Iran strike targets US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain: Report

Tehran has emerged as the epicentre of an intensifying war as US and Israeli airstrikes pound targets across Iranrsquos capital leaving widespread destruction and deepening fears of a prolonged conflict a media report saidThousands of munitions have struck locations across the sprawling city hitting military sites security installations and infrastructure tied to Iranrsquos defence apparatus The strikes have also damaged cultural landmarks and civilian areas underscoring the scale of the bombardment in a metropolis of nearly 17 million people the media outlet saidAccording to the Wall Street Journal the USIsraeli air campaign has ldquoleft a trail of destruction across the capital of Tehran spreading a sense of dread and paranoia across a 1000yearold city that has seen war before but never anything like thisrdquoMissiles have repeatedly exploded across the city with plumes of smoke rising from neighbourhoods and industrial districts One refinery in southern Tehran caught fire after airstrikes struck oil storage tanks marking a major escalation as energy infrastructure became a targetResidents described a city living under constant bombardmentldquoItrsquos like an absurd picnicrdquo one woman in Tehran told the Wall Street Journal ldquoPeople sit eat snacks and ask each other where the missile hitrdquoThe strikes have targeted command centres missile sites and installations linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia according to US officials The operations appear aimed at weakening Iranrsquos military command and internal security forcesBut the conflict has also hit civilian life Hospitals schools and residential areas have suffered damage from the repeated bombardmentldquoSchools and hospitals must be safe and nonmilitary zones places for education treatment and care not war targetsrdquo the Coordination Council of Iranian Educatorsrsquo Associations said in a statement cited by the Wall Street JournalIranian officials have vowed retaliation and warned the conflict could widenldquoWe will not let Trump go he must pay the pricerdquo senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani said in remarks broadcast on Iranian state television according to CNNIsraeli leaders have signalled that the campaign will intensifyIsrael will continue striking Iran ldquowith all our mightrdquo Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded statement reported by CNN adding that there are ldquomany more targets and surprises preparedrdquoUS President Donald Trump has also suggested the war could expand if Tehran refuses to back down Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One he said Washington wanted Iran to have leadership that would not lead the country into further warsldquoWe donrsquot want to come back every five years or every 10 years and do thisrdquo Trump told reporters according to CNN ldquoWe want to pick a president thatrsquos not going to be leading their country into a warrdquoAcross Tehran daily life has been upended Traffic has thinned in many neighbourhoods as residents flee the capital while those remaining gather on rooftops at night to watch explosions light up the skyMissiles streaking overhead and the sound of airraid sirens have become a routine part of the cityrsquos nightsThe bombardment has also revived memories of the IranIraq war in the 1980s when Iraqi forces carried out missile strikes on Iranian cities Analysts say the current campaign is far more concentrated and technologically advanced than those attacksEven as the strikes intensify US intelligence officials have cautioned that the war may not quickly achieve Washingtonrsquos stated political objectiveslkjAccording to a report by The Washington Post a classified US intelligence assessment concluded that even a largescale military assault on Iran would be ldquounlikelyrdquo to topple the countryrsquos entrenched clerical and military establishment Officials said Iranrsquos leadership structure is designed to preserve continuity of power even if senior figures are killedAnalysts say that assessment highlights the central dilemma facing Washington and its allies while the air campaign has inflicted major damage on Iranrsquos military infrastructure the countryrsquos political system may prove far harder to dislodgeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever