Strikes reportedly hit Tehran’s leadership compound and military sites nationwide; Iran answered with rapid missile waves as explosions, interceptions, and base alerts spread across Israel and the wider region.
In the early hours of Saturday, February 28, 2026, Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran—described in Iranian official reporting as U.S.–Israeli attacks—hitting Tehran and multiple provinces. Reported targets included the Supreme Leader’s leadership compound in central Tehran, military and security command sites, and parts of the energy and logistics network. Strikes were also reported in cities and strategic locations including Qom, Tabriz, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz, Urmia, Zanjan, Kharg Island, and Konarak, alongside claims of cruise-missile launches from the Gulf of Oman and cyberattacks on command and energy infrastructure.
By the evening, the Iranian Red Crescent spokesperson said strikes affecting 24 provinces had left at least 201 dead and 747 injured.
Iran’s Response: Rapid Missile Waves Toward Israel
Iran’s retaliation began quickly. Iranian state media reported more than 300 missiles and drones launched toward Israel and other declared regional targets. International agencies reported heavy explosions in Jerusalem shortly after air-raid sirens sounded, while Iranian state media said a new wave of Iranian ballistic missiles was fired toward Beersheba.
Israeli Channel 13, citing a military source, reported three Iranian missile waves and the activation of Israel’s defense systems. Israeli authorities also urged residents living near military facilities “across the country” to evacuate. Reports described sirens not only in Tel Aviv and Haifa but also in central Israeli cities, suggesting the threat had expanded beyond border areas.
Iranian reporting emphasized that the response was faster than during the “12-day war,” when Tehran reportedly needed many hours to organize large-scale retaliation after an initial surprise. At the same time, reports noted uncertainty about how long Iran could sustain high-volume missile launches.
The War Regionalizes: Airspace Wars, Interceptions, Gulf Bases, and Proxy Fronts
The conflict widened beyond Israel and Iran almost immediately—not only through impacts, but through missile flight paths and interception corridors that drew multiple states into an active air-defense posture.
- Levant and Jordan: With Iranian launches, sirens were reported in Amman. In southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, explosions were reported in connection with Israeli interceptor launches, indicating that both incoming missiles and air-defense systems were operating across several national skies.
- Bahrain and Qatar: The IRGC said it targeted the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain; reports described explosions in Manama. Qatar said it intercepted a third wave of projectiles using Patriot systems and urged residents to stay indoors and away from military locations—signaling that U.S. and allied defenses in the Gulf had shifted into active operational mode.
- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE: Reports described explosions in Riyadh. Italy’s foreign minister said an Iranian missile caused significant damage to the runway of a Kuwaiti air base hosting Italian forces (who were moved to shelters). Kuwait’s official news agency also reported a drone strike on Kuwait International Airport causing minor injuries and limited material damage. The UAE’s official agency reported at least one death in Abu Dhabi after intercepting missiles launched from Iran, calling it a violation of sovereignty and international law; witnesses reported explosions in Dubai and smoke rising from Al Dhafra base.
- Syria and Iraq: Syria’s state media reported that an Iranian missile struck a building in the industrial area of Suwayda, killing four people. Iraqi state media reported airstrikes on Jurf al-Nasr (also known as Jurf al-Sakhr), killing two and injuring three; Hashd al-Shaabi confirmed casualties while saying it was unclear whether the strikes were carried out by the U.S. or Israel. Iranian officials were also reported to have warned Baghdad that U.S. bases in Iraq could be targeted, and reports said Iran struck the U.S. consulate in Erbil.
- Red Sea: Yemen’s Ansar Allah announced it would resume attacks on Israel-linked targets in the Red Sea, reopening a major maritime front and threatening one of the world’s critical trade routes.
Airspace and economic disruptions followed rapidly: the UAE closed its airspace, Syria closed parts of its airspace, and flights across many neighboring countries were reportedly suspended. Some major oil companies reportedly paused shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, and Qatar said it temporarily suspended maritime traffic in its territorial waters after attacks on U.S. bases in the Gulf, including Al Udeid near Doha.
Commanders Killed: Iran Says a Defense Council Meeting Was Hit
Iran’s official narrative later centered on a strike that allegedly hit while a Defense Council meeting was underway. According to official notices carried by Iranian media, several top figures were killed:
- Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff
- Mohammad Pakpour, Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC
- Ali Shamkhani, adviser to the commander-in-chief and Secretary of the Defense Council
- Aziz Nasirzadeh, Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics
Iranian media said more names would be announced later. Israeli media had reported some of these deaths earlier; Iran’s later framing consolidated them into a single “meeting strike,” portraying it as a direct blow to the highest level of military-political decision-making.
Ali Khamenei’s Death: From Early Claims to State Confirmation
Iranian official agencies later confirmed that Ali Khamenei was killed at dawn on Saturday, February 28, 2026, after being targeted at his workplace inside the leadership compound in Tehran. Iranian reporting provided few operational details, stating only that he was in his office carrying out official duties at the time of the strike.
Before confirmation, Israeli sources and Donald Trump publicly claimed Khamenei had been killed while Iranian state media initially remained silent, fueling hours of uncertainty. Alongside official Iranian reporting, a separate account circulated describing the strike timing as intelligence-driven, aimed at hitting the leadership complex when senior figures were gathered—casting the operation as a coordinated “decapitation” attempt. Iranian media also reported that relatives connected to Khamenei’s close family circle were killed in strikes on residences linked to the Supreme Leader.
Succession Under Fire: Interim Leadership Council and Wartime Continuity Messaging
Following the confirmation, Iranian authorities declared 40 days of national mourning and seven days of public closure/holiday, while the IRGC, government, judiciary, and army issued coordinated statements condemning the attacks and promising retaliation.
Iranian reporting repeatedly referenced Article 111 of the constitution: the Assembly of Experts must appoint a new Supreme Leader, while an interim leadership council—composed of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a Guardian Council jurist chosen by the Expediency Council—temporarily assumes leadership duties. Ali Larijani, described as a central public voice since the start of the war, emphasized internal unity and said the interim council would be formed soon, presenting the transition mechanism as an emergency stabilizing measure.
Schools and Civilian Toll: Minab, Abik, and Tehran
Amid the broader casualty figures, Iranian reporting highlighted attacks on schools as a defining and incendiary dimension of the war.
According to Tasnim, in Minab (Hormozgan Province) a girls’ primary school named Shajareh Tayyebeh was directly hit. Officials said the school has 170 students in the morning shift and that, so far, 115 students had been killed; debris removal and rescue operations were reported as ongoing. Hossein Kermanpour, a Health Ministry spokesperson, confirmed the killing of students and said around 92 others were injured. Iran’s Ministry of Education spokesperson also confirmed the incident, and a photo circulated that was described as mothers gathering at the site. Minab is the second-largest city in Hormozgan Province, located east of Bandar Abbas.
State media also reported that in Abik (Qazvin Province) one student was killed and two were injured in an attack on a school. Separate reports said two students from Hedayat School in Tehran’s Narmak area were killed. Kermanpour additionally described ongoing transfers of wounded people—especially from southern Tehran—saying many had been trapped under rubble before reaching hospitals.
IRGC Threats to Escalate and the War Outlook
After Khamenei’s reported killing, the IRGC vowed that its “most devastating” offensive operation would begin imminently and framed the retaliation as continuing waves under the banner of “True Promise 4.” Combined with reports of widening regional alerts, threats to U.S. assets, and renewed pressure on Red Sea shipping lanes, the messaging pointed toward escalation rather than containment.
By Sunday, March 1, 2026, reports described continued heavy strikes and explosions in and around Tehran and other locations—suggesting the conflict had shifted from a single shock operation into a multi-day war scenario, with leadership decapitation, civilian casualties, and regional militarization feeding the momentum of further escalation.
