Paris (France) (AFP) – The United States and Israel launched waves of strikes Saturday against targets in Iran, sparking swift retaliation by the Islamic republic. US President Donald Trump said that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was dead, though there was no confirmation from Tehran. Here are the latest developments.
**- Iran leader killed -**
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “Heavy and pinpoint bombing… will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump stated. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the campaign sent a message to those who would do harm to Americans: “We will hunt you down and we will kill you.” Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s late shah, hailed the reported killing of Khamenei, saying the Islamic republic was entering the “dustbin of history.”
The joint US-Israeli operation began earlier on Saturday with smoke rising over Tehran after strikes that Israel said were pre-emptive. Shortly after, Trump announced US combat operations against Iran, with the goal of “eliminating imminent threats.” Israel’s military said it targeted multiple sites where senior Iranian officials had gathered in Tehran and launched strikes against Iranian missile launchers. It stated that 200 fighter jets had taken part in the “extensive attack,” hitting more than 500 targets. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks killed senior Iranian officials and warned that thousands more targets would be struck in the coming days. The Iranian judiciary reported that 108 people died in a strike on a girls’ school in Minab, citing a provincial official who blamed Israel. AFP was unable to access the location to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident.
**- Missile, drone wave -**
In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and other American bases in the Gulf, launching a first wave of missile and drone attacks at Israel. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service reported that a woman was killed and at least 21 were injured in the Tel Aviv area. The Israeli military said it deployed search and rescue teams to multiple locations across the country following reports of fallen projectiles.
**- Gulf explosions, strait closed -**
Explosions were reported across the Gulf region. The United Arab Emirates reported that two people were killed in Abu Dhabi, including a Pakistani civilian. The country’s defence ministry stated that 137 missiles and 209 drones were fired at its territory. Witnesses in Dubai reported hearing an explosion and seeing missiles streak across the sky; AFP correspondents in the Saudi capital Riyadh heard loud explosions, as well as in the Bahraini capital Manama and across Qatar’s Doha. Qatar’s defence ministry said it had intercepted several missile attacks targeting the Gulf state. Additionally, two people were killed in air strikes on an Iraqi military base housing the powerful pro-Iran group Kataeb Hezbollah, which threatened the US with a response. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also moved to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world’s oil and gas passes.
**- Allied support, warnings -**
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting over the fighting, with Iran’s envoy accusing the US and Israel of committing a possible “war crime” by attacking civilians. UN chief Antonio Guterres stated that military action in the Middle East “carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control.” Oman’s foreign minister, who has been mediating talks between Tehran and Washington, expressed being “dismayed” by the violence. The European Union condemned the developments in Iran as “perilous.” Gulf states condemned Iran’s “cowardly” attacks in a joint statement read by Bahrain’s ambassador during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Russia characterized the US-Israeli strikes as a “dangerous adventure” that could spark regional “catastrophe.” Another Iranian ally, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, called on countries and people in the region to stand against Israel and the US.
**- Airspace closures, flights nixed -**
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE, and Israel all closed their airspaces to civilian traffic, at least in part, and multiple airlines cancelled flights to the Middle East. Russia cancelled commercial flights to both Iran and Israel “until further notice.”
© 2024 AFP
