PHOTO – Smoke rises following an explosion during a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, on March 13, 2026. © Mohammad Mahdi Dehghani, Reuters
- A blast rocked a major pro-Palestinian rally in Tehran on Friday after Israel warned it could target the area, as the nearly two-week war between Israel and Iran escalated across the Middle East. Washington ordered roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the region, bolstering its military presence.
- Tehran- A large explosion rocked a central square in Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered Friday for an annual state-organized rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.
- There were no reports of casualties. But the decision to proceed with the mass demonstration that was attended by some senior government officials, and Israel’s threat to target the area, underscored the fierce determination on both sides nearly two weeks into a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.
- Meanwhile, a US official said that roughly 2,500 Marines and at least one amphibious assault ship were headed for the Middle East in a major addition of troops.
- Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes, even as US and Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran.
- The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon deepened, with nearly 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and warned there would be no let up.
- In an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump said the war would end “when I feel it in my bones.”
- The explosion in Tehran rocked the Ferdowsi Square area midday, where thousands had gathered for an annual Quds Day rally in which they chanted “death to Israel” and “death to America.”
- Israel had issued a warning on a Farsi-language X account for people to clear the area shortly before the blast. But few Iranians would have seen it, as authorities have almost completely shut down the internet since the start of the war. Footage from the scene showed people chanting “God is greatest,” as smoke rose in the area.
- The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, noting the head of Iran’s judiciary was at the rally and criticizing Iran for blocking many from seeing their warning.
- The hard-liner who leads Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, had been giving an interview on state television at the demonstration when the strike happened. His bodyguards encircled him, as he raised his fist and said Iran “under this rain and missiles will never withdraw.”
- 8,000 US troops
- Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East, according to the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
- Marine Expeditionary Units are trained and equipped to conduct amphibious landings, but they also specialize in bolstering security at embassies, evacuating civilians and disaster relief. While the deployment is a major increase of troops in the region, it does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place at all.
- The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, as well the Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships carrying the Marines, are based in Japan and have been at sea in the Pacific Ocean for several days, according to images released by the military. The Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites sailing alone near Taiwan. That location puts it more than a week away from the waters off Iran.
- Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers, operating in the Arabian Sea. Should the Tripoli join this flotilla, it would be the second-largest ship behind the Lincoln to operate in the waters off Iran.
- While the total number of US service members on the ground in the Middle East is not clear, Al-Udeid Air Base alone, one of the largest in the region, typically houses some 8,000 US troops.
- Israel had earlier announced another wave of strikes in Iran targeting infrastructure, and said its air force had hit more than 200 targets in the last 24 hours, including missile launchers, defense systems and weapons production sites.
- In Washington, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck, which is more than 1,000 a day since the war began.
- He also sought to address concerns about the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters: “We have been dealing with it and don’t need to worry about it.”
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday vowed to continue the attacks and keep the strait closed in his first public statement since succeeding his father, who was killed in the opening day of the war. Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over leadership and released a written statement.
- Hegseth said Khamenei “is wounded and likely disfigured,” without providing evidence or elaborating. Israel suspects Khamenei was wounded at the start of the war.
- The US military confirmed on Friday that all six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling plane were killed when it crashed in Iraq, bringing the US death toll to at least 13 service members.
- 773 killed in Lebanon and over 1,900 people wounded
- At least eight people were killed in an Israeli strike on Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Sidon, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Friday. Nine others were wounded, the ministry added. The toll could rise as rescuers search the rubble.
- The ministry said 773 people – including more than 100 children and 62 women – have been killed since fighting erupted between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants 10 days ago. More than 1,900 people have been wounded, it said.
- Some 850,000 have been internally displaced in Lebanon, according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who launched a $325 million humanitarian appeal during a surprise visit to the country.
- Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged Israel to halt strikes on his country and criticized Hezbollah for firing rockets at Israeli targets.
- “There is no justification in holding an entire nation hostage,” he said.
- Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes so far were “just the beginning.”
- (FRANCE 24 with AP)
