Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted 10 additional drones heading toward the kingdom’s Eastern and Central Provinces, the Defense Ministry said on Friday, bringing the number of drones downed within a few hours to nearly 50.
The wave of aerial threats was larger than usual and came as sites such as the US Embassy in Riyadh, oil facilities, and a military base hosting US troops have been targeted, it added.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence organization warned on Thursday that opponents could face “a blow even stronger than January 8,” effectively acknowledging the violent suppression of the January protests and threatening harsher action if street unrest returns.
"Those we call the ‘Neo-ISIS elements’ should know that a blow even harsher than that of January 8 awaits them,” reads the statement.
President Donald Trump said the US is "totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily economically, and otherwise" in a post on Truth Social on Friday.
"We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning. Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth," Trump said.
"We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time - Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today. They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!" he added.
Speaker Mike Johnson said the United States carried out defensive, limited operations in response to an imminent threat from Iran, emphasizing that the missions were not part of a broader intervention or nation-building effort.
“We are not in the nation building business. We are not interventionalist. We are not out trying to be the world's policeman… No one in our party believes that, even the people that they call Neo-cons are coming back to reality because of our financial situation," Johnson said in an interview with Michael Knowles of Daily Wire.
“The Iran situation was real. I’m in the Gang of Eight. I got all the classified briefings… The Intel said we were of an imminent danger of an attack on our personnel, our service members, our civilians, our installations in that region… Iran was going to have a barrage of missiles. This is all the unclassified part. Now it’s all been reported," he added.
“Israel was going to act unilaterally. It’s their right as a nation to do it… And we had to act first to prevent mass casualties on our side. The Commander in Chief had a tough decision. It’s not a declaration of war, it’s defensive, limited mission. I think that mission is getting accomplished, and the world’s gonna be better off because of it," Speaker Johnson said.
“They were producing new ballistic missiles in Iran at a rate of about 700 a month, far outpacing what our regional allies could keep up with. And, of course, they were pursuing their nuclear ambitions again," he added.
Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri receives more than $500,000 per month from the Islamic Republic in order to support Tehran's interests and those of its allied group Hezbollah in Lebanon, informed sources told Iran International.
Officials in Tehran say the sums are meant to “buy” unity among Lebanon’s Shiite leadership to ensure that they “act in accordance with Iran’s interests, not Lebanon’s interests.”
Nabih Berri did not respond to Iran International’s request for comment. One of his advisers said that Berri would not comment on the matter at this time.
Berri has not publicly opposed Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel in support of Iran, the sources said, because he does not want to risk losing his financial resources.
The 88-year-old politician heads Lebanon's Amal Movement and holds significant sway in Lebanon’s domestic and foreign policy.
The Shiite organization, formed in the 1970s, remains one of the country’s main political actors. It maintains close political ties with Hezbollah, and both belong to Lebanon’s Shiite political camp.
On March 1, Hezbollah targeted Israel in support of Tehran. Israel launched a new military operation in retaliation.
The sources said Berri has been unwilling to support efforts by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah because, in exchange for receiving large sums from Tehran, he must “advance measures in the Lebanese parliament that align with Tehran’s interests.”
In recent months, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have tried to pressure Hezbollah to disarm in order to reduce tensions with Israel and the international community.
Army forces have confiscated Hezbollah weapons in parts of southern Lebanon, but senior Lebanese officials have said that fully implementing the plan could trigger internal tensions, as Hezbollah has refused to hand over its entire arsenal.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and officials of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly opposed disarming the group.
Following Hezbollah’s attack on Israel, the Lebanese government announced that the group's military activities would be banned.
On March 6, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Lebanese government that if it remains unable to fulfill its commitments regarding Hezbollah’s disarmament, Lebanon will “pay a very heavy price.”
Tehran considers Hezbollah one of the main pillars of the so-called Axis of Resistance—a term used by Iranian officials to refer to allied armed groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, and the Houthis in Yemen.
The Wall Street Journal reported in November 2025 that Tehran transferred hundreds of millions of dollars in oil revenue to Hezbollah in the preceding year through exchange offices, private companies and a financing network in Dubai.
Israel’s Kan network reported in December 2025 that Tehran had agreed to pay $1 billion to Hezbollah.
Neither report can be independently verified by Iran International.
The office of the Speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament, in a statement issued after the article was published, called the claim "false and baseless."
US President Donald Trump said he believes Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is still alive “in some form,” despite not being seen publicly since taking office amid the war with the United States.
“I think he probably is. I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, you know,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News Brian Kilmeade, set to air on Friday.
“Iran had thousands of missiles pointed at all these Middle Eastern countries for the last four months… They were going to take over the Middle East… UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. All these nations were afraid of Iran and they are not anymore. But they had reason to be afraid. We have knocked the hell out of them like no other nation could and they still have remnants left," Trump said.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. They have no Navy and we sunk all their ships.” Trump added. “Go through the strait of Hormuz and show some guts. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
