U.S. orders 2,500 marines, amphibious assault ship to Mideast after almost 2 weeks of war

The American armed services has ordered 2,500 marines and an amphibian assault ship to the midriff due east, a U.S. Functionary said Friday, in a major addition of forces in the region after nearly two weeks of war with Iran.

Meanwhile in the Iranian capital, a large explosion rocked a central square where thousands were gathered 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.

Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes, even as U.S. And Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran.

The latest attacks come as Israel said it had begun a wave of strikes targeting Iran's infrastructure. The military said that the Israeli air force had hit more than 200 targets in Iran over the past 24 hours, including missile launchers, defence systems and weapons production sites.

Israel's military also said it has struck more than 7,600 sites in Iran and more than 1,100 in Lebanon in the war.

Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East, according to the U.S. Official, who spoke to The Associated Press 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. The deployment does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place at all.

The deployment of the additional marines was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

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 U.S. 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 U.S. Troops.

In an interview with Fox News, U.S. President Donald Trump said the war would end "when I feel it in my bones." He was also more measured than in the past about the prospect of opponents toppling the Islamic government.

"So I really think that's a big hurdle to climb for people that don't have weapons," Trump said, citing the paramilitary Basij force, which has played a central role in crushing recent nationwide protests.

At a news conference on Friday, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that more than 15,000 targets have been struck in Iran; more than 1,000 a day since the war began on Feb. 28.

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Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei made his first public statements on Thursday, vowing to keep fighting, and threatening to open "other fronts" in a war that has already disrupted world energy supplies, the global economy and international travel.

But the written statement added to speculation about Khamenei's whereabouts and health. He has not been seen or heard from publicly since the war started, and Iranian officials have said he was "lightly" injured in the same airstrike that killed his father and predecessor.

Hegseth said in his news conference that Khamenei was "likely disfigured" but did not elaborate on or provide evidence.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that the U.S. Military has "made it a priority to target Iran's minelaying enterprise."

The U.S. Military says all six airmen aboard an American KC-135 refuelling plane that went down in Iraq are dead. The military says the crash is being investigated.

A French soldier who was stationed in the north of the country was also killed in an attack, the French president said Friday.

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.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Senior security official Ali Larijani told Iranian media covering the rally that the suspected Israeli attack was a "sign of its desperation."

Iranian authorities say that more than 1,300 people have been killed there, and Israel has reported 12 deaths. The U.S. Has lost at least 13 soldiers, while another eight have suffered severe injuries.

In his Friday morning post, Trump wrote that "we are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise."

Iran, meanwhile, launched multiple attacks early Friday on Gulf Arab states, including dozens of drones at Saudi Arabia, following warnings from Khamenei about hosting American bases.

In Lebanon, at least eight people were killed in an Israeli strike on its 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 in Lebanon in the last 10 days of the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. More than 1,900 people have been wounded, it said.

Iran continued its daily attacks on oil and other infrastructure across the Gulf. In Oman, two people were killed when two drones crashed in the Sohar region, the Oman News Agency reported.

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Oscar Austin shot down an Iranian ballistic missile over Turkey on Friday, a U.S. Official said on condition of anonymity in order to discuss ongoing military operations. It was the third such interception over the NATO member in the last two weeks.

Residents in the southern Turkish city of Adana reported hearing a loud explosion and sirens sounding at Incirlik Air Base, which is used by U.S. Forces.

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A building at the Dubai International Financial Center was damaged by debris from what authorities called a "successful interception."

Iran said earlier this week that it would target banks and financial institutions, after an airstrike hit a bank in Tehran.

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