Tehran under fire: Israel launches fresh strikes hours after Khamenei’s killing

The operation came hours after Iran confirmed that its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on Saturday during a joint US-Israeli strike.

Providing details on the latest offensive, the IDF said in a post on X: “For the first time since the start of Operation ‘Roaring Lion’, the Israeli Air Force is striking targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran.”

It added that over the past day, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) had conducted large-scale strikes aimed at establishing aerial superiority and paving the way for operations deeper inside Tehran. The military also released video footage purportedly showing the latest strikes on the Iranian capital.

Meanwhile, CNN reported that a base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran was among the targets hit.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on X that, for the first time since the launch of the operation, Israeli Air Force jets were operating over Tehran in what he described as a “powerful strike on regime and repression targets,” carried out in accordance with plans approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and himself.

According to Iranian state media, Khamenei was killed in his office early Saturday during coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes. US President Donald Trump later confirmed that American forces had participated in the operation, calling Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history” and urging Iranians to “take back their country.”

In retaliation, Iran reportedly launched strikes targeting several Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, further escalating tensions across the region.