The United States and Israel launched extensive military operations against Iran on Saturday, February 28, 2026, triggering retaliatory strikes by Iran against Gulf nations and escalating tensions across the Middle East. The attacks follow weeks of heightened rhetoric and warnings of military intervention.
According to reports from the Israeli Defense Ministry, the initial phase of the operation involved a “preventive strike” against Iranian targets. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the country aimed to eliminate an “existential threat,” describing the operation as “major, decisive and unprecedented.” The Israel Air Force released video footage purporting to show strikes on Iranian armed forces headquarters.
The Pentagon announced that over 1,000 targets within Iran were struck in the first 24 hours of operations. The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) reported three U.S. Military personnel killed and five seriously wounded during the operation.
In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against several countries in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain, according to reports from news agencies. Explosions were reported in Dubai, Doha, Manama, and Riyadh. Three ships were also reportedly attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump, in a video message posted on his Truth Social platform, claimed that the attacks had resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling him “one of the most evil figures in history.” Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated there were “signs” confirming Khamenei’s death, though Iran has not yet confirmed the information. Celebrations were reported in the streets of Tehran following reports of Khamenei’s death, as documented by CNN.
Trump called on members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and “military police” to “lay down their arms and receive total immunity or face certain death.” He also stated that the U.S. Anticipates military operations in Iran to last “four weeks.”
Further escalating the conflict, Israel announced it was conducting “large-scale strikes” on Tehran early Monday morning, with Iranian news agency Tasnim reporting explosions in the capital. The Israeli military also stated it was striking Hezbollah targets “across Lebanon” in response to missile fire from the Lebanese Shiite movement.
The attacks have prompted international concern. France stated it was not informed or involved in the U.S. And Israeli strikes. Germany, France, and the United Kingdom indicated their readiness to take “necessary and proportionate defensive actions” to counter Iranian responses and “destroy at the source” Tehran’s military capabilities.
The United Kingdom has agreed to allow the United States to use British military bases to strike Iranian missile sites, but stated it would not participate in offensive actions within Iran, according to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Nine people were killed in Bet Shemesh, central Israel, on Sunday when a building collapsed following a direct hit from an Iranian missile, with more than 40 injured and 11 missing. Over 20 people were also injured in Tel Aviv.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian declared that avenging the death of the Supreme Leader was a “legitimate right,” while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Iran placed “no limits” on its right to self-defense. In addition to Khamenei, several high-ranking Iranian officials, including the chief of the Revolutionary Guard, Mohammad Pakpour, a senior advisor to the Supreme Leader, Ali Shamkhani, and the chief of staff of the armed forces, Abdolrahim Moussavi, were reportedly killed.
Protests and clashes have also erupted in other parts of the region. In Baghdad, Iraq, demonstrations occurred near the U.S. Embassy, and in Jordan, the armed forces reported intercepting 13 ballistic missiles since Saturday. At least seventeen people died in Karachi, Pakistan, during protests following Khamenei’s death, some attempting to storm U.S. Diplomatic representations.
The United Arab Emirates, where three people have been killed and 58 injured since Saturday, called on Iran to “come to its senses.” The hostilities have led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights worldwide to and from the Middle East.
