What we know so far: Supreme Leader Khamenei killed, as Iran launches retaliatory strikes
Hafsa KhalilAnd
David Gritten
Iranian state media has confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed, following attacks across Iran by Israel and the United States that began Saturday morning local time.
State media’s announcement of Ayatollah Khamenei’s death came after U.S. President Donald Trump declared him dead and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Khamenei’s compound in Tehran had been destroyed in a “powerful, surprise strike.”
Iran responded to this attack, which occurred two days after the end without agreement of American-Iranian negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program, by launching missiles and drones towards Israel and four Arab Gulf countries which host American military bases: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) on Saturday, Iranian media reported explosions in the capital, Tehran. Photos showed smoke above Jomhouri Square and Hassan Abad Square.
Explosions were also reportedly heard in several other cities across the country, including Karaj, near Tehran, Isfahan and Qom in the center of the country, and Kermanshah in the west.
A spokesperson for the Iranian Red Crescent told local media that 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces had been hit by US and Israeli strikes.
Videos circulating on social media showed people running in panic near the scene of the explosions. Screams and cries echoed in the background.
Footage from Tehran verified by the BBC shows explosions less than a kilometer from Leadership House, Khamenei’s compound. It was not immediately clear whether he was present at the time of the strikes.
Satellite images obtained by the BBC also showed signs of significant damage at the compound, including blackened buildings, debris and a column of smoke.
On Saturday evening, Netanyahu said in a televised speech that “we have destroyed the residence of the tyrant Khamenei in the heart of Tehran.” “There are many signs that the tyrant himself is no more,” he added.
Trump later wrote on Truth Social: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead. »
“He was unable to avoid our highly sophisticated intelligence and tracking systems and, working closely with Israel, there was nothing he, nor the other leaders who were killed with him, could do.”
The statement by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, read on Sunday morning by several state television channels, that Khamenei was killed in his office was confirmed.
President Masoud Pezeshkian’s office in the capital was also reportedly targeted in the first wave of strikes. Iranian state television said President Masoud Pezeshkian was “safe” and he later issued a statement.
Despite a near-total internet outage detected by monitors Saturday morning, several other waves of strikes and explosions were reported throughout the day.
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said the country’s airspace was closed until further notice.
What did the United States and Israel say?
On Saturday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his country had “launched a pre-emptive strike against Iran to eliminate threats” and warned Israelis to prepare for missile and drone attacks in retaliation.
A little over an hour later, Trump confirmed American involvement in the strikes.
“We will destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry. It will be totally wiped out again,” he said in a video posted on Truth Social.
“And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.”
It follows weeks of threats from Trump that he would order military action if Iran does not agree to a new deal on its nuclear program.
Iran has repeatedly declared its nuclear activities to be entirely peaceful.
Trump also said members of Iran’s armed forces must lay down their arms to gain “complete immunity” or “face certain death.”
And he urged the Iranian people to prepare to overthrow the religious establishment.
“When we’re done, take back your government. It will be yours. It will probably be your only chance for generations.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country and the United States had carried out “an operation aimed at eliminating the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.”
The US military’s Central Command later said the allies wanted to “dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that pose an imminent threat.” They reportedly included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command and control facilities, air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said around 200 warplanes took part in a “widespread attack on the missile network and defense systems” in western and central Iran.
The planes simultaneously dropped hundreds of munitions on around 500 targets, the statement added.
The Israeli military named seven senior Iranian defense officials it said were killed, including Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Iranian Defense Council and a trusted advisor to Khamenei, as well as IRGC commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour and Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh.
An intelligence source and a military source told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that around 40 Iranian officials were killed in the strikes.
How did Iran react?
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel and the United States of launching a “totally unprovoked, illegal and illegitimate” war.
“Our powerful armed forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve,” he wrote on X.
Iran’s Defense Ministry also pledged a “crushing and regret-inducing” response to what it called the “savage attack” by Israel and the United States.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the IRGC as saying its forces responded to the strikes by striking several sites in Israel as well as five major US military installations in the region: Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. in Jordan.
The IRGC also said a US combat support ship suffered a “heavy hit” from missiles and a US FP-132 radar system in Qatar was “completely destroyed”.
The EU naval mission in the region, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, meanwhile said the IRGC had sent radio messages to ships warning that “no ships are allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz” in the Gulf, through which about 20% of the world’s oil and gas shipments pass.
Centcom said its forces had “successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”
He added that no U.S. casualties or combat-related injuries had been reported and that damage to U.S. installations in the region was “minimal and did not impact operations.”
In Israel, local media reported that Iran launched around 150 ballistic missiles toward Israel, mostly in small salvos, as well as dozens of attack drones.
Air defense systems intercepted a number of missiles, while others hit open areas, they added.
How many died?
More than 200 people have been killed across Iran and more than 700 injured, according to the Red Crescent on Saturday.
The first aid organization said 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces were affected. At least 108 people have died in an explosion at a school in southern Iran, according to a local prosecutor.
One person died and at least 20 others were injured when an Iranian missile hit several buildings in central Tel Aviv, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.
In counterattacks, Iran has also fired drones and missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar (UAE), all of which benefit from a US military presence.
One person was killed in Abu Dhabi, state media in the United Arab Emirates said.
Trump said “the lives of courageous American heroes could be lost”, although the US military said it had not received any reports of combat casualties so far.
He warned that bombing would continue throughout the week and the death toll could rise.
How to choose Khamenei’s successor?
In Iran, the supreme leader is not elected directly but by a body of 88 senior clerics known as the Assembly of Experts.
They are elected by direct suffrage every eight years.
Under Iran’s Constitution, these clerics must choose the new supreme leader as quickly as possible, but that may prove difficult for security reasons as the country is under attack.
The president’s council, the head of the judiciary and a clerical member of the powerful Guardian Council will assume interim leadership responsibilities, Iranian state media reported.
Is it safe to travel in the area?
Major airlines have diverted or canceled hundreds of flights to the Middle East, citing security concerns in the region.
Of about 4,218 flights scheduled for Saturday in the region, 966 were canceled, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
It said 716 flights out of the 4,329 flights scheduled for Sunday have already been canceled.
Wizz Air suspended flights until March 7 in Israel, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Amman in Jordan and Saudi Arabia until Tuesday.
British Airways has canceled its flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday.
“If you must see ger between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv, you can change your flight free of charge until March 6 inclusive,” the company said.
“Customers traveling up to and including March 4 can also request a full refund.”
In a statement, Swiss International Air Lines said: “Swiss and Lufthansa Group airlines will suspend flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut [in Lebanon]Amman, Erbil [in Iraq]and Tehran until March 7.”
Kuwait’s aviation authority said it was suspending all flights to Iran until further notice, according to state media.
Emirates has temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai. Lufthansa, Air India, Virgin Atlantic and Turkish Airlines have also announced cancellations.
Some countries in the region, including Iraq and Jordan, have also closed their airspace. The United Arab Emirates said it had “partially and temporarily” closed its airspace as a precautionary measure, state media reported.
with additional reporting from BBC Persian.