Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, was killed in attacks by the United States and Israel on Saturday, triggering retaliatory strikes on multiple countries in the region.
Khamenei, 86, was killed in the strike at his office in Tehran. The supreme leader’s daughter, son-in-law and grandson were also killed in the attack.
As of Sunday morning, the Iranian Red Crescent Society and official state-linked media reported preliminary casualty figures of 201 people killed and at least 747 injured as rescue operations continue.
The deadliest single incident occurred in the city of Minab in southeastern Iran, where a strike on a girls’ primary school reportedly killed at least 165 people and injured 95. The attack occurred on Saturday, and the death toll has been climbing since.
The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area. The US military said it was looking into the reports.
Israel’s air force has said it dropped more than 1,200 munitions across 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces on Sunday in its joint attack with the US.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched attacks on 27 bases in the Middle East where US troops are deployed, as well as Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes hit at least eight countries in the region: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Most of these attacks have been intercepted. At least three close US allies have said they are ready to defend their interests in the region.
On Monday, people fled southern Lebanon after Israel launched multiple strikes and Jerusalem warned villagers there to evacuate.
Trump said in a video posted Sunday that the operation in Iran – “one of the most complex, most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen” – will continue until “all of our objectives” are achieved.
Iran’s provisional governing council is expected to name a new supreme leader. Iran’s theocracy has struggled with growing dissent following nationwide protests over the economy that morphed into anti-government protests.
Khamenei killed in one of first strikes
Israel said it had worked with the United States for months to plan the attacks.
The US military said targets in Iran included command facilities of the Revolutionary Guard, a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, air defence capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.
One of the first strikes hit near Khamenei’s offices. The leader had ruled since 1989, and held ultimate power. Iranian state media reported Khamenei’s death without details. Israel said that it also killed dozens of other top Iranian military officials.
The Trump administration has asserted that Iran had been rebuilding its nuclear programme and that it is a cause of US concern. Tehran has insisted the programme is for peaceful purposes.
Iran strikes at Israel and US military bases
Iran’s retaliatory missiles and drones targeted Israel and nearby countries in the Gulf hosting US forces. Three US service members have been killed, according to US Central Command.
“You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address Sunday.
The island kingdom of Bahrain said Monday that one person was killed by shrapnel from an intercepted missile. The country is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Bahrain also said it had intercepted 61 missiles and 34 attack drones launched against it. Some fire has got through, striking buildings and the naval base.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on the United Nations to ensure accountability from the United States and Israel for their role in Khamenei’s killing.
Eleven people have been killed in Israel as loud explosions caused by missile impacts or interceptions could be heard in Tel Aviv.
Israel’s rescue services said that nine people were killed and more wounded in a strike that hit a synagogue in the central town of Beit Shemesh.
An Iraqi Shia militia claimed a drone attack Monday targeting US troops at the airport in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.
Israel hits Lebanon, orders people to leave villages
Roads in southern Lebanon and leading out of Beirut’s southern suburbs were gridlocked early Monday with people fleeing after Israel launched a barrage of strikes in retaliation for missiles launched across the border by Hezbollah.
The Israeli military on Monday also urged people in nearly 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of possible retaliatory strikes after Hezbollah fired into Israel.
US says military force will continue; allies weigh in
Trump listed grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic, when the 1979 revolution turned Iran from one of America’s closest allies in the region into a combatant.
Iran’s ballistic missile programme and support for armed proxies in the region were other issues he cited.
Tensions had escalated in recent weeks as the Trump administration built up the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades.
Trump said “heavy and pinpoint bombing” in Iran would continue through the week or longer. He told Iranians to take cover but urged them to later rise up and topple the Islamic leadership.
Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement Sunday that they are ready to work with the United States and its partners to help stop Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes.
Additional reporting by Al Jazeera
