Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on Saturday, March 7th, that Iran will never yield unconditionally to Israel or the United States. The announcement comes after air strikes by the two countries that began on February 28th, which killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and have fuelled a rapid escalation in the region.
In a televised address on Saturday, Pezeshkian said Iran’s adversaries would never succeed in forcing the Iranian people to surrender. Speaking as a member of the temporary leadership council governing the country after Khamenei’s death, he also apologised to neighbouring states for any unintended consequences, emphasising that attacks would target them only if provoked.
Since the conflict began, Iran has carried out multiple missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets and U.S. military facilities in the region, including sites in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
On Saturday, the Israeli army retaliated with strikes on Tehran, Isfahan, and military positions in southern and eastern Lebanon. The IDF struck targets in Tehran and Isfahan, as well as military facilities in southern and eastern Lebanon.
In the meantime air raid sirens sounded across Israel as explosions were reported over Jerusalem. Israeli air defences intercepted incoming missiles, and authorities later lifted the alert. No injuries were reported.
According to the Israeli military, 11 Iranian launches were detected in the past 24 hours, though the number of attacks has decreased after over 60% of Iran’s launch sites were destroyed during U.S.-Israeli strikes. Despite this, tensions remain high, with Hezbollah rocket fire from Lebanon adding to the regional instability.
