US, Israel attack Iran live: Khamenei killed, Tehran launches attacks

This morning, we woke up to two, three different waves of those explosive sounds you hear when defence systems intercept incoming Iranian missiles or drones.

The Qatari Ministry of Defence said the early warning system worked and that interception operations took place. There were no casualties.

These interceptions are happening over highly densely populated civilian areas. A giant plume of smoke could be seen over the industrial area that sits between central Doha and the Al Udeid air base where US CENTCOM is headquartered.

So, falling debris seems to have triggered a fire at a storage facility. We went there, but security was very tight – we were not allowed to film. But we were told there are store facilities, food stores, manufacturing warehouses, automotive, repair shops etc.

We were there about one hour ago and the fire was still ongoing.

So, the threat from falling debris is almost as severe as any direct hits at the moment – and we have seen this happening for two consecutive days now.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has issued a statement, saying the army is “carrying out intensive strikes targeting sites belonging to the Iranian regime”.

“We will organise a continuous air bridge to carry out a powerful attack on targets in Tehran,” he wrote on X.

Strikes had previously taken place around Tehran, but today it’s a different scenario because they are in the middle of the city.

Seven locations have been hit, including around Tehran’s airport. There is no specific information on the targets, whether they are linked to the military or the government.

Strikes have hit close to major hotels and malls, and Iranians are now afraid like never before because the campaign is getting closer to their homes.

Many are now looking for food and provisions, wondering how long this will go on.

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a member of a powerful constitutional watchdog, has been appointed to the three-member temporary council that is by law to govern until another supreme leader can potentially be chosen.

The 67-year-old cleric, who is a member of the Guardian Council that must later choose a supreme leader, was confirmed to the council by the Expediency Council, a powerful arbitration body.

Arafi will now join hardline cleric and judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and President Masoud Pezeshkian on the temporary council.

The IRGC and security chief Ali Larijani are also expected to play pivotal roles, but it remains to be seen where the balance of power lies.

Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC has now been assassinated for the second time in less than a year, and the next leader of the elite military and economic force has yet to be announced.

IRGC-linked Telegram channels are citing deputy chief Ahmad Vahidi, who was appointed to the position by Khamenei two months ago, as a likely candidate.

British Defence Secretary John Healey tells the Sky News broadcaster that two missiles have been fired in the direction of Cyprus, where thousands of British soldiers are stationed.

“We don’t believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it’s an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act,” he said of Saturday’s launches.

Iranian strikes on Saturday landed within a few hundred yards (a few hundred metres) of British troops in Bahrain, the defence secretary said.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is monitoring events in the Middle East and the potential implications for global energy markets and trade flows, its director general, Fatih Birol, says on X.

“Markets have been well supplied to date,” Birol said, adding that he is in contact with ministers from major producers in the region.

We can see thick smoke rising into the air.

Massive sounds of explosions have been constantly heard across the capital over the past hour or so. Ambulance sirens can also be heard in the streets of Tehran.

Initial reports say military facilities were targeted, but this cannot be independently confirmed.

Unlike the 12-day war back in June 2025, no information has been released about the exact locations and the places that are being targeted, except for some initial reports and social media posts.

But all over Tehran, there are locations from which thick smoke is rising.

Bahrain’s National Communications Centre says a new wave of “hostile Iranian ballistic missiles and drones” has been intercepted above the Gulf state.

The Palestinian group says it is mourning Iran’s supreme leader after his killing in what it described as a “heinous” US-Israeli attack.

“He provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause, and our resistance,” Hamas said in a statement.

The US administration and Israel “bear full responsibility for this blatant aggression and heinous crime against the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and for its grave repercussions on the security and stability of the region,” it said.

Hamas also said Arab and Muslim countries bear a “political, legal, and historical responsibility to take immediate and decisive action”.

If the Strait of Hormuz were to close, it would constitute a major shock for China. That risk is clearly part of Beijing’s calculation when it issues statements expressing concern about the conflict escalating and spreading across the region. China would not want to see the Strait of Hormuz shut down as that would deal a significant blow to its energy security.

While China does not publish exact figures, we know that oil accounts for roughly one-fifth of its total energy consumption. About 70 percent of its oil is imported, and an estimated 40 to 50 percent of those imports come from Gulf states – not only Iran but also Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.

Nearly all of that oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. A closure would, therefore, put roughly 5 to 7 percent of China’s total energy supply at risk. That wouldn’t be catastrophic, but it would be substantial.

Any closure would certainly be disruptive, though not entirely unexpected. China has been closely monitoring rising tensions in recent weeks and is likely developing contingency plans. Beijing could attempt to source more oil from other partners, such as Russia or Kazakhstan. If necessary, it could also draw on its strategic petroleum reserves, though that would likely be a last resort.

For now, Beijing is expected to continue calling for a halt to the attacks, urging de-escalation and a return to negotiations among all parties. If the conflict intensifies in the coming days, China will likely press all sides to avoid disrupting the Strait of Hormuz and to ensure freedom of navigation through this critical maritime chokepoint.

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Footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera shows clouds of smoke rising above a road in Doha’s industrial area earlier today.

President Masoud Pezeshkian says seeking revenge for the killing of Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials is the country’s “duty and legitimate right”.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers seeking justice and exacting retribution from the perpetrators and those who ordered this historic crime to be its duty and legitimate right, and it will devote all its strength to fulfilling this great responsibility and obligation,” the president said, offering his condolences.

Air France has cancelled its flights scheduled today to Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh as a result of Israeli-US strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation.

The suspensions came on top of the previously announced cancellation of its flights to Tel Aviv.

“Air France will provide further information on its flight schedule to these destinations for the following days at a later date,” the French flag carrier said in a statement.

A woman and her child have been injured when debris from an intercepted drone struck the facade of a residential building at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Towers complex, according to the city’s Media Office.

The pair sustained minor injuries. The debris fell after the UAE’s air defence systems intercepted the drone.

The Israeli government has been capitalising on the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This is something that is essential to the Israeli narrative.

They also point to the fact that the attacks that Iran has carried out against Israel have been below the expectations.

We have heard sirens go off all morning and throughout the night. But in the past few minutes, authorities have told residents to leave shelters and stay close to them.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, says Iran’s Gulf attacks have isolated the country, warning Tehran not to target its neighbours as its retaliatory campaign in the region entered its second day.

“The Iranian aggression against the Gulf states was a miscalculation, and it isolated Iran at a critical juncture. Your war is not with your neighbours,” he said.

“Return to reason, to your surroundings, and deal with your neighbours rationally and responsibly before the circle of isolation and escalation widens.”