NEWS
What to know about US-Israel attacks on Iran
US-Israel attacks on Iran trigger deadly counterstrikes, rising death tolls and grounded flights across the Middle East.
The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday in a massive operation that President Donald Trump said killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei while targeting military capabilities and aiming to eliminate the threat of Tehran creating a nuclear weapon.
There was no Iranian comment on Khamenei. Earlier, two Israeli officials told The Associated Press that he was killed.
In counterattacks, Iran fired drones and missiles at Israel and aimed strikes at U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Exchanges of fire continued into the night. Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, on Saturday evening said at least 201 people had been killed and more than 700 injured.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran鈥檚 National Security Council, said Israel and America will 鈥渞egret their actions.鈥
The strikes came two days after the latest U.S.-Iran talks as Trump pressured Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear program, building up a fleet of warships in the region. Iran's theocracy also has struggled with growing dissent following nationwide protests that began over the economy but turned into anti-government ones.
The U.S. military said it was looking into reports of civilians killed in Iran in Saturday's strikes. More than 80 people were reported killed and dozens wounded at a girls鈥 school in the south, the local governor told Iranian state TV.
World leaders reacted with caution, and the U.N. Security Council met in an urgent session.
Supreme leader's compound was one of the first targets
Israel said it had worked with the U.S. for months to plan the attacks. The U.S. military said targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
One of the first strikes hit near Khamenei's offices. The two Israeli officials who said Israel had confirmed his death spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.
The 86-year-old Khamenei has ruled since 1989 and holds ultimate power.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive 鈥渁s far as I know.鈥
The U.S. and Israel also struck Iran last June during earlier nuclear talks, greatly weakening Iran鈥檚 air defenses, military leadership and nuclear program.
The Trump administration has asserted that Iran had been rebuilding its nuclear program, which Tehran has insisted is for peaceful purposes.
Iran strikes back at Israel and U.S. bases
Iran launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and strikes targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
About 12 hours after the attacks began, the U.S. military reported no U.S. casualties and minimal damage at U.S. bases despite 鈥渉undreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.鈥
Israel鈥檚 military said Iran fired 鈥渄ozens鈥 of missiles at Israel, with many intercepted. Emergency responder Magen David Adom noted 89 鈥渓ightly injured鈥 people.
Saudi Arabia said Iran had targeted its capital and eastern region in an attack that was repelled. Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the U.S. Navy鈥檚 5th Fleet headquarters, and three buildings were damaged in the capital, Manama, and Muharraq city.
Kuwait鈥檚 civil aviation authority said a drone targeted the main international airport, injuring several employees. Kuwait鈥檚 state-run news agency said three troops were injured by shrapnel from strikes that hit Ali Al-Salem air base. Explosions could be heard in Qatar. Jordan said it 鈥渄ealt with鈥 49 drones and ballistic missiles.
Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement from leadership.
Trump tells Iranians it's time to topple their government
In announcing the 鈥渕ajor combat operations," Trump indicated the U.S. was striking for reasons beyond Iran's nuclear program. On Friday, he voiced frustration over lack of progress in negotiations to stop Iran鈥檚 ability to develop nuclear weapons.
He listed grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from one of America鈥檚 closest allies in the Middle East into a foe. Iran's ballistic missile program and support for armed proxies in the region were others.
Trump told Iranians to take cover but urged them to later rise up and topple the Islamic leadership.
鈥淲hen we are finished, take over your government,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淚t will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.鈥
U.S. military has been building up in the region
Trump later Saturday said 鈥渉eavy and pinpoint bombing鈥 in Iran would continue through the week or longer.
The U.S. had assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in January to bolster the number of warships. The world鈥檚 largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and four accompanying destroyers later were dispatched from the Caribbean to head to the Middle East and are now in the Mediterranean.
The fleet has added more than 10,000 U.S. troops to the region.
Fighting disrupts commercial air travel
The fighting disrupted air travel in the region. Tens of thousands of travelers around the globe were stranded.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace. There was no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said, after the government announced a 鈥渢emporary and partial closure鈥 of its airspace.
The strikes also could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A third of worldwide oil exports transported by sea passed through the strait in 2025.