The first reports of explosions in the Iranian capital Tehran came shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday, Swedish time. Israel says it has launched a “preemptive strike,” which is reported to be nationwide. Iran and Israel are closing their respective airspaces and, in Iran, mobile networks are reportedly down.
US President Donald Trump confirms that the US is engaged in a “major combat operation” aimed at militarily crushing Iran. He calls on the Iranian people to overthrow the regime.
On Saturday morning, there were reports of explosions after Iranian counterattacks against northern Israel. Iran announced that it had fired “the first wave” of drones and rockets at Israel. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait - all of which host US bases - reported that they had been attacked and had shot down Iranian missiles in their airspace.
Spread to Lebanon
Late Saturday night, US President Donald Trump announced that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed. Mohammad Pakpour, leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, and Army Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi were also killed in the attacks.
On Sunday, Israel and the US carried out more attacks on Iran, and Iran continued to attack Israel. At the same time, explosions were reported from several cities in countries around the Persian Gulf.
On Monday night, the Iran-allied Islamist movement Hezbollah in Lebanon launched rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel. Israel responded with a large number of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Israel continued to attack Iran and the capital, Tehran, during the night. According to UN estimates, around 100,000 residents fled the city during the first two days of attacks.
Iran on Monday accused the United States of attacking the nuclear facility in Natanz on Sunday afternoon.
Calls for evacuation
On Tuesday, Israel continued to carry out airstrikes against targets in Lebanon and Iran. At the same time, Iran continued to target several countries in the Middle East with drone attacks. Among other incidents, the US embassy in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, was hit and a small fire broke out.
The Israeli military announced that it had sent soldiers across the border to several locations in southern Lebanon as a "defensive measure."
In addition, Israel on Wednesday urged residents of southern Lebanon to leave their homes in anticipation of extensive airstrikes.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health estimated that more than 83,000 people had been forced to flee, and that more than 70 people had been killed in the recent fighting.
Sunken warship
The death toll in Iran was rising, according to state-controlled media, which on Wednesday estimated that more than 1,000 people had been killed since the war began. The figures have not been confirmed by independent sources.
The US military command Centcom stated on Wednesday morning that the country had hit nearly 2,000 targets in Iran since Saturday. According to the US, Iran had fired over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that an American submarine had sunk an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka in a torpedo attack. Remains of 87 Iranian crew members had been found, according to Sri Lankan authorities.
Israel stated on Wednesday evening that a military headquarters in Tehran had been attacked.
The war was also having a major impact on shipping traffic through the important Strait of Hormuz, which had decreased by around 90 percent since the war broke out.
During the night of Thursday, Iran launched several rocket attacks on Israel, and during the morning explosions were reported in Tehran. Israel warned of an upcoming attack on Beirut, Lebanon, which was later hit by an airstrike.
