The United States and Israel on Saturday carried out coordinated large-scale airstrikes across Iran, killing more than 200 people and triggering a dangerous chain of retaliatory attacks that shook major cities across the Middle East.
The unprecedented military operation targeted key defence installations, missile systems, and security facilities, sparking heavy explosions in Tehran and several other Iranian cities.
Iranian emergency agencies confirmed that over 700 people sustained injuries, while authorities ordered mass evacuations in parts of the capital, home to nearly 10 million residents.
In swift retaliation, Iran launched waves of missiles and drones toward Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Kuwait, forcing residents across the region into emergency shelters.
The conflict quickly escalated as explosions were reported in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, leaving at least one civilian dead and several others injured. Missiles were also intercepted across Israeli cities, with emergency services confirming multiple casualties.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, intensifying fears of a global energy crisis.
Black smoke rose above large sections of Tehran as emergency workers searched for survivors amid collapsed buildings. Iranian officials confirmed that several senior military figures were killed, though they denied reports suggesting that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been assassinated.
President Donald Trump defended the strikes, stating that the operation was designed to neutralise immediate threats posed by Iran’s missile and nuclear ambitions.
He further urged Iranians to rise against their leadership, describing the moment as a turning point in the country’s political future.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Trump’s stance, declaring that the mission was aimed at eliminating what he described as an existential danger to Israel’s survival.
Israel’s military confirmed deploying more than 200 fighter jets in what it described as the largest air offensive in the nation’s history.
Meanwhile, Iran claimed its retaliatory strikes hit US military assets in Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE, along with security facilities inside Israel.
Civil aviation across the region suffered massive disruptions as airspaces were shut in Iran, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE, forcing international airlines to cancel or divert flights.
In Gulf capitals, residents reported panic as explosions and air defence interceptions echoed overhead, while emergency evacuations were carried out in several districts hosting foreign military bases.
Global leaders expressed alarm at the rapid escalation, with the United Nations calling for immediate de-escalation and urgent diplomatic engagement to prevent a wider regional war.
Analysts warn that the conflict could destabilise global markets, disrupt oil supplies, and push the Middle East into one of its most dangerous military confrontations in decades.
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