The Middle East has been dragged into an escalating conflict after the US and Israel launched a wave of strikes, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei’s death came after the US and Israel initiated a wide-scale military attack on Iran aimed at bringing down its nuclear programme and removing the country’s leadership.
Retaliatory strikes have seen several nations, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, hit following the attacks, as Iran has threatened its “most intense offensive operation” against US bases.
Civilian targets in the region, including hotels and airports, have also been hit.
“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before,” Trump fired back in a social media post on Sunday. “THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”
The action has prompted the closure of airspaces within the region, with global airlines cancelling flights throughout the Middle East and Dubai International Airport, the biggest global aviation hub, suspending all travel.
Following the Supreme Leader’s death, the US president said: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead”.
The US President called the regime “a vicious group of very hard, terrible people”, adding that “its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
Which countries have been targeted?
Attacks on Iran have targeted several military sites across the country, including the office of Iran’s supreme leader in Tehran, where Khamenei was killed.
The regime responded to initial attacks by launching missiles and drones at Israel, which have struck civilian targets. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran eyes revenge for the Israel and US attacks as its “legitimate right and duty”.
Iran has also launched multiple attacks on Doha, with loud blasts heard in the Qatari capital for a second day on Sunday. Its foreign ministry said it reserved the right to respond to Iran.
The US Navy’s 5th Fleet service centre in Bahrain was also subjected to a missile attack on Saturday, as several residential buildings in Manama were also reported to be struck.
The UAE, which also houses US military bases, has reported several strikes, with one person dead and several injured after an attack on Zayed International Airport.
Another four people have been injured at Dubai International Airport after an “incident”; meanwhile, a fire broke out at a luxury hotel in the city after debris reportedly fell from the sky during an Iranian missile attack.
Reports of attacks have also been made in Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday morning, an oil tanker off the coast of Oman was struck, with four people injured and 20 people forced to be evacuated. The US embassy in the capital city Muscat has warned its staff and American citizens to take shelter while the activity is ongoing.
Global airlines have cancelled flights across the Middle East amid the conflict, with airspaces over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain and Jordan empty early as flights were diverted around it on Saturday.
The European Union’s aviation regulator recommended that its airlines stay out of the airspace affected by the military intervention.
