Reports: First Wave of Strikes Targeted Iranian Officials
Its being reported by a number of media outlets that the first wave of strikes in today's joint US-Israeli operation targeted officials of the Islamic republic.
There have been no reliable reports from inside Iran regarding the status of these officials or whether they are alive or dead.
The first report of an attack said a missile struck near Pasteur Square in Tehran, where the residence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is located. A source told Reuters that Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.
At the same time, a video has circulated on social media claiming to show the aftermath of a missile strike on the residence of former Iranian hardline president Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
BREAKING: Trump: Khamenei Is Dead
Trump has just posted this on Truth Social:
Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS. He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do. This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country. We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us. As I said last night, “Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!” Hopefully, the IRGC and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots, and work together as a unit to bring back the Country to the Greatness it deserves. That process should soon be starting in that, not only the death of Khamenei but the Country has been, in only one day, very much destroyed and, even, obliterated. The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!
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Netanyahu: Supreme Leader Khamenei 'Is No Longer'
Reuters reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that there are many signs indicating that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "is no longer."
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the BBC that he is “not in a position to confirm” whether senior leaders targeted in recent US-Israeli strikes remain unharmed.
UPDATE: More on Netanyahu's comments from Reuters:
"This morning we destroyed the compound of the tyrant Khamenei," Netanyahu said in a video statement, adding that for more than 30 years Khamenei had "dispatched terrorism across the world, made his own people miserable, and worked constantly and tirelessly on a program to annihilate the state of Israel."
"There are many signs that this tyrant is no longer. This morning we eliminated senior officials in the ayatollahs' regime, Revolutionary Guards commanders, senior figures in the nuclear programme - and we will continue. In the next few days, we will hit thousands more targets of the terror regime," Netanyahu said.
More On The Reported Strike On A Girls' School
The details of a supposed US-Israeli strike on a girls' school in Minab, southern Iran, are still unclear. Iranian officials and state media have claimed the strike killed 40–85 people, mostly young girls, with apparent footage showing rubble and scattered backpacks.
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian condemned what he called a"barbaric act" that has "caused deep pain to the hearts of the Iranian nation."
There have been counter claims online, however, mainly from Iranian opposition accounts, saying that the strike was actually a misfired Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) rocket.
According to some news reports, there is an IRGC base in Minab.
Other have claimed that footage widely shared on X purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike actually showed the aftermath of a Taliban attack on an army school in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2014.
Dubai's Landmark Island In Smoke Amid Iranian Strikes
Huge pillar of smoke rose from Dubai's famous landmark -- the man-made island, Palm Jumeirah.
As Iran carries out retaliatory strikes in the region following US and Israeli attacks, at least four people were injured in the incident, the Dubai government press service reported.
New Reported Wave Of Attacks
RFE/RL's Radio Farda has received reports of explosions being heard in the cities of Tehran, Karaj, and Garmdareh.
News agencies inside Iran have reported that a loud explosion was heard in the capital, Tehran, on the evening of February 28.
Similar reports of explosions or blasts have emerged from multiple other cities across Iran, according to independent news sources.
Reuters: Strait Of Hormuz Reportedly Closed
Reuters is reporting that the Strait of Hormuz, through which an estimated 20 percent of the world's oil transits, has been closed.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Saturday that it received multiple reports from vessels operating in the Gulf saying they had received messages on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
There was no immediate confirmation from Iran.
With its extensive and powerful naval forces, Iran has substantial practical influence over access to the strait enabling it to disrupt or threaten shipping. Here is an explainer from June last year on just why the strait matters so much:
Trump Spoke With Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone today and will continue to closely monitor the Iranian situation with his national-security team, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
Reports: Iranian Defense Minister, Revolutionary Guards Commander Killed In Strikes
Iranian Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammed Pakpur are though to have died in Israeli attacks, two sources familiar with Israel's military operations and one regional source said, according to Reuters.
Earlier, The Times of Israel said Israeli officials assessed that Pakpur, Nasirzadeh, and Iran’s intelligence chief were likely killed in the strikes.
Zelenskyy Says Iranians Have A Chance To Oust 'Terrorist Regime' In Tehran
- By RFE/RL
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Iranian people have an opportunity "to get rid of the terrorist regime" in Tehran after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
"It is only fair to give the Iranian people a chance to get rid of the terrorist regime, to remove it and guarantee the safety of all nations that have suffered from terror originating in Iran," Zelenskyy said in a video address published on February 28.
He added that it was "important that the United States is determined," adding that "whenever America is determined, global criminals weaken."
Tehran has long been an ally of Russia, supplying it with military equipment and technology and fueling Moscow’s war effort. According to Zelenskyy, Russia's military used at least 57,000 Iranian-made Shahed drones in attacks on his country, including against its civilian and energy infrastructure.
Earlier on February 28, a statement published by Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said "the reason for the current events is precisely the violence and arbitrariness of the Iranian regime."
UN Security Council To Hold Emergency Meeting
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today following US and Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on countries in the region.
The UN said the session, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. New York time, will address the “situation in the Middle East.”
France and Bahrain had called for the meeting, and RFE/RL's Radio Farda says Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, had also made a separate request for a similar session.