Reuters reports that Israel launched another wave of strikes on Iran on Sunday, March 1, as Iranians faced mounting uncertainty following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli attacks that risk destabilizing the wider Middle East.
Hours after Washington and Jerusalem said an air strike had killed the 86-year-old cleric in a campaign aimed at toppling the Islamic Republic’s government, Iranian state media confirmed his death on Saturday. U.S. President Donald Trump said the operation was intended to end what he described as a decades-long threat posed by Iran and to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Trump defended the decision despite his longstanding opposition to prolonged U.S. military involvement overseas. “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,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, witnesses reported several loud blasts for a second consecutive day on Sunday in the regional business hub of Dubai and over Doha, after Iran launched retaliatory strikes against neighboring Gulf states. Tehran, which had warned it would target U.S. bases if attacked, struck a range of sites, heightening tensions across the oil-producing region.
Air raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Israel early Sunday, and a series of explosions were heard in Tel Aviv as Israel’s air defense systems attempted to intercept the latest Iranian barrage. There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.
