Israel continuing large-scale air strikes inside Iran and Tehran launching missile and drone attacks while preparing to elect a new supreme leader within the next 24 hours.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday evening that the Israeli Air Force carried out a second round of air strikes that day against military targets in Tehran. According to the IDF, the strikes included Iranian oil infrastructure in the capital.

The Israeli military also said it had destroyed an air defense command facility operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Air Force, which was used for aerial situation assessment and for coordinating the defense of Iranian airspace.

In addition, Israeli aircraft struck multiple targets including air defense systems, facilities used to manufacture and launch ballistic missiles, command centers, storage sites and other related buildings.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the Israeli Air Force has dropped more than 7,500 bombs during strikes on Iran over the past week – roughly twice the number used in Israel's operations against Iran in June last year. He added that Israel has conducted more than 3,400 air strikes since the conflict began.

The Israeli military also said hundreds of fighter jets recently attacked two of Iran's most important ballistic missile production facilities in Parchin and Shahrud, significantly damaging Iran's missile production capabilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Saturday that Israel's offensive would continue with "full force and uncompromising momentum," adding that Israel has a well-prepared plan with many surprises aimed at weakening the Iranian leadership and enabling change.

He also called on the Lebanese government to enforce the ceasefire agreement and disarm Hezbollah, warning that failure to do so would "bring disastrous consequences for Lebanon."

US President Donald Trump said Friday that US forces had sunk 42 Iranian naval vessels within three days and disabled Iran's communications systems.

He reiterated that he hopes to be involved in the selection of Iran's next leader, adding that he does not want the United States to "face the same problem again every five or ten years."

Trump had earlier said on March 5 that he "must personally" take part in choosing Iran's next leader and indicated he would not accept the son of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei becoming the country's new leader.

Iran steps up retaliation, prepares to elect new supreme leader

Iran, meanwhile, said it had intensified its retaliatory operations amid ongoing political developments in Tehran.

According to a statement released Friday by the IRGC, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts said a meeting to elect the country's next supreme leader will be held within the next 24 hours. The Assembly of Experts is the body responsible for selecting, supervising and dismissing Iran's supreme leader.

The IRGC also announced the launch of the 26th round of its military campaign. According to the statement, Iran launched drones along with a new generation of Emad missiles, Qadr missiles and several Khorramshahr-4 missiles, striking multiple targets across Israel from north to south. The IRGC said earlier waves of attacks had already destroyed enemy radar systems, making subsequent strikes easier. It added that all missiles successfully hit their designated targets.

The Iranian military reported Friday evening that its ground forces had earlier launched drone attacks on Haifa and Tel Aviv, adding that drone operations against US and Israeli targets would continue until Iran achieves final victory.

Earlier in the day, the IRGC Navy said it used drones to strike an oil tanker flying the flag of the Marshall Islands in the central Persian Gulf. Iran claimed the vessel was a US asset and said all Israeli and US assets in the region would be considered legitimate targets for Iranian armed forces.

IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini said Iran's armed forces adopted a multi-layered offensive strategy during the first week of the conflict. According to figures released by the IRGC, Iran has carried out 600 missile strikes and 2,600 drone operations, hitting more than 200 sensitive targets including US military bases and key Israeli facilities.

Naini said the scale of Iran's firepower during the first three days of the conflict was comparable to the total used during a previous 12-day war.

He also said that 17 vessels belonging to the US, Israel, and their allies have been attacked so far, while US military bases in Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have repeatedly come under missile and drone strikes.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post on Friday that Iran remains committed to maintaining friendly relations with countries in the region based on good neighborliness and mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

However, he said this does not negate Iran's inherent right to self-defense in the face of what he described as "military aggression" by the US and Israel. Pezeshkian vowed that Iran will firmly defend the country and resist to the end.