Iran Retaliates, Attacks Israel
Iran has launched a major wave of retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Israeli cities, forcing millions into shelters overnight. The assault is a direct response to the assassination of its Supreme Leader, marking a significant escalation beyond a symbolic gesture and putting the entire region on high alert for a wider war.
The assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026, was the result of a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation. The daytime decapitation strike on his Tehran compound involved 30 bombs dropped by Israeli jets, utilizing intelligence from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency that had tracked the leader for months. This direct confrontation follows decades of a proxy war that began after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The conflict has seen both nations supporting opposing sides in regional conflicts, with Israel conducting assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and Iran arming groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Hostilities escalated significantly with direct military exchanges in 2024 and a 12-day war in June 2025. In response to the assassination, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched missile and drone attacks not only on Israel but also on U.S. bases and allied Gulf nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar. Targets have included strategic civilian hubs, such as areas near Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport, which has suspended flights. Israel defends against these attacks using a sophisticated multi-layered air defense network. This system includes the Arrow-3 for exo-atmospheric (space) interception of long-range ballistic missiles, David's Sling for mid-range threats, and the Iron Dome for short-range rockets and drones. The U.S. has also deployed its THAAD system to bolster these defenses. While Israel reports a high interception rate for incoming munitions, some ballistic missiles have penetrated the defensive shield, causing damage to military bases and civilian areas. In a previous large-scale attack in April 2024, Iran launched over 300 projectiles, with a U.S. official confirming at least nine missiles struck two Israeli airbases. The international community is divided. The U.S., UK, and Australia have expressed support for Israel, while Russia and China condemned the initial strikes on Iran. European Union leaders have called Iran's regional counter-attacks "inexcusable," with Spain being a notable exception in condemning the initial U.S.-Israeli operation.
