DUBAI: Israel's defense minister said on Friday that Israeli attacks on Iran "will escalate and expand."
Israel Katz made the comment in a statement noting that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "warned the Iranian terrorist regime to stop firing missiles at the civilian population in Israel."
"Despite the warnings, the firing continues — and therefore (Israeli military) attacks in Iran will escalate and expand to additional targets and areas that assist the regime in building and operating weapons against Israeli citizens," Katz said.
"They will pay heavy, increasing prices for this war crime."
Israel has moved thousands of troops across the border into Lebanon, where Israeli officials said they want to take control of the entire area south of the Litani River — some 20 miles (about 30 kilometers) north of the border.
Israel’s military said its attack on Friday targeted sites “in the heart of Tehran” used by Iran to produce ballistic missiles and other weapons. It also hit missile launchers and storage sites in western Iran.
Smoke rose over Beirut after a pre-dawn strike, and Lebanon's Health Ministry later reported two people were killed.
Iran, meantime, kept firing missiles and drones at its Gulf Arab neighbors, with sirens warning of attacks in Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said it shot down both missiles and drones targeting the capital, Riyadh.
Kuwait said both its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port to the north, which is under construction as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, had sustained “material damage” in attacks.
It appeared to be one of the first times a Chinese-affiliated project in the Gulf Arab states came under assault in the war. Throughout the conflict, China has continued to purchase Iranian crude.
The war has killed more than 1,900 people in Iran and nearly 1,100 in Lebanon. Eighteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers have also been killed in Lebanon. Thirteen US military members have died, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.