Trump Targets Iran’s Supreme Leader in First Wave of Joint Attack with Israel

Donald Trump has targeted Iran’s Supreme Leader in America’s first wave of joint attacks with Israel, as Tehran launched a retaliatory attack on the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and bases across the region. The Mail has more.

Trump declared he will “raze their missile industry to the ground” as he warned troops in Iran to lay down their arms or face “certain death”.

The first apparent strike, which follows weeks of knife-edge tensions building up between the two countries, happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday morning.

It is understood that at least five cities have been targeted in Iran, with counter-strikes reported in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.

President Trump said in a video on Truth Social that the United States had begun “major combat operations” in Iran with thick black smoke seen rising into the sky.

You can follow all the latest developments on the Daily Mail’s live blog. The BBC’s live blog is here, while the Telegraph’s is here and the Times’s is here.

So far, the headlines are that America and Israel lunched missile attacks on Tehran and other major Iranian cities, and Iran has retaliated by firing missiles at it’s US-allied neighbours in the Gulf, hitting the US Navy’s 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain, one of four US bases Iran claims to have hit. British and US residents in those areas have been advised to shelter in place. The Foreign Office said British nationals in Dubai should “immediately shelter in place”, urging them to “remain indoors in a secure location, avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities”.

Iran claims an Israeli missile landed on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, killing 40 and injuring 48.

Airspace over Iran has been closed and airport closures have also been reported in Oman and Syria. Qatar Airways confirmed suspension of its flights to and from Doha, Qatar’s capital, saying the “safety of our passengers and employees is always our highest priority”. Air India said it had cancelled all flights to destinations in the Middle East and urged customers to contact its call centre for updates.

Trump has urged the Iranian people to embrace their “hour of freedom” and rise up against the ayatollahs and Con Coughlin in the Telegraph reckons the theocratic Iranian dictatorship could come toppling down within days.

More news as it happens.

Update: Keir Starmer has urged against further escalation in the Middle East after the UK did not participate in US-Israeli strikes on Iran. From the Mail:

The Prime Minister said that British planes are “in the sky today” to “protect our people, our interests and our allies” after waves of missile attacks in countries across the region.

Speaking in Downing Street today, the Prime Minister hit out at Iran’s “abhorrent” regime, saying they must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon.

“Earlier this morning the US and Israel struck targets in Iran,” Sir Keir said.

“Iran has since launched indiscriminate strikes across the region and communities across our country will be deeply concerned about what this mean for security and stability and for the fate of innocent people across the region, which for so many of us includes friends and family members.”

He continued: “The United Kingdom played no role in these strikes, but we have long been clear the regime in Iran is utterly abhorrent. 

“They have murdered thousands of their own people, brutally crushed dissent and sought to destabilise the region. Even in the United Kingdom, the Iranian regime poses a direct threat to dissidents and to the Jewish community.”

The PM added: “I condemn Iran’s attacks today on partners across the region, many of which are not parties to this conflict. We extend our support and solidarity to them as part of our commitments to the security of our allies in the Middle East. We have a range of defensive capabilities in the region, which we’ve recently strengthened.

“Our forces are active and British planes are in the sky today as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies. 

“As Britain has done before, in line with international law, we’ve stepped up protections for British bases and personnel to their highest level. We are also reaching out to UK nationals in the region and doing everything we can to support them.”

Update 2: There are “growing indications” that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the first wave of the US and Israeli strikes earlier today, it is being claimed. From the Mail:

Israeli media outlet Channel 12 said unnamed Israeli sources had revealed there were “growing indications” the leader had been killed during this morning’s air strikes or that he was “hurt at the very least”.

Officials had earlier reported that the strikes had caused “very significant harm” to the leadership of the Iranian regime and its military commanders.

Khamenei has not been heard from since the US and Israel launched their dual attack on Iran on Saturday morning. 

Israeli sources said today that President Donald Trump specifically targeted Iran’s Supreme Leader in its first wave of joint missile strikes with Israel. 

The initial blasts are believed to have taken place close to the offices of Khamenei in the capital, Tehran. 

The results of the strikes are unclear, an Israeli official said, with earlier reports suggesting that the supreme leader had been moved out of Tehran to a secure location. 

Both Khamenei’s palace and compound in Tehran are reported to have been completely destroyed in today’s operation. 

Update 3: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed by Israeli and US strikes, according to the Mail.

Reports have said that Netanyahu has been shown an image of the body of the Supreme Leader after it was found in rubble by Iranian authorities in Tehran, while Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leither confirmed the killing of Khameini to American officials, according to multiple sources cited by the Times of Israel.