Netanyahu Vows To Continue War With Iran As Tehran Refuses To Surrender

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday vowed to press ahead with the war against Iran, declaring that Israel has a “systematic plan to eradicate the Iranian regime,” even as Tehran insisted it would not surrender.

The Israeli leader made the pledge in a televised address, promising to pursue the war “with all our force,” as Iran launched waves of missiles and drones targeting several Gulf countries.

Israel and the United States continued their bombardment of Iranian targets, with air strikes hitting key infrastructure. One strike set part of Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran ablaze, while another hit an oil depot. Tehran also continued retaliatory attacks.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck the US Naval Support Activity Bahrain (Juffair Base)in Bahrain, claiming the base had been used earlier to attack an Iranian desalination plant.

Air raid sirens and explosions were reported in Jerusalem in Israel and Doha in Qatar, while attacks were also reported in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The UAE said its air defences intercepted 15 missiles and 119 drones on Saturday morning, although footage showed a projectile crashing near Dubai International Airport.

AFP journalists reported hearing blasts in Baghdad, Erbil, and Dubai on Saturday evening, while Saudi Arabia also reported an attack.

Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said evidence from Iran’s armed forces showed that some regional countries had made their territory available to Israel and its allies.

“The heavy attacks on these targets will continue,” he said.

Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring countries hosting major US military bases but maintained a defiant stance, rejecting calls by Donald Trump for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

“Iran’s enemies must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” Pezeshkian said.

Israel carried out some of its largest strikes since the conflict began, targeting a military academy, an underground command centre and a missile storage facility.

Fire and smoke billowed from Tehran’s Mehrabad airport after a predawn attack in which Israel said it destroyed 16 aircraft and fighter jets. Netanyahu later claimed Israel had gained near-total control of the skies over Tehran.

Trump earlier posted on his Truth Social platform that Iran would be “hit very hard,” again arguing that Tehran had been close to acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“They’re crazy and they would have used it. So we did the world a favour,” he said during remarks in Florida.

The war, now in its second week, erupted after joint Israeli and US air strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

The fighting has spread beyond Iran and Israel to Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, and even to waters off Sri Lanka, where US forces reportedly sank an Iranian warship.

Inside Iran, damage to infrastructure and residential areas is increasing. Residents in Tehran say anxiety is growing amid heavy security presence.

Iran’s health ministry said at least 926 civilians had been killed and around 6,000 injured, though the figures could not be independently verified.

In Lebanon, Israel has intensified air strikes, repeatedly targeting areas in Beirut, particularly the southern suburbs where the Iran-backed Hezbollah operates.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Lebanon would face a “very heavy price” if Hezbollah was not disarmed.

Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 294 people had been killed in Israeli air strikes over the past week, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned the country was facing a potential “humanitarian disaster.”

The escalating conflict has rattled global markets, with stock indices falling and crude oil prices rising amid fears of prolonged fighting.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they struck two oil tankers with exploding drones in the Gulf and were continuing operations in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy shipments.

Trump has said the US would help rebuild Iran’s economy if Tehran installs a new leader “acceptable” to Washington to replace Khamenei.

However, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, rejected the idea, insisting that Iran’s next leader would be chosen strictly according to its constitutional process and without foreign interference.

Meanwhile, reports that Russia may be providing intelligence support to Iran have been dismissed by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said Washington was “not concerned.”

The conflict has also claimed the lives of six US service members, with Trump expected to attend a ceremony marking the return of their bodies.