DUBAI — Iran launched missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military sites in the Gulf after a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his Tehran office, officials said, raising fears of a wider regional war.
Iran confirmed the death of the 86-year-old supreme leader and said the strike also hit a defense council meeting, killing senior officials. Iran’s cabinet called the attack a “great crime” that would not go unanswered, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed its “most intense offensive operation” yet. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned in a televised address that those responsible had “crossed our red line” and would pay a heavy price.
President Donald Trump posted a warning on social media urging Iran not to carry out further strikes, saying any additional attack would be met with overwhelming force.
U.S. and Israeli officials said the operation had been planned for months and targeted Khamenei along with Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. Iranian state and semiofficial media reported that a number of top security figures were killed; an airstrike on a defense council meeting reportedly killed Iran’s army chief of staff, the defense minister and senior Revolutionary Guard officers. Semiofficial Fars news agency, citing unidentified sources, said several of Khamenei’s relatives also died.
In retaliation, Iran fired dozens of missiles toward Israel; the Israeli military said many were intercepted. Iran also launched strikes toward U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Israel reported at least one civilian death in the Tel Aviv area; emergency services said a woman died after being wounded in an Iranian missile attack. In the United Arab Emirates, state media reported that shrapnel from a missile killed one person in Dubai and that debris from interceptions sparked fires at the city’s main port and on the facade of the Burj Al Arab hotel. Air-defense explosions and disruptions to flights were reported across the region into the following morning.
Saudi authorities said Tehran targeted the capital and the kingdom’s eastern region and that they had repelled the attack. Jordan reported it had “dealt with” 49 drones and ballistic missiles. The strikes and ensuing air defenses disrupted civilian life and services across multiple countries in the region.
U.S. Central Command reported no U.S. casualties and described limited damage at U.S. bases despite what it called “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.” The operation followed a buildup of American warships and aircraft in the region in recent weeks. Some U.S. lawmakers criticized the Trump administration for acting without congressional authorization; the White House said several congressional leaders had been briefed in advance.
The attack occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and at the start of Iran’s workweek. U.S. officials said the strikes were part of efforts to constrain Iran’s nuclear capabilities, alleging Iran had been rebuilding centrifuge infrastructure and expanding its ability to produce higher-quality centrifuges. Iran has maintained it retains the right to enrich uranium while saying it sought to avoid a full-scale war; Iranian authorities also said they have barred international inspectors from sites hit by the U.S.-led strikes.
Iranian officials formed a council to govern until a new supreme leader is chosen and declared 40 days of public mourning and a seven-day national holiday. Eyewitnesses in Tehran described mixed reactions: official ceremonies and mourning at shrines took place, while some people were seen celebrating in parts of the city.
Reports from inside Iran said a girls’ school in the south was struck, with local officials reporting at least 115 people killed and dozens wounded; U.S. Central Command said it was aware of the reports and was investigating. Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted a governor saying at least 15 people were killed elsewhere in the southwest and that a sports hall, two residential areas and a hall near a school had been hit. Iranian officials and some diplomats told the U.N. Security Council that hundreds of civilians had been killed or wounded in the strikes.
Analysts warned the confrontation could unsettle global markets, particularly if Iran sought to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains a critical route for seaborne oil exports. With key regional capitals and U.S. forces now directly engaged, experts said the risk of prolonged violence and broader instability in the Middle East has markedly increased.