The US and Israel have killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, in a military operation now threatening to engulf the entire Middle East.
The strikes began in the early hours of Saturday morning, then after hours of uncertainty of his whereabouts, Ayatollah Khamenei was then confirmed dead late on Saturday evening by Iranian state media.
Iran has since threatened unprecedented retaliatory attacks on US and Israeli targets across the Middle East, with UK troops caught in near-misses as violence escalates across the region. Expected drone and missile strikes have already been reported on US bases in the region.
Here’s how the conflict unfolded – from Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home to the streets of Tehran.
Overnight: Laying the groundwork
On the night of the attacks, Trump stayed at his Mar a Lago resort with members of his security team, the White House said, communicating with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone.
Prior to the attacks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called all members of the ‘Gang of Eight’ – the group of eight key US leaders who receive briefings on classified intelligence – to notify Congress.
The Gang of Eight includes the senior Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, as well as the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Rubio was able to reach and brief seven of the eight members, the White House said. A strike had been expected for weeks, but it was crucial intelligence gathered by the CIA, which tracked Iran’s Supreme leader for months, which brought the attack forward, the New York Times reported.
6.15am: US and Israel strike Iran
The strikes began at 1.15am Eastern Time – 6.15am in the UK – according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
It was code named Operation Epic Fury, and designed to “dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritising locations that posed an imminent threat”, CENTCOM said.
The targets included command and control facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
At around 6.30am UK time, the airspace around Iran began to clear, air traffic data shows. By 8am, it is empty.
At 6.16am UK time, many planes were still flying over Iran. From 6.30, planes began to thin. (Photo: Flightradar24) By 8am, the airspace over Iran had emptied completely. (Photo: Flightradar24)At 7.14am, Iranian Telegram channels began to post images showing strikes on the capital.
This photo, which has been verified by The i Paper, a government building in east Tehran near Khamenei’s compound, was among one of the first to be pictured.
One of the first images of the strikes to be shared among Iranians online, at around 7.14am UK time (Photo: via Telegram)Saturday afternoon: Khamenei is killed
In response, Iran began to launch attacks across the region. It said that all US and Israeli assets had become legitimate targets.
As the day progressed, reports began swirling that Iran’s Supreme Leader had been killed in a US or Israeli air strike.
The exact time of the blast that killed him is not yet known.
A satellite image shows black smoke rising and heavy damage at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound, following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran on 28 February 2026. (Photo: Pleiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026/Handout via Reuters)At 9.37pm, Trump posted on his social media site that “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead”.
Iran confirmed the death of its leader early Sunday local time and appointed a temporary governance structure to replace the Ayatollah.
Footage shared by CENTCOM on Saturday evening showed US jets taking off during the operation and hitting targets across Iran. The military build up had taken place over a number of weeks and culminated in a force not seen since the invasion of Iraq.
As the President stated, our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.The President ordered bold action. CENTCOM forces are delivering an overwhelming and unrelenting blow. pic.twitter.com/B0k5gV4YnU
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 28, 2026Iran strikes back
In the 24 hours from Saturday morning, Iran launched more than 25 waves of ballistic missiles and drones at targets across Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, and Iraq, western officials said.
One blast could be seen hitting the US naval base in Bahrain, where 300 UK personnel are also stationed. The British troops came within 200m of the blast, The i Paper understands.
CENTCOM forces “successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks”, with “minimal” damage to US bases which meant they could continue as normal. No US or UK personnel have been harmed.
At around 3pm UK time, a popular tourist resort in Dubai was hit in an attack, injuring four people.
Overnight into Sunday, the IDF shared a map of dozens of sirens sounding across Israel as missiles rained down from Iran. By this time, Israel had hit more than 30 Iranian targets.
A map showing the number of sirens sounding acorss Israel shared by the IDF at 4.19am on Sunday morning. (Photo: The IDF)Footage showed US air defences against Iranian ballistic missiles over Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Saturday night.
Sunday morning: Israel strikes again
On Sunday, Israel said it had launched fresh attacks on the “heart of Tehran”. Iranian attacks across the region are continuing.
To date, 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces have been hit, according to a spokesman for the Iranian Red Crescent who was quoted by local media on Sunday morning.
Shortly after 9am, the Israeli military released footage of the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps being destroyed.
WATCH: For the first time since the start of Operation ‘Roaring Lion’, the IAF is striking targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran.Over the past day, the IAF conducted large-scale strikes to establish aerial superiority and pave the path to… pic.twitter.com/DN2MkGCfWc
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 1, 2026In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned it would launch a “devastating” retaliatory offensive against US bases and Israel.
“The most devastating offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces will begin toward the occupied territories and American terrorist bases in just moments,” the IRGC said.
Shortly before 10am, Bahrain’s National Communications Centre said a new wave of “hostile Iranian ballistic missiles and drones” has been intercepted in its airspace.
Around the same time, news agency AFP reported loud explosions around the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.
At 10am, the IDF said that Abdolrahim Mousavi, the Chief of Staff of the he Iranian armed forcesm, had been killed, along with seven members of the top Iranian security leadership in Tehran and 40 senior commanders.
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