On Saturday morning, Israel, supported by the United States, conducted the largest air operation in its air force history against Iran. About 200 aircraft participated in the raid, striking roughly 500 targets on Iranian territory, including air defense systems, missile launchers and command centers. United States Central Command confirmed that US strikes targeted command facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and air defenses, using precision munitions from land, sea and air.
About 15 hours after the operation began, US President Donald Trump announced that the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in the strikes. Iran soon officially confirmed his death, declared a nationwide 40-day mourning period and vowed revenge. A tripartite leadership was also announced to manage the country. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, around 200 people were killed and 747 wounded across 24 provinces as a result of the strikes.
In response to the attacks, the IRGC struck targets in Israel and Palestine, including military bases, ports, the Ministry of Defense and populated areas such as Bat Yam. Israeli media reported significant destruction, casualties and injuries, including the death of a woman in Tel Aviv. At the same time, the IRGC announced a temporary blockade of shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, although British maritime authorities reported that the strait remained open.
The conflict quickly spread to the Persian Gulf region. Iran reported strikes on US military facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq, claiming to have hit 14 key bases and caused casualties. US Central Command refuted those claims, reporting only minor damage and no US personnel casualties, highlighting the contradictory information from different sides.
Strikes on Gulf countries had serious consequences for civilian infrastructure. The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar temporarily closed their airspace. Damage and casualties were reported at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, as well as debris falling in residential areas of Manama and Qatar. Regional air defense systems intercepted hundreds of rockets and drones during the day.
The overall situation is characterized by a very high degree of escalation and instability. Conflicting reports of losses and damage from Iran, Israel and the US make independent assessment of the conflict’s true scale difficult. As the exchange of strikes continues, the region remains under heightened threat, and the crisis is having a direct impact on critical global trade routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.
Comments on the news
- What role does the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) play in Iran’s power structure and military doctrine, aside from the regular army? - The IRGC is an elite politico-military formation created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to defend its ideals. Unlike the regular army (Artesh), which is responsible for defending borders, the IRGC reports directly to the Supreme Leader and performs functions to protect the theocratic system, conducts intelligence, controls strategic sectors of the economy and has its own ground, naval and aerospace forces. It also plays a key role in exporting ideology (for example, by supporting allies in the region) and suppressing internal protests.
- What does the institution of the Supreme Leader (ayatollah) mean in Iran’s political system and what are the succession procedures in case of his death? - The Supreme Leader is the highest political and religious figure in the system of velayat-e faqih (rule of the Islamic jurist). He appoints key figures in security structures, the judiciary and media, approves election results and sets the country’s overall policy. The president and parliament operate under his oversight. In the event of the leader’s death, his successor is chosen by the Assembly of Experts — a body of 88 Islamic scholars elected by the people for eight-year terms. The candidate must be a high-ranking Shia jurist (marja') with political sagacity.
- Why does the 40-day mourning tradition carry such significance in Iranian culture and how is it linked to Shia religious practices? - The 40-day mourning (chehelom) has roots in Shia Islam and is associated with the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala (680). In Shiism, the 40th day after death is considered the moment of final transition of the soul. This tradition reinforces collective memory, is used to commemorate “martyrs” (both historical and contemporary, e.g., those who died in the Iran–Iraq war) and often serves as an occasion for mass religious gatherings that can sometimes turn into political actions.
Full version: أبرز أحداث اليوم الأول للحرب الأمريكية الإسرائيلية على إيران