Smoke billowed over downtown Tehran moments after initial blasts, sparking widespread panic in Iran’s capital. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei perished hours later, alongside numerous civilians and three U.S. troops. Maps pinpoint critical sites in the US-Israel-Iran conflict, marking confirmed strikes and counterattacks.
Daylight Assaults Target Tehran
Joint US and Israeli forces unleashed airstrikes on Tehran early Saturday, February 28, local time. Explosions rocked areas near Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s offices and residence, with footage capturing civilians fleeing amid the chaos. A mosque separates his compound from the presidential offices.
Satellite images confirm damage to Khamenei’s compound and adjacent structures. Another strike devastated 72nd Square, a residential neighborhood 13 kilometers northeast, home to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Additional hits struck near Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence in the Seyed Khandan district. On Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters in Tehran suffered total destruction.
Casualties Mount in Southern Iran
In southern Iran, airstrikes demolished the Shajarah Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school, killing at least 115 people—one of two school strikes since warplanes began operations around 10 a.m. Saturday. State news agency IRNA reported at least 18 deaths in the southwest, where Lamerd Governor Ali Alizadeh described strikes on a sports hall, two residential zones, and a facility near a school.
Israel Shifts to Lebanon
By Monday, Israeli forces focused on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Explosions echoed through southern Beirut, a militant stronghold, claiming over 30 lives.
Iran’s Regional Retaliation
Iran responded swiftly with strikes across the Middle East. Fires erupted at Dubai’s Fairmont The Palm Hotel and Dubai International Airport, injuring four, per the Dubai Media Office.
Iranian attacks targeted the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain’s Manama and a drone hit Kuwait’s main airport. Four fatalities occurred in Syria’s southern city of Sweida on Saturday.
On Sunday, an Iranian strike on a US base in Kuwait killed three service members and seriously wounded five. Israel’s ambulance service reported nine dead and 28 injured from an Iranian missile impacting a residential building in Beit Shemesh.
Monday saw continued barrages: an oil tanker off Oman, another drone on a US base in Kuwait, and strikes on a British base in Cyprus.
Uncertainty Surrounds Khamenei’s Fate
Initial reports questioned whether the 86-year-old leader was present during Saturday’s first strike. A regime official stated Khamenei had relocated to a secure site outside Tehran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi affirmed Khamenei remained alive “as far as I know,” noting possible deaths of one or two commanders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited “many indications” of his demise.
US President Donald Trump, appearing on television Saturday evening, endorsed reports of Khamenei’s death. He posted on Truth Social: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.”
In a video statement, Trump confirmed US participation, declaring the goal to “defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard terrible people.” Iranian state media later verified Khamenei’s death without specifying the cause.
