Trump confirms US operation in Iran, tells IRGC to lay down arms • Blasts heard in Tehran as Khamenei moved to 'secure location' • Netanyahu says objective to end Ayatollah's regime.
Israeli and US strikes on Iran killed several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders and Islamic Regime political officials, an Iranian source close to the establishment told Reuters on Saturday. Iran's Security Council instructed residents of Tehran, as well as other major cities, to stay in safe, protected locations until further notice, Walla reported. Security forces blocked roads in the Tehran area that is home to the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and parliament, witnesses said.
This follows on from Israel and the United States launching an attack on Iran, with Iranian state media reporting explosions heard in Tehran, Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Karaj. Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a "secure location," an Iranian official confirmed to Reuters earlier on Saturday. Satellite imagery showed an alleged Israeli strike on the bunker where Khamenei is being guarded. An Iranian military official later declines Reuters request to comment when asked if Khamenei or Pezeshkian had been targeted in the Israeli and US strikes on the Islamic Regime.
Iranian media reported strikes targeting the IRGC's intelligence headquarters, as well as explosions in central Tehran. The country has closed its airspace in response to the strikes. A security source confirmed to Walla that the United States is involved in the strikes. A US official also told Reuters American strikes in Iran were "underway," adding that strikes against Iran are being carried out by air and sea. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement, saying that the aim of the operation was to remove the Ayatollah's regime from power. (Read More)
