The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Saturday, sparking explosions across Tehran and many cities across the country. Tehran has responded by launching waves of missiles and drones at several military bases in the Middle East where Israeli and US forces operate.
Iran has previously warned that if it is attacked, it will retaliate by targeting US military facilities across the region. “This operation will continue relentlessly until the enemy is decisively defeated,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said. It added that all US assets throughout the region are considered legitimate targets of Iran’s military.
Details of casualties and damage are still being collected.
US and Israeli attacks on Iran
Around 9:27am (06:27 GMT), Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported a series of explosions in the capital, Tehran.
An Al Jazeera correspondent in western Tehran said he heard two explosions, while videos shared on social media showed smoke rising from several parts of the city.
Tehran
Missiles hit several areas of Tehran, including districts where key government ministries and military compounds are located.
Iranian media reported attacks on the Ministry of Intelligence, the Ministry of Defense, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Parchin military complex.
Several missiles also hit University Street and the capital’s Jomhouri area, Fars news agency said. At least two students were killed in the attack on a school east of the capital, Mehr News Agency reported.
Iran’s National Security Council has advised residents to leave Tehran amid fears of further escalation.
Minab
In the southern city of Minab, an Israeli strike hit a primary girls’ school, killing at least 51 people, state media reported.
Isfahan
Although it is not yet clear what was hit, the central city of Isfahan was targeted in a 2025 strike by the US and Israel, when military and nuclear-related facilities in the region were attacked.
Isfahan is considered the main center of Iran’s ballistic missile program, with production plants and research facilities in and around the city.
Other places attacked were: Kermanshah, Qom, Tabriz, Ilam, Karaj, Lorestan province, Zanjan, Urmia, Bushehr, Damavand and Shiraz.
These locations are shown on the map below. Al Jazeera will update it as more information becomes available.
Iranian attacks on Israeli and US targets in the Gulf
At their closest points, Israel and Iran are less than 1,000km (620 miles) apart. Tel-Aviv is about 1,600km (1,000 miles) from Tehran, the capital of Iran.
Iran has retaliated by attacking US bases across the Middle East. Most of these attacks have been intercepted.
Israel
Israel has declared a “special state of emergency”. Several explosions were reported in the skies over the northern and central parts of Israel, including the Tel Aviv area and Haifa, where sirens continued to sound.
The Israeli military said it was intercepting a new wave of Iranian missiles, prompting people to seek shelter in bunkers.
A nine-story building in northern Israel was hit after Iranian missiles were intercepted, according to Israel’s Channel 12 broadcaster, with one person suffering minor injuries after being hit by shrapnel from the interceptor missiles.
Qatar
Debris from the intercepted missile was seen billowing from a residential area on the outskirts of the capital.
Several interceptions have been made: The Ministry of Defense says it has “deterred” several attacks on the country.
UAE
A Pakistani national has died in the UAE after being hit by falling debris, according to the Ministry of Defence. The ministry says the wave of missiles has been intercepted.
There have also been reports of explosions in Dubai, which may have been caused by interceptors.
Bahrain
Bahrain said the missile attack targeted the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, which it hosts.
Kuwait
Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense says the Ali Al-Salem air base came under attack by several ballistic missiles, all of which were intercepted by Kuwaiti air defense systems.
Saudi Arabia
AFP news agency reported that a heavy explosion was heard in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia issued a statement of solidarity to Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE.
Iraq
The drone attack reportedly attempted to target Erbil International Airport, but was intercepted by air defenses.
Jordan
Missiles intercepted over Amman and burning debris lay near a house. No injuries were reported.
US military presence in the Middle East
The US has maintained military bases in the Middle East for decades.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the US maintains a vast network of permanent and temporary military sites in at least 19 locations in the region.
Eight of these are permanent bases, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
By mid-2025, there will be about 40,000 to 50,000 US troops in the Middle East, including personnel stationed at large, permanent bases and smaller forward sites throughout the region.
Countries with the most US troops include Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. These installations serve as critical hubs for air and naval operations, regional logistics, intelligence gathering and force projection.
A major US military formation in the region
The US has amassed its largest military presence in the Middle East in decades.
This historic formation includes two carrier strike groups: the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and the USS Gerald R Ford off the coast of Israel, supported by more than 150 aircraft and dozens of warships.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is a 333-meter (1,092ft) long, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that can carry approximately 80 to 90 aircraft, including F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, and E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes.
The USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is the same ship that previously supported US military operations in Venezuela, including operations under Operation Southern Spear.
Iran’s missile arsenal
The exact size of Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal is unclear, but it is widely considered the largest and most advanced in the region.
Iran has developed an array of ballistic and cruise missiles over the past three decades. The graphic below summarizes some of Iran’s major missiles and their ranges.
How ballistic missiles work and where they can reach
Ballistic missiles are long-range weapons designed to deliver conventional or nuclear warheads by following a ballistic or curved trajectory.
Launched using powerful rocket engines, these missiles soar into the upper atmosphere or space, traveling at incredibly high speeds. Once their engines are cut, the missile follows a predetermined path, re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at a steep incline before hitting its target.
Ballistic missiles travel at extremely high speeds, allowing them to travel thousands of kilometers (miles) in mere minutes.
The speed at which they travel is measured in Mach, a unit equivalent to the speed of sound; For example, Mach 5 means five times the speed of sound.
Some, usually short-range, ballistic missiles reach supersonic speeds (faster than Mach 1, or 1,225 kilometers per hour or 761 miles per hour), while others, usually long-range missiles, can travel at hypersonic speeds – Mach 5 (6,125 km/h or 3,80).
What makes ballistic missiles particularly dangerous is a combination of their long range, high speed, and how difficult they are to intercept.
Their fast, high-altitude flight path gives defense systems little time to react, and when they re-enter the atmosphere, they descend even faster, making interception even more difficult. Some missiles deploy decoys or other countermeasures to fool radar and missile defenses, making them harder to intercept.
Israel’s missile arsenal
Israel has an advanced missile arsenal, including long-range and nuclear-capable systems, developed with decades of support from the US. The graphic below highlights some of Israel’s most notable missiles along with their ranges.
What are Israel’s air defense capabilities?
Israeli air defenses rely largely on the so-called Iron Dome system, which has a radar that detects an incoming projectile, as well as its speed and direction.
Other systems intercept medium- and long-range missiles. The David Sling intercepts missiles between 40km (25 miles) and 300km (186 miles). The Arrow system can intercept missiles with a range of 2,400km (1,491 miles).
In addition, the US has two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries deployed in Israel to bolster the country’s defenses. The THAAD system is designed to intercept short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
(tags to translate)News
