Israeli Defence Forces have obliterated Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei’s underground bunker in a massive airstrike over Tehran today.
The IDF said some 50 Israeli air force fighter jets dropped about 100 bombs on the site, which it claimed was located ‘beneath the leadership complex of the Iranian terrorist regime in the heart of Tehran’.
Aerial footage shows bombs being dropped over the Ayatollah’s complex and exploding, as thick plumes of dark smoke billow over the streets of Tehran.
The bunker was intended to be used by the Khamenei as a ‘secure emergency asset before combat,’ but he was eliminated before he could use it.
According to the IDF, the compound – which spread across multiple streets and included ‘many entry points and rooms for gatherings of senior members of the Iranian terror regime’ – had continued to be used by officials following Khamenei’s assassination.
There was no immediate comment from Iran.
Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon on Friday, as the US said it had struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea in its unrelenting campaign against the Islamic Republic’s fleet of warships.
The strikes in Lebanon were the heaviest since a 2024 ceasefire ended the last war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, who fired rockets at Israel in the opening days of the latest conflict.
Israeli Defence Force obliterated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei’s underground bunker in a massive airstrike over Tehran
Astonishing aerial footage shows several bombs being dropped over the slain Supreme Leader’s complex and exploding
Tens of thousands have fled Beirut’s suburbs and southern Lebanon after sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks in the Middle East at the end of a full week of bombardment, which US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned was ‘about to surge dramatically’.
Israel’s military said Friday morning it had begun ‘a broad-scale wave of strikes’ on Tehran, Iran’s capital.
Witnesses described the Israeli airstrikes as particularly intense, shaking homes in the area.
Others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah in an area that is home to multiple missile bases.
The Israeli military said strikes have already destroyed most of Iran’s air defences and missile launchers.
The war has escalated to affect countries across the Middle East and beyond.
Early Friday, Iran fired missile and drone attacks into Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, all countries that host US forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
According to the IDF, the compound had continued to be used by officials following Khamenei’s assassination
Iran’s Supreme Leader was killed on Saturday during a series of joint strikes by Israeli and US forces
In Lebanon, where the war has rekindled fighting between Israel and Iran-allied Hezbollah militants, Israel launched a series of airstrikes late Thursday into Friday in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas. Motorists jammed roads trying to flee or seek shelter.
The US and Israel have battered Iran with nationwide strikes, targeting their military capabilities, leadership and nuclear programme.
In addition to Israel, Iran’s attacks have targeted its Arab neighbours, disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel.
The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 120 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries.
Six US troops have been killed.
The US military said early Friday that it had struck an Iranian drone carrier, with footage released by the army’s Central Command showing black-and-white footage of the burning vessel.
The drone carrier, the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, is a converted container ship with a 180-meter-long runway for drones.
The vessel can travel up to 22,000 nautical miles without needing to refuel in ports, reports said at the time of its 2025 inauguration.
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 6, 2026
Rocket trails from an interception by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Jerusalem on March 1, 2026
Debris from Iranian drones struck some of Dubai’s most iconic locations. Pictured: Flames outside the Palm Jumeirah hotel
Earlier this week, an American submarine sank an Iranian frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka as it was returning from an exercise hosted by the Iranian navy that the US also joined.
Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 32 crew members and recovered 87 bodies.
Qatar said early Friday it intercepted a drone attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the US Central Command.
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles fired early Friday toward Prince Sultan Air Base south of Riyadh, which also hosts US forces, said a spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry.
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, where the Interior Ministry said Iranian strikes targeted two hotels and a residential building. It said there were no casualties.
In Kuwait, where the six US soldiers were killed Sunday, the army said air defences were activated when missile and drone attacks breached its airspace.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.
