DUBAI (Somaliguardian) – Missiles arced across the skies of the Middle East on Sunday as Iran unleashed a sweeping barrage against Israel and several Gulf nations, declaring vengeance after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.–Israeli strike a day earlier. The dramatic escalation has jolted the region and stirred fears of a far wider conflict.
Tehran confirmed that the 86-year-old cleric died Saturday when American and Israeli forces targeted his office in the capital. His death has plunged the Islamic Republic into uncertainty, with urgent questions surrounding succession and internal stability.
Reacting to the strike, U.S. President Donald Trump framed the moment as historic. “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” he said.
Iranian officials answered with fury. The Cabinet warned that the attack would not go unanswered, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged what it described as its fiercest campaign to date, aimed at Israeli and U.S. military positions. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf addressed the nation, declaring, “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price. We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”
Trump responded in kind on social media: “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”
The initial strike also eliminated several senior Iranian leaders gathered at a defense council meeting. Among those killed were army chief of staff Gen. Abdol Rahim Mousavi, Defense Minister Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, Revolutionary Guard chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, and senior security adviser Ali Shamkhani — long a central figure in Tehran’s strategic apparatus.
Fallout quickly spilled beyond Iran’s borders. In Karachi, Pakistan, protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate, shattering windows before police dispersed the crowd with batons and tear gas. Authorities reported one fatality and multiple injuries.
Iran’s retaliation followed swiftly. Dozens of missiles and drones were launched toward Israeli territory as well as U.S. installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Israeli officials said many incoming projectiles were intercepted, though emergency services confirmed that a woman in the Tel Aviv area died after sustaining wounds from falling debris.
Air traffic throughout the region was disrupted. In the United Arab Emirates, defensive fire illuminated the skies over Dubai into the early hours of Sunday. One person was reported killed in Abu Dhabi after fragments from an intercepted missile struck the area, and debris ignited fires at the main port and along the facade of the Burj Al Arab hotel.
Saudi Arabia announced that it had repelled attacks aimed at Riyadh and the kingdom’s eastern provinces. Jordanian authorities said they neutralized 49 drones and ballistic missiles crossing their airspace.
Energy markets braced for potential turbulence, particularly if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a passage that carries roughly one-third of the world’s seaborne oil exports — becomes threatened.
The assassination of Khamenei marks a striking expansion of U.S. military involvement. Though Trump campaigned on avoiding “forever wars,” the operation represents one of the most consequential uses of force in recent American history. It was the second major assault on Iran during his current term.
Inside Iran, a temporary governing council has been formed pending the selection of a new supreme leader. With no clear successor publicly identified, the vacuum at the top of the country’s power structure could intensify internal rivalries. The supreme leader traditionally wields ultimate authority over policy and commands both the clerical hierarchy and the Revolutionary Guard.
Public reaction in Tehran appeared divided. Some residents reportedly celebrated in the streets and from rooftops. Meanwhile, official mourning rituals began nationwide. A black banner was raised above the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, and authorities declared 40 days of mourning along with a weeklong public holiday.
Iranian media, citing unnamed sources, reported that several members of Khamenei’s family were also killed in the strike.
According to U.S. and Israeli officials, planning for the coordinated assault had stretched over months. It commenced during Ramadan and at the start of Iran’s workweek. American forces said they targeted Guard command centers, missile sites, drone facilities, air defenses and airfields, reporting no U.S. casualties despite what they described as hundreds of retaliatory launches.
In Washington, Democratic lawmakers criticized the president for acting without explicit congressional approval. The White House said congressional leaders from both parties had been briefed beforehand.
In southern Iran, local authorities reported heavy civilian casualties, including more than 100 deaths after a girls’ school was struck. U.S. Central Command acknowledged awareness of those reports and said the matter was under review. At the United Nations, an Iranian envoy claimed that hundreds of civilians had been killed or injured.
State media also cited regional officials who said residential districts, a sports complex and a building near a school were hit in the southwest.
Tensions had already been rising for weeks as the United States deployed one of its largest concentrations of warships and aircraft to the Middle East in decades. Trump had insisted he sought an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, even as intelligence suggested Tehran had advanced its domestic centrifuge capabilities — a critical step toward producing weapons-grade uranium.
Iran maintains it has not enriched uranium since June but has restricted international inspections at sites previously bombed. Satellite imagery analyzed in recent days indicates renewed activity at some of those facilities.
Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said Israeli pilots struck hundreds of targets throughout Iran. Officials described the campaign as aimed not only at military infrastructure but also at government and intelligence centers.
The unfolding confrontation has reshaped the strategic landscape overnight, leaving the Middle East on edge and the world watching for what comes next.
