Iran continued retaliatory strikes against U.S. positions across the Middle East after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials were killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement on the 1st (local time) declaring it would "launch the largest retaliatory operation in history," according to Reuters. Iranian state media reported that attack targets include 27 U.S. military bases in the region, Israeli military headquarters, and defense industrial complexes.
Coinciding with the release of the IRGC statement, explosions were reported across Israel and U.S. positions throughout the Middle East from early morning.
Shortly after 6 a.m., air raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Israel warning of imminent attack, and successive explosions were heard in Tel Aviv as precision air defense systems activated, Reuters reported. AFP reported multiple explosions and rising black smoke near Erbil Airport in Iraq around the same time.
Earlier, U.S. forces had shot down multiple missiles and drones over Erbil the previous day. Around the same time, multiple explosions were heard in Dubai (UAE), Doha (Qatar), and Manama (Bahrain).
Iran's retaliation follows the large-scale U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran the previous day. On the morning of the 28th, the U.S. and Israel simultaneously bombed Tehran and three facilities where Iranian leadership had gathered. The Pentagon named the operation "Grand Fury," while Israel called it "Lion's Roar."
Israeli forces reportedly concentrated their attack on Khamenei's location, dropping 30 bombs on the site. The U.S. forces assembled around Iran represent the largest deployment since the 2003 Iraq War.
The strike killed not only Khamenei but also four family members including his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, IRGC Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Fakpour, and Khamenei's chief security advisor Ali Shamkhani.