CAIRO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Israel on Saturday launched coordinated airstrikes against Iran, with the latter responding with a series of attacks on Israel and U.S. targets across the Middle East.
Increasing casualties are reported in Iran and other countries involved in the ongoing flare-up. Israeli media reported that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed, yet Iranian officials said both Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are "safe and sound."
The latest escalation in this war-torn region has triggered urgent calls for restraint from the international community. Security analysts warn that the conflict risks drawing in additional regional powers and impeding critical energy shipping routes through the Gulf.
LARGEST AIRSTRIKE IN ISRAEL'S HISTORY
Israel deployed about 200 fighter jets in what officials described as the largest operational sortie in the history of the Israeli Air Force.
The strikes, which hit targets in at least 24 of Iran's 31 provinces, were both precise and expansive, according to Israeli officials and security sources. Primary targets included air bases of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as facilities tied to Iran's defense and intelligence ministries.
Israeli media reported attacks on the residences of several ministers and senior military commanders, along with strikes near the compounds of Khamenei and Pezeshkian.
In a statement, the Israeli military said its aircraft dropped hundreds of munitions on roughly 500 targets, including air defense systems and missile launchers, across multiple locations.
Iran's Red Crescent Society said at least 201 deaths and 747 injuries had been reported across the country. Among the hardest-hit sites was an elementary school in Minab, a city in southern Hormozgan Province, where at least 85 people were killed, most of them schoolgirls. Rescue workers said dozens more remained trapped beneath rubble.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening said in a video statement that there are "increasing signs" that Khamenei is "gone." Multiple Israeli media outlets cited senior Israeli officials as saying that Khamenei was killed and his body had been discovered.
Yet a senior Iranian official was quoted by state media as saying that "the enemy is resorting to mental warfare." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Khamenei and Pezeshkian are both "safe and sound."
Israel "will strike thousands of targets in the coming days," said Netanyahu, adding that the ongoing combat operations "will continue as long as necessary to ensure that Iran no longer poses a threat."
U.S. SEEKS CHANGE OF POWER IN IRAN
U.S. President Donald Trump said the strikes were intended to eliminate "imminent threats" from Iran and press for a change in the Islamic Republic's leadership. In an eight-minute video posted on social media Saturday, he described the action as a response to nearly half a century of Iranian hostility.
"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," Trump said. He added that Tehran's actions "directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies."
Trump went beyond traditional deterrence rhetoric, urging Iranians to "seize the opportunity" to take control of their government -- a clear signal of U.S. support for regime change.
Shortly after the strikes began, Netanyahu released a video statement confirming Israel's participation and echoing Trump's call for a change in power in Iran.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as "renewed military aggression," noting they came amid ongoing diplomatic engagement. Iranian state media noted that it was the second time Washington had launched attacks during negotiations, following the "12-day war" in June 2025 that ended with U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Trump had turned his "America First" slogan into "Israel First."
IRAN VOWS "CRUSHING" RESPONSE
Shortly after Israel and the United States launched the attack, Iran vowed to mount a "crushing" retaliation. Within hours, Tehran launched missile strikes toward Israel and U.S. military installations in several Arab states.
Air-raid sirens blared across Israel as residents took shelter. The Israeli military said its air defenses were intercepting incoming missiles and that Israeli warplanes were targeting threats to neutralize them.
Iran's armed forces declared that all American military bases in the region were legitimate targets. According to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, Tehran struck military installations in several Arab nations hosting U.S. forces, including Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
Iranian media, citing an IRGC official, reported that 14 bases had been hit and that hundreds of American soldiers had been killed. The U.S. military denied the report, saying no American troops were killed or wounded.
Tasnim, another semi-official Iranian news agency, reported that Iran had imposed a ban on all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world's liquefied natural gas and 25 percent of seaborne oil trade flows annually.
As the crisis escalated, countries across the region moved to close their airspace entirely or partially, and multiple airlines canceled flights to the Middle East. International hubs like Dubai and Doha were also closed.
In Israel, schools, nonessential businesses, and large gatherings were suspended. At least two buildings in the greater Tel Aviv region have been hit by Iranian missiles, according to Israel's Ynet news website. So far, six in Israel have been reportedly wounded.
In Kuwait, the Defense Ministry said three members of its armed forces were injured after debris fell at Ali Al Salem Air Base in the country's northwest, which had earlier been targeted by Iranian ballistic missile attacks.
UAE state media said one person had been killed in Abu Dhabi, but gave no details, while eight were reportedly injured in Qatar, with one in critical condition.
WORLD CALLS FOR RESTRAINT
The swift escalation has prompted a wave of concerns and calls for restraint and dialogue from across the globe.
China is highly concerned over military strikes against Iran launched by the United States and Israel, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a press release, stressing that Iran's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected.
In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, denounced what he called an "unprovoked armed attack" and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president, took aim at Trump, saying the leader who has long cast himself as a peacemaker had "shown his true colours."
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, who has served as a mediator in recent Iranian-American negotiations, expressed dismay.
"Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined," he wrote in a social media post. "Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this." He added a pointed warning: "I urge the United States not to get sucked in further. This is not your war."
Egypt, the European Union, and other international actors have also raised alarms about the potential for wider regional conflict.
At the United Nations, Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the escalating violence, saying the U.S. and Israeli strikes, along with Iran's regional retaliation, "undermine international peace and security." He called on "all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table."
In the meantime, Iran's retaliatory attacks on targets across the region drew condemnations from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and other Arab nations.
LONG SHADOWS OF WAR
Saturday's strikes followed weeks of military buildup and stalled diplomacy, with two U.S. aircraft carriers now positioned near Israel in a rare show of force.
The USS Gerald R. Ford arrived off Israel's coast on Friday, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln, a deployment analysts say signals preparations for potential military action.
"This level of deployment is not routine," said Mohammed Nader al-Omari, a Syrian researcher on conflict management. "It sends a clear signal that military options are being prepared."
The escalation came against a years-long deadlock over Iran's nuclear program. Since Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, Tehran has expanded uranium enrichment. Western countries say Iran has enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, close to weapons-grade, while Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.
The strikes also coincided with plans for a new round of talks. Oman had indicated Tehran was ready to make concessions, said Charbel Barakat, international editor at Kuwait's Al-Jarida newspaper, adding the action could damage U.S. credibility.
Meanwhile, analysts warned that the conflict's trajectory remains uncertain. "It could remain limited and swift, or evolve into a broader war of attrition," said Hani al-Masri, a political analyst in Ramallah.
"The potential impact of this conflict goes far beyond the immediate parties," Hussam al-Dajani, a Palestinian political analyst from Gaza, told Xinhua, adding that it could escalate across the Middle East and seriously impact global energy markets.
"Globally, there is an increased risk that major powers could be drawn into reactive crisis management rather than strategic conflict resolution, which could have long-lasting effects on international security and stability," he said. "In fact, the implications are systemic, affecting not just regional security but the broader global order." ■
