The UAE reported one civilian dead and damage from missiles in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as blasts from Tehran’s retaliatory salvo and air defences intercepting it also echoed over Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier told NBC News that Khamenei was alive “as far as I know”, adding that “all high-ranking officials are alive”.
Also asked about Khamenei’s health, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told the BBC he was “not in a situation to confirm anything”, but “the whole system, the whole nation is focused on defending (our) national integrity”.
In a sign that the fighting was far from over, Netanyahu said “thousands” of targets would be hit over the coming days, while Iran’s top security official vowed a fierce reprisal.
The Israeli army said that Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Khamenei, and the head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, were both killed.
Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said: “The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors.”
“BARBARIC”
Tehran residents had been going about their usual business when the strikes began. Security forces quickly flooded the streets, shops pulled down their shutters and few pedestrians risked venturing out, an AFP journalist saw.
“I saw with my own eyes two Tomahawk missiles flying horizontally toward targets,” a Tehran office worker told AFP before communications and internet access were cut.
The Red Crescent said 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces were affected by the strikes.
Across Israel, city streets stood deserted as residents took cover in shelters while the blasts of intercepted Iranian missiles reverberated overhead. Emergency services reported two people injured.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, radioed ships to say the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway, was shut, according to the EU’s naval mission and Iranian media.