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US-Israel war on Iran live: Israel launches new wave of attacks ‘in the heart of Tehran’ after death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | US-Israel war on Iran
IDF says ‘broad wave of strikes’ launched ‘in the heart of Tehran’
In a statement posted to social media, the Israel Defense Forces says it is now striking “targets” of the Iranian “regime in the heart of Tehran”.
“The Air Force, guided by military Intelligence, has now launched a broad wave of strikes against targets of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran,” a statement to X reads.
“Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force conducted large-scale strikes in order to establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.”
Although Israel has said it has been targeting military assets in Iran, there have been reports of a high civilian death toll.
Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian ambassador to the UN, told an emergency UN security council meeting that hundreds of civilians had been killed or injured in the US-Israeli strikes. He accused them of deliberately attacking civilian neighbourhoods in multiple cities.
Key events
Dan Sabbagh
Dan Sabbagh is the Guardian’s defence and security editor
The UK did not participate in the first waves of strikes against Iran on Saturday morning and has no immediate intention of doing so, but fighter jets were running defensive operations from Qatar and Cyprus to shoot down any incoming drones and missiles …
Iran launched an immediate counterattack, including strikes on Israel and Jordan as well as on US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. British forces are located at the bases in small numbers.
Details of the operations were scant, and the Ministry of Defence would not specify which countries and bases were being defended, though the UK recently boosted deployments in case there was an escalation of hostilities.
British nationals in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were advised to immediately shelter in place after reports of Iranian missile attacks. The Foreign Office advised against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
The UK prime minister, in a joint statement with his French and German counterparts, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, said: “We did not participate in these strikes”, but all three leaders added that they were in contact with the US, Israel and other regional allies. You can read more here:
Iranian strikes landed within ‘a few hundred yards’ of British troops in Bahrain, UK defence secretary says
Over in the UK, the British defence secretary, John Healey, said Iranian strikes landed within “a few hundred yards” of British troops in Bahrain.
Healey told Sky News:
This is a really serious and deteriorating situation, (with) rising risks of increasing Iranian indiscriminate retaliatory attacks.
Let me give you a couple examples. Yesterday, we had 300 personnel on that Bahrain base that was attacked by Iranian missiles and drones, some of them within a few hundred yards of where they landed.
We had two missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus. We don’t believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it’s an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act.
When asked if the US attacks were legal, Healey sidestepped the question by saying it was not for him to make that judgment.
In an interview with the BBC, the defence secretary said he was worried that “indiscriminate attacks from Iran” were putting British personnel and citizens abroad at risk.
Gulf states report successfully intercepting Iranian missiles and drones
Qatar’s defence ministry said its air force intercepted missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier today, while Kuwait said its air defenses repelled “a number of hostile aerial targets” and Bahrain said it shot down missiles and drones launched by Iran. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.
Iran has launched missiles and drones targeting Israeli and American military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, in response to Saturday’s deadly US-Israeli strikes on the country. The US military has reported no American casualties and minimal damage at its bases.
Here are some images taken in the aftermath of reported Iranian retaliatory strikes on US allies in Gulf states and in Iraq:
We reported in an earlier post that the Israel Defense Forces said the country’s air force was striking “in the heart of Tehran”. We can bring you some of the latest pictures from Tehran now:
Oman has said an oil tanker in the strategically important strait of Hormuz came under attack, imjuring four mariners on board.
The attack targeted a Palau-flagged vessel called Skylight, the state-run Oman news agency said in a report we have not yet been able to independently verify. It described the crew as Indian and Iranian.
It was not immediately clear who attacked the vessel, but it came after authorities said Iran had been threatening ships traveling the strait since the US-Israeli attacks.
The strait of Hormuz – a crucial chokepoint for oil transit – lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf to the north with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. The strikes could cause serious economic disruption around the world, particularly if the strait becomes unsafe for commercial traffic.
IDF says ‘broad wave of strikes’ launched ‘in the heart of Tehran’
In a statement posted to social media, the Israel Defense Forces says it is now striking “targets” of the Iranian “regime in the heart of Tehran”.
“The Air Force, guided by military Intelligence, has now launched a broad wave of strikes against targets of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran,” a statement to X reads.
“Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force conducted large-scale strikes in order to establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.”
Although Israel has said it has been targeting military assets in Iran, there have been reports of a high civilian death toll.
Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian ambassador to the UN, told an emergency UN security council meeting that hundreds of civilians had been killed or injured in the US-Israeli strikes. He accused them of deliberately attacking civilian neighbourhoods in multiple cities.
As a reminder, Israel’s sophisticated air defence system has reportedly shot down most of Iran’s missiles, although some can still get through.
‘Non stop sirens and alerts’ in Jerusalem as Iran retaliates for Israeli-US attacks
Jason Burke
Jason Burke is the international security correspondent of the Guardian. He is reporting from Jerusalem:
There have been almost non-stop sirens and alerts in Jerusalem since early this morning, punctuated by multiple loud explosions as interceptors strike Iranian missiles passing over the city on their way to targets in central Israel, especially Tel Aviv, where there was one reported fatality last night.
Israeli paramedic services say about 120 have been injured across the country, though few seriously.
Many residents of Jerusalem spent much of the night in bomb shelters, where available.
Streets are largely empty with schools and businesses closed, though church bells in the Old City rang out on this Sunday morning during one alert.
Oman’s Duqm commercial port was struck by two drones, injuring one worker, the state news agency said this morning. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.
Eight people killed at a pro-Iran rally at US consulate in Pakistan
Eight people have been killed in a pro-Iran rally at the US consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, rescue services have said.
Hundreds of protesters had attempted to storm the consulate building. “We have moved at least eight dead bodies to Karachi’s civil hospitals, while 20 others were injured in the consulate incident,” said Muhammad Amin, a spokesperson for the Edhi Foundation rescue service, told AFP, adding most had bullet wounds.
The protesters, who were minority Shiites in the predominantly Sunni Muslim country, have since been dispersed, the Associated Press reported.
Iran’s army said it targeted US bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and in the Gulf on Sunday in response to the killing of Khamenei.
“A few minutes ago, pilots of the air forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran successfully bombed US bases in the countries of the Persian Gulf and in the Kurdistan region of Iraq over several phases of operations,” Iran’s army said in a statement carried by state TV.
The US Embassy in Oman has advised its staff and all American citizens to “shelter-in-place” until further notice, citing “ongoing activity outside of Muscat”.
“Find a secure location within your residence or another safe building. Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items,” it said, in a post on X.
Summary
Iran has launched a new round of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several Gulf cities, after vowing retaliation for the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who had ruled the country since 1989.
Multiple rounds of sirens were heard across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank on Sunday morning, and explosions were reported in Doha, Dubai and Manama. Blasts were also heard near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament warned that US President Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “crossed our red lines” that they would “suffer the consequences”. Trump, in a post on social media, said Iran should not retaliate, or it would be hit with a force that has “never been seen before”.
Iranian state media announced the deaths of several high-level military officials, including armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour, and head of the defence council Ali Shamkhani, saying they were killed “during a defence council meeting”. More names would follow, it said.
At least 133 civilians have been killed, and 200 civilians injured during US-Israel strikes on Iran on Saturday, according to the US-based organisation HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency), which said it had recorded incidents across 18 provinces in Iran.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security adviser, has warned “secessionist groups” they will face a harsh response if they attempt any action, and called for unity. Trump previously urged the Iranian people to “take over” the government, saying: “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”
Thousands of people have gathered in central Tehran to mourn the death of Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989. Mourners, who were dressed in black and carried photos of the former leader, chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel”. However, others celebrated, with reports describing people cheering from rooftops, blowing whistles and letting out ululations.
Protesters rallied in support of Iran in several cities, attempting to storm the US consulate in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, and to enter the fortified Green Zone of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where the US embassy is located. Thousands also rallied in Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday.
The United Nations’ nuclear agency said it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday at the request of Russia. The meeting is in response to the US-Israel strikes, which Trump has said are a response to Iran attempting to “rebuild their nuclear program”.
Thousands of Shia muslims joined street demonstrations in Indian-administered Kashmir to protest against the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday.
Protesters holding red, black, and yellow flags converged on the main square in the heart of Srinagar, the main city of Indian Kashmir. Many of them chanted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans during the emotionally charged but largely peaceful gathering.
“This day we are all very heavy hearted. We are mourning our beloved leader who was martyred,” Syed Towfeeq told AFP. “We all have a message for Trump … We will always stand against your oppression.”
Another protester, Ishfaq Wani, urged Muslim countries to unite “under one flag”.
Similar protests were held in other places across Kashmir and other parts of India with a sizeable Shia Muslim population.
Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, said he was “deeply concerned” about the developments in Iran.
He also urged protesters to remain calm and “avoid any actions that could lead to tension or unrest”.
Hundreds of people have attempted to storm the US consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, local police have reported, smashing windows in the process.
Police and paramilitary forces used batons and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, said Mohammad Jawad, a police official. At least one protester was killed and several others were wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces, he said.
The attack on the consulate came hours after Khamenei was killed.
Images from the city showed large numbers of people demonstrating against the action by the US and Israel, while holding up portraits of Khamenei.
Iraq has announced three days of mourning following the death of Khamenei.
Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that “with deep sorrow, we extend our condolences to the noble people of Iran and the entire Muslim world” after Khamenei was killed in “a blatant act of aggression”.
The United Nations’ nuclear agency said it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday, at the request of Russia.
In a statement late on Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Russia had requested it convene a “special session of the IAEA Board of Governors on matters related to military strikes of the United States and Israel against the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
