Three civilians have been killed in Dubai as Iran’s missile and suicide drone bombardment of the Middle East continues following the death of its Supreme Leader.
The remnants of the Iranian regime are launching widespread airstrikes targeting US allies, military bases and areas popular with Western expats – and three American troops have been confirmed dead.
At least two drones have hit Dubai’s airport, the world-famous Burj Al Arab and Palm Jumeirah hotels were hit yesterday, and further explosions echoed across the Emirates today.
In the Bahrain city of Manama, the Crowne Plaza hotel was damaged by a suicide drone, and Iranian missiles have also been hitting Tel Aviv – with at least ten people confirmed to have been killed in Israel. There have also been deaths in Kuwait, the UAE and Abu Dhabi.
The Iranian regime has vowed to unleash its ‘most intense offensive operation in history’, with ‘force’ its enemies ‘have never experienced before’.
Senior regime figure Ali Larijani, who is expected to take over from the assassinated Ayatollah, led the calls to intensify revenge attacks on Israel and the West today.
The revenge strikes follow confirmation from Iran that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by the joint US-Israeli strikes, along with four of his family members and at least two high-level military leaders.
It comes as:
- Iran launched fresh airstrikes today on targets around the Middle East, expanding the scope of its attacks to even more states
- The regime confirmed the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after hours of denying he had been killed
- Trump and Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise up and overthrow the government, saying it would be their only chance in a generation
- Israel hit the ‘heart of Tehran’ with more airstrikes today, and warned the regime to back down
- Defence Secretary John Healey said that missiles were fired towards Cyprus, where there are British military bases
- The ‘Red Flag of Revenge’ was raised in Iran following the death of the Supreme Leader
- Iran targeted an American aircraft carrier, and three US troops were separately confirmed to have died in the operation
Smoke rises from Dubai International Airport this morning as Emirates planes remain grounded
Dramatic footage showed an interception near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building
The Crowne Plaza Manama in Bahrain smolders after coming under Iranian attack
Two further rounds of blasts echoed around Dubai this morning, with the most recent reported just before 12pm GMT.
In the last few hours, residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia‘s capital, also reported hearing several loud bangs.
Explosions have been heard for a second day in Qatar, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq, and in Oman for the first time, though most missiles and drones have been downed by air defences.
Iran also launched two missiles towards British military bases in Cyprus, Defence Secretary John Healey said this morning. However, the Cypriot government later denied that any missies had been heading towards it.
Mr Healey warned that Iranian missile commanders are ‘increasingly allowed to choose their own targets’ as Tehran loses its ‘command and control’.
Iran claimed to have struck 27 US bases in the region, but has also hit a range of other sites including residential tower blocks and luxury hotels.
Yesterday in Dubai, Iranian suicide drones hit landmark hotel the Palm Jumeirah, injuring four people, as well as the iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel, sparking panic among tourists.
The government of the UAE – which runs Dubai and the six other Emirate states – confirmed that three people have been killed by Iran’s strikes and 58 more injured.
Dramatic footage showed a fireball in the sky near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, as a weapon was intercepted.
The state confirmed that debris from drones intercepted by air defences had fallen onto two homes in the city, injuring two people, and also caused a fire at the major Jebel Ali port.
Dubai’s iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab was ablaze following Iranian attacks
The Palm Jumeirah hotel in Dubai was engulfed in flames yesterday after being hit, with four people injured
A cluster of missiles sailing over Dubai overnight – some of the more than 100 launched by Iran at the state
Further videos overnight showed panic in a smoke-filled, debris-strewn terminal at Dubai Airport, which has been evacuated after four members of staff were injured.
A post on X read: ‘Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained.’
The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said that, as of late last night, 137 ballistic missiles had been launched by Iran towards the Emirate, of which 132 had been destroyed by air defences and five fell into the Persian Gulf.
It said it had also been targeted by 209 suicide drones, of which 195 were intercepted and 14 got through – with some making contact.
This afternoon, Iran targeted one of America’s two aircraft carriers that have been dispatched to the region, USS Abraham Lincoln.
State media declared it had been ‘struck by four ballistic missiles’. USS Central Command denied this, however, insisting the missiles ‘didn’t even come close’.
The Crowne Plaza hotel in Bahrain was engulfed in thick smoke this morning, with its owners reporting it had suffered an ‘incident’ but that all guests and staff were safe.
Bahrain’s air defenses responded overnight to ‘hostile Iranian missile attacks’, intercepting at least 45 missiles and nine drones, state media reported this morning.
Separately, the US military said that three service people have been killed in action, and a further five injured, as part of Operation Epic Fury – as it has coined the campagin.
An oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Musandam in Oman, according to the country’s maritime security center, injuring four people and forcing the entire 20-strong crew to evacuate.
Iran has also closed the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most vital oil shipping lanes that connects the major Gulf producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the UAE, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
At least ten people have been killed in Israel by the Iranian strikes. Nine people were killed in a missile strike on the northern town of Beit Shemesh, the Israeli ambulance service said today.
A woman was also killed and scores injured in Tel Aviv, where a missile struck a residential block last night and attacks have continued this morning. Air raid sirens have rung out in Israel more than 20 times in the past 24 hours.
One person was killed and seven injured in an attack on Abu Dhabi’s Zayed airport, while thick black smoke has been seen rising from the Erbil Airport in Iraq. One person was also killed in Kuwait.
Reports from Doha, Qatar’s capital, say that several loud explosions were heard at 7:30 this morning local time, while the government said 16 people had been injured.
The airspace over the Middle East remains almost completely empty, with most of the airports closed to all traffic. Around 20,000 flights have so far been delayed or cancelled.
The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has warned Britons in several Middle East countries to ‘immediately shelter in place’ and to avoid travel to Israel and Palestine.
‘Remain indoors in a secure location, avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities,’ it advised, adding it was ‘working around the clock’ to support British nationals affected.
Today’s continued bombardment around the Middle East comes as Iran confirmed the death of the Ayatollah after hours of denial.
Khamenei, 86, was killed in the airstrike after Israeli jets dropped 30 bombs on the Supreme Leader’s compound.
Smoke rises following an enormous blast in Tehran, after Israel announced it had struck the ‘heart’ of the city
A fireball explosion erupts from a building in Manama, Bahrain, after an Iranian drone attack
Smoke billows from the Abu Dhabi port, where there is a French naval base
Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump were reportedly shown an image of Khamenei’s body after it was recovered from his compound.
His death comes after nearly 37 years as the Islamic Republic’s leader – sending the regime into meltdown and destabilizing the Gulf.
As well as Khamenei’s four family members, two high-level military leaders – Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, and commander of the IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour – were also obliterated in the strikes on Saturday morning.
This morning, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said that Donald Trump has crossed a ‘very dangerous red line’.
Saeed Khatibzadeh told CNN: ‘Of course, from a religious aspect, he was a great religious leader, so many of Shiite followers across the region and around the world are going to react to that, and this is very obvious because President Trump passed a very dangerous red line.’
Ali Larijani, currently the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council but touted as Khamenei’s successor, wrote on X: ‘Yesterday Iran fired missiles at the United States and Israel, and they did hurt.
‘Today, we will hit them with a force that they have never experience before.’
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, appeared on state TV this afternoon to declare that the ‘country is ‘crushing enemy’s bases’.
And the so-called ‘Red Flag of Revenge’ was raised over the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, the world’s third-largest mosque.
Iranian media reported that more than 100 girls had been killed when a primary school was struck yesterday, and that 57 people have been killed in Tehran. It said the capital has been hit by 60 attacks in 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Israel announced it had carried out a fresh wave of strikes on Iran and struck the ‘heart’ of the capital.
A statement from the IDF said: ‘For the first time since the start of Operation “Roaring Lion”, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] is striking targets that belong to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran.
‘Over the past day, the Israeli Air force conducted large-scale strikes in order to establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.’
Israeli also claimed today that former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been killed.
Trump, meanwhile, promised to strike Iran with ‘a force that has never been seen before’, after it boasted of the number of US bases hit.
The president posed on Truth Social: ‘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!’
There has been no official update about the resumption of American strikes in Iran today – but it was revealed that an Iranian naval ship was sunk by US military strikes yesterday.
A number of celebrities and influencers have been caught up in the violence, including Luisa Zissman, Petra Ecclestone and Love Island star Arabella Chi.
Branding it the ‘scariest, worst nights of our lives’, many spoke of how terrified they were at hearing the constant bangs overhead, while sheltering in their homes or hotels.
Israeli socialite Hofit Golan posted footage from her hotel balcony of rockets and explosions hitting the famous Palm Jumeirah hotel after she arrived in Dubai just hours earlier.
She wrote on Instagram: ‘After being debriefed from my flights as the skies closed above us. I came home to see the Palm filling up with smoke!
‘I can see rockets and explosions from my balcony! reports of other explosions being heard all over the city. Please stay safe, everyone,’ she urged.
An oil tanker burns off the coast of Oman after being attacked, with four of the crew injured
Thick black smoke billows from the Jebel Ali port in Dubai after it was struck by falling debris
The aftermath of an Iranian rocket hitting Beit Shemesh, which killed eight people
Vicky Pattison shared that her and husband Ercan Ramadan are ‘safe and trying to stay calm’ amid the airstrikes’.
The pair touched down in Dubai this week after flying on a lavish first class Emirates flight and just hours after sunbathing at the beach, the pair were forced to safety.
Iranian state media announced there would be a 40-day mourning period after Khamenei’s death, as the regime scrambles to kickstart the process of finding a new leader.
In the meantime, a three-member transitional council has been set up to handle state duties.
During the official announcement of Khamenei’s death on Iranian state news, the anchor wore black and stifled tears as he read a statement from the National Supreme Council.
‘God is great. God is great. With deep sorrow, it is announced to the nation of Iran that Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, was martyred today in a joint criminal attack by the United States and the Zionist regime,’ the anchor said in a clip posted on social media.
The Council described Khamenei as a revered religious Islamic figure, and said his ‘long dream of martyrdom became true.’ It was noted that Khamenei was killed during the month of Ramadan.
According to the statement, Iranians were mourning the leader’s death, and enemies of the country should note that ‘martyrdom will spark a massive uprising in the fight against oppressors’.
However, there have also been Iranians taking to the streets in large numbers to rejoice the decapitation of the regime that has for decades ruled over them with an iron fist.
It has been deeply unpopular among some for the way it has enforced strict religious law, clamped down violently on dissent, and made Iran a pariah on the world stage.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said yesterday that the UK was not involved in the strikes against Iran, but that RAF planes were in the sky in a ‘defensive’ capacity.
He condemned Iran’s lashing out at the region, and urged both sides to avoid ‘further escalation’.
Elsewhere, Vladimir Putin made his first comments about the killing of the Supreme Leader, which he called a ‘cynical murder’.
The Russian president said: ‘Please accept my deep condolences in connection with the murder of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family, committed in cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.’
In Pakistan, at least nine people have died during protests over Khamenei’s death. Demonstrators clashed with the authorities in Karachi, where tear gas shells and baton charges were deployed.