'US bombers take off' and 'Heading out - at last'












The US-Israeli war against Iran once again features on most of the front pages. "Trump ramps up bombing of Iran" is the Daily Telegraph's headline. The paper highlights that underground missile sites were hit, even though just 24 hours earlier US President Donald Trump had declared the war as "very complete".
The Times leads on three American bombers taking off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, as the US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, "promised" the most intense day of strikes since the conflict began. Sir Keir Starmer granted an American request to use British bases for defensive operations.
Many of the front pages carry photographs of HMS Dragon as it left Portsmouth for the Mediterranean, where it will protect UK military bases. "Heading out, at last" says the Daily Telegraph, a reference to the fact that the government announced the deployment of the warship a week ago. The Financial Times reports that the Ministry of Defence said the Royal Navy had carried out the equivalent of six weeks' work in just six days to ready the destroyer, which included resupplying its air-defence missiles. "Enter the dragon," declares the Sun.
The Guardian features the words of people living in Tehran who say raids in the Iranian capital are intensifying. One person describes the sky as grey and polluted, and says there is a burning smell of gunpowder in the air. Another resident calls the city the "last stop before hell".
The i Paper highlights findings by US researchers that blood tests could predict the risk of dementia in women decades before symptoms appear. Higher levels of a specific protein found in the blood were linked to an increased risk of dementia, but scientists say more research is needed.
And a couple of the papers report on the "undisputed King of the World Watercress Eating Championships" admitting that he actually hates watercress. Glenn Walsh has won the past 17 titles of the annual Watercress Festival in Alresford in Hampshire. The Daily Telegraph says he described the plant as "peppery, stalky and not really enjoyable". The Times says he will try for another title this year - as he enjoys the "fierce competition".

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