The Middle East remained on edge for a second straight day on Sunday after the United States and Israel launched what they described as a “precise and large-scale operation” across Iran, killing its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several of his family members.
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Multiple explosions rocked Tehran as the Israeli military said it was striking targets in the capital. Powerful blasts were reported across the heart of the city, with videos showing thick plumes of smoke rising into the sky.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they launched four ballistic missiles at the US aircraft carrier Lincoln, as per Iranian state media cited by news agency Reuters. However, US Central Command said that the “Iranian missile did not even come close” to the carrier, which continues to operate in the region.
ALL ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT
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According to reports, the Israel Defence Force (IDF), based on intelligence inputs, dropped as many as 30 bombs on the complex where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, Minister of Defence Amir Naserzadeh, and the Commander-in-Chief, Mohammad Pakpour gathered for a joint meeting on Saturday. All of them were killed in military operation.
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Three US service members were killed and five others seriously wounded during military operations (Epic Fury) targeting Iran, the US military said on Sunday. They are the first reported American casualties since the United States and Israel launched their surprise attack on Iran.
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Soon after Khamenei’s assassination, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at an ever-widening list of targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states in retaliation. Fresh explosions were also heard in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama, countries in the Middle East where US troops are stationed.
Tehran responded with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israel and several Middle East bases hosting US forces, leaving about 13 people dead across the region today. According to multiple reports, 9 fatalities were recorded in Israel, 3 in the UAE and one in Kuwait.
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Later, the Israeli military also claimed it had dismantled most of the aerial defence systems in western and central Iran, saying the strikes were intended to clear the path toward establishing air superiority over Tehran.
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The explosion in Tehran, whose intended target was not immediately known, sent a massive plume of smoke into the sky and shook the ground. It appeared to be centered in neighborhoods housing the country’s police headquarters, Iranian state television, the Revolutionary Court and a Defence Ministry building, news agency Associated Press reported.
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Air travel across the Middle East was thrown into disarray as air defence fire echoed over Dubai, the United Arab Emirates’ commercial hub long seen as a regional safe haven. Explosions continued into Sunday morning in the city.
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World leaders urged peace and stressed all parties to return to talks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged the United States and Iran to resume the nuclear programme discussion, saying they favour a negotiated settlement.
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US President Donald Trump warned that any retaliation from Iran would only lead to further escalation. “They better not do that. If they do, we will hit them with a force that has never been seen before,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a direct appeal to Iranian citizens calling on them to rise against the country’s leadership, urging mass protests to “overthrow the current regime”.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, condemned the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family, calling it a “cynical murder” by the US and Israeli forces that violated basic human morality and international law. China also called the killing of Iran’s supreme leader ‘unacceptable’.
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Meanwhile, Iran has appointed senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as interim Supreme Leader following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Authorities invoked Article 111 of the Constitution, triggering an emergency arrangement under which a three-member council assumes the Supreme Leader’s powers until a permanent successor is chosen.
