- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sat, 28 Feb 2026 08:12 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Israel and the United States targeted Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Saturday, in strikes, which US President Donald Trump dubbed as 'major combat operations', the Israeli public broadcaster reported.
The fresh escalation comes amid days of diplomatic engagement between the US and Iran over the latter's nuclear programme. Khamenei was reportedly targeted near his offices in Tehran, but the 86-year-old escaped the attack as he was not in the city and was transferred to a secure location. Along with him, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was also the target.
In a first visual of the attack site, satellite imagery shows extensive damage near Khamenei's house in Tehran. The image shows a thick cloud of smoke billowing from the attack site.
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Pezeshkin was safe and alive, in a post on Telegram after the strikes.
While the US has reasoned an existential threat for its strikes, citing Iran's nuclear programme, Israel has called them preemptive strikes.
After the joint Israel-US attack, Iran retaliated with strikes on the US bases in Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
Soon after that, the Israeli military stated that an "additional barrage of missiles" was launched toward Israel.
Iranian proxies vow support
As both sides trade attacks, Iran's alleged proxies, including Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq and Houthis in Yemen, have vowed to launch attacks on US and Israeli interests in the region, in solidarity with Iran.
The conflict has led to a massive rare flight disruption. Airlines from across the world have cancelled flights to and from the Middle East as airspaces have been closed by several countries, including Iran, Qatar and the UAE, among others.
India issues advisories in Iran, Israel
Countries, including India, the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany and the US, have warned citizens against travelling to Israel, Iran and certain areas in the Middle East.
In an advisory to its nationals, India has cautioned them against unnecessary movement in Iran.
"All Indian nationals in Iran are advised to exercise utmost caution, avoid unnecessary movements, and remain indoors as far as possible."
The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv also issued an advisory The embassy urged residents to "exercise utmost caution and remain vigilant at all times."