Nearly a week into the latest Middle East conflict, Iran's strikes in the region have decreased significantly – while US attacks on Iran continue ramping up and Israeli strikes prompt panic in southern Beirut.
The Trump administration warns the war which, according to Lebanese and Iranian state media, has already killed more than 1,320 people, will soon escalate – and NATO allies are reluctantly getting pulled into the conflict.
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Here's what you need to know.
What are the main headlines?
US and Israel intensify attacks: US-Israeli strikes against Iran and Lebanon have ramped up, with explosions heard across Tehran and Beirut overnight into early Friday. Some of Tehran's residents described it as the "worst night" since the war began while a CNN team on the ground witnessed heavy strikes just before dawn.
Iran reduces strikes: Meanwhile, Iranian ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90% and drone attacks by 83%, said US Central Command on Thursday – bringing possible relief for neighboring Gulf states that have borne the brunt of Iran's retaliation.
Trump's comments: President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social there can be no deal with Iran "except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER." He told CNN's Dana Bash he's not worried whether Iran becomes a democratic state as long as the new leader treats the US and Israel "well."
Europe drawn in: Countries including Britain, France and Spain have agreed to provide military support to protect the interests of their allies. But many are also critical of the war. Even as Italy sent defensive weapons to the Persian Gulf, its defense minister said the US-Israel attack on Iran had violated international law.
Energy supply concerns: Shipping giant Maersk became the second shipping company to suspend its operations in the Middle East. Oil storage tanks are filling up across the region, analysts say, since exports have all but stopped due to the Iranians effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz. That means there is a growing risk oil production will have to halt.US oil prices and Brent crude, the international benchmark, have surged 31% and 24%, respectively, this week.
What's happening in Iran and Lebanon?
More Israeli strikes: Israel is moving to the "next phase" of the war, its military chief said late Thursday, after carrying out 2,500 strikes with more than 6,000 weapons. He added that the Israel Defense Forces would push deeper into Lebanon. Meanwhile in Iran, Israel began a "broad-scale wave of strikes" on key regime infrastructure in Tehran early Friday.
Beirut targeted: New Israeli strikes have targeted the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, areas it considers a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Evacuation orders on Thursday covering entire neighborhoods home to more than half a million people caused mass panic as people rushed to leave. Pictures show displaced families sleeping rough and residential buildings in ruins.
Growing toll: The US-Israel strikes have killed more than 1,200 people in Iran and more than 217 in Lebanon since the latest conflict began, according to Iranian state media and the Lebanese health ministry. The strikes have damaged more than 3,000 homes across Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Iranian strikes have also killed dozens of people in other countries around the region.
Girls' school bombing: The White House has not ruled out that US military carried out a strike which hit a girls' elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on Saturday, killing at least 168 children and 14 teachers, according to state media.
What's happening in the rest of region?
Iran attacks Israel: Iran said it launched a hybrid drone and missile attack at Tel Aviv on Thursday night. CNN teams on the ground saw what appeared to be a cluster warhead in the skies above central Israel.
Strikes in the Gulf: Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said Friday three drones had been intercepted east of the capital Riyadh, while its air defenses intercepted three ballistic missiles targeting a base south of the capital the night before. In Bahrain, a hotel, two residential buildings and an oil refinery were hit by Iranian strikes. Iran's armed forces said Friday it had launched another wave of drones targeting US bases in Kuwait.
US-made radars targeted: Satellite images from key military bases in the Arabian Peninsula suggest that Iran is trying to weaken THAAD air defense systems by destroying US-made radars that detect incoming missiles and drones.
Theater widens: Iran is also accused of attacking Azerbaijan, in the first strikes on the country since the beginning of the conflict – which Iran denies.
Travelers stuck: Hundreds of Americans returned home on the first chartered evacuation flight from Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Tourists from other countries are arriving home on similar repatriation flights though disruptions still remain. More than 11,000 flights across 10 countries in the region have been canceled since the conflict began, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.
NATO gears up: NATO member states have increased their defense posture after a suspected Iranian missile was shot down while traveling toward Turkish airspace on Wednesday. Iran has said did not fire any missiles toward Turkey, per state media.
Impact on sport: Iran's women's national soccer team was forced to salue and sing its national anthem, sources told CNN Sports, ahead of a Women's Asia Cup match just days after the squad refused to do so. Iran will not compete at the Winter Paralympics since its lone para athlete cannot travel safely.
The latest from Washington
Congress votes, again: The House on Thursday failed to pass a measure that would have curbed Trump's war powers, after a similar vote failed in the Senate on Wednesday.
Next supreme leader: Trump said he must be "involved in the appointment" of Iran's next leader and dismissed the prospect of Mojtaba Khamenei succeeding his father, the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
CNN's Alejandra Jaramillo, Austin Culpepper, Jack Guy, Thomas Bordeaux, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Tamar Michaelis, Oren Liebermann, Tim Lister, Ivan Watson, Frederik Pleitgen, John Liu and Tori B. Powell contributed reporting.
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