Trump Vows To Hit Iran ‘Very Hard’ As Israel Begins New Wave Of Strikes

United States President Donald Trump has vowed to hit Iran “very hard”, saying the US military was considering new targets in the country.

Trump said his military forces had knocked out 42 Iranian navy ships in three days, adding that the US was doing very well in Iran.

The BBC said UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales had been placed on advanced readiness.

Earlier, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring states and said Tehran would not attack them unless attacked first.

It’s not clear what impact Pezeshkian’s apology would have on the ground, according to the BBC’s Lyse Doucet.

Meanwhile, Israel said yesterday it had begun a new broad wave of strikes in Iran, and completed further strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

It said it had destroyed 16 planes belonging to the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport.

Overnight on Friday, explosions and large plumes of smoke were seen at the site, which is Iran’s busiest airport and main domestic hub.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said aircraft loaded with weapons cash had been taking off from Mehrabad to supply Iran’s proxy groups, including Hezbollah. It added that the 16 destroyed aircraft in the strike were transferring weapons to Hezbollah, adding that several Iranian fighter jets were also targeted.