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The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Monday urged Americans in Iraq to shelter in place until further notice, citing heightened security threats across the country.

In an alert, the embassy advised U.S. citizens to exercise increased caution, avoid crowds and keep a low profile amid ongoing riots and demonstrations against the United States following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

It said protests, particularly near the July 14th Bridge in Baghdad, have turned violent, prompting Iraqi authorities to close the International Zone in central Baghdad with limited exceptions.

The U.S. Mission in Iraq also directed all staff to shelter in place and suspended consular operations, including routine services.

STATE DEPT ORDERS EVACUATION OF NON-EMERGENCY US PERSONNEL FROM EMBASSY IN BEIRUT

Iraqi airspace is currently closed, officials said, and travelers were advised to contact airlines directly for updates.

The State Department maintains a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory for Iraq, urging Americans not to travel to the country for any reason and advising those already there to review personal security plans and consider departing when conditions allow.

TRUMP TELLS IRANIANS THE ‘HOUR OF YOUR FREEDOM IS AT HAND' AS US-ISRAEL LAUNCH STRIKES AGAINST IRAN

"Iran-aligned terrorist militias continue to pose a significant threat to public safety," the U.S. embassy said in a post on X. "Reports of missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace continue."

The U.S. military presence in Iraq has shifted in recent years, with Iraqi officials announcing in January the formal handover of Al-Asad Air Base from U.S. forces to Iraqi control.

US JOINS ISRAEL IN PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON IRAN AS TRUMP CONFIRMS ‘MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS’

The country's defense ministry described the move as part of a broader transition toward long-term security cooperation with the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Spain and other countries, focused on training and advisory support. 

Iraqi officials said international coalition forces are scheduled to withdraw from their headquarters in Erbil by the end of September 2026 under agreed-upon timelines.

An Israeli official tells Fox News Digital that the U.S.-Israeli mission in Iran has two main goals that may provide an opportunity to change the course of the future of the Middle East as their military forces continue to pummel the Iranian regime.

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said in an interview on Monday that the first of the two goals is to remove existential threats such as Iran’s ballistic missiles that were rapidly being repaired following last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer, which targeted key Iranian nuclear sites.

Chikli said these missiles are "capable of sending these missiles into the heart of our cities, into hospitals," and must be destroyed.

Of Iran’s nuclear program, he added that there are "still components that need to be removed."

KEANE WARNS IRAN STRIKE BECOMING ‘REGIONAL WAR,' SAYS THREE GULF STATES PREPARING FOR COMBAT

The second goal of the mission is to create conditions to change the regime in Iran, Chikli said.

"We are well aware of the fact that not the IDF and not the U.S. Army is going to replace the regime in Iran," he said. "It’s up to the Iranian people who have now the biggest opportunity in the last 40-plus years since the beginning of the revolution to do something in order to create a different reality in Iran and regain their freedom."

President Donald Trump on Saturday encouraged the Iranian people to take over their government once the U.S. and Israel finished combat operations in Iran, telling them to "seize control of [their] destiny."

DOZENS OF TOP IRANIAN REGIME OFFICIALS, SUPREME LEADER KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES

"The hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take," Trump said. "This will be, probably, your only chance for generations."

A U.S. senior official previously confirmed to Fox News that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among five to 10 top leaders killed after an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of "Operation Epic Fury."

Chikli discussed a situation where Iran can be aligned with "the West, with freedom, with human dignity," adding that "we need to push forward to achieve this kind of change in Iran."

"Iran is a major state with a lot of resources, and it can be an ally," he said. "An ally of Israel, it can be an ally of the U.S., it can be an ally of the UAE, it can be an ally of Kuwait and every moderate regime in the region."

Iran's retaliation against the American and Israeli attacks has been focused on Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.

Iran’s actions prompted many Arab countries to condemn the regime’s strikes and affirm solidarity with one another.

The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

"We are facing a biblical event — nothing less," Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.

Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was "very experienced in this."

"But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both," he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue "until all of our objectives are achieved."

IRANIAN 'DICTATOR' DEATH CELEBRATED ON AIR BY SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA PRESENTER, TELLING HIM TO 'ROT IN HELL'

"Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come," Michael added.

As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.

The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.

TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

"We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave," Michael said.

"Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times."

Israel's President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.

"The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime," Herzog said.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK 'BEGINNING OF THE VERY END' FOR REGIME

Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.

Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.

"The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession," Michael added.

"Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran," he said.

"Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position," Michael added.

The U.S. has been cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iran’s missile capabilities after Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed off on the plan, and while U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey stated on Sunday Britain had "stepped up alongside the Americans."

"The only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles," Starmer confirmed in a recorded statement to the nation.

"The U.S. has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose," he said. "We have taken the decision to accept this request."

The decision came amid escalation across the Middle East in the wake of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

HORMUZ ERUPTS: ATTACKS, GPS JAMMING, HOUTHI THREATS ROCK STRAIT AMID US-ISRAELI STRIKES

On Feb. 28, in the wake of Operation Epic Fury, Starmer confirmed British planes "are in the sky today" across the Middle East "as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies."

Healey went on to disclose Sunday that two Iranian missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus, where Britain maintains key sovereign base areas.

The Royal Air Force confirmed that Typhoon jets operating from Qatar as part of the joint U.K.-Qatar Typhoon Squadron successfully intercepted an Iranian drone heading toward Qatar.

About 300 British personnel are stationed at a naval facility in Bahrain, where Iranian missiles and drones struck nearby areas.

"We’re taking down the drones that are menacing either our bases, our people or our allies," Healey told "Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips" on Sky. "We’ve stepped up alongside the Americans. We’ve stepped up our defensive forces in the Middle East. We’re flying those sorties."

ISRAEL'S LARGEST EVER MILITARY FLYOVER HAMMERS IRANIAN MILITARY TARGETS

Healey also made sure to stress that the U.K. had "no part" in the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and insisted all British actions were defensive. "All our actions are about defending U.K. interests and defending U.K. allies," he said.

When asked if the U.K. would join the U.S. in offensive action, Healey said, "I'm not going to speculate," according to Sky News.

Downing Street also confirmed Feb. 28 that Starmer and President Donald Trump had spoken by phone about the "situation in the Middle East," the BBC reported.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Downing Street for comment.

U.S. forces launched a sweeping military assault on Iranian targets on Saturday, unleashing overwhelming air, sea and missile power in a coordinated operation with Israel.

The mission — dubbed "Operation Epic Fury" — began at 1:15 a.m. and struck more than 1,000 sites across Iran within its first 24 hours, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior regime officials were eliminated in the strikes.

The barrage featured B-2 stealth bombers, F-22 and F-16 fighter jets, A-10 attack aircraft, EA-18G electronic warfare planes, and an array of airborne early warning and communications platforms, CENTCOM said.

SUSTAINED WAR WITH IRAN COULD DRAIN US MISSILE STOCKPILES, TEST ESCALATION CONTROL

Missile defense systems, including Patriot interceptors and THAAD anti-ballistic missile defenses, were deployed as part of the operation.

Other assets included RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, HIMARS rocket systems, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, refueling tankers, and C-17 and C-130 transport aircraft, CENTCOM said.

The command also released images of Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as F-18 and F-35 fighter jets roaring into combat, according to Reuters.

CENTCOM additionally confirmed it deployed one-way attack drones in combat for the first time.

DOZENS OF TOP IRANIAN REGIME OFFICIALS, SUPREME LEADER KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES

The Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System — known as LUCAS — is modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones.

"CENTCOM's Task Force Scorpion Strike — for the first time in history — is using one-way attack drones in combat during Operation Epic Fury," CENTCOM wrote on X. "These low-cost drones, modeled after Iran's Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution."

Developed by Arizona-based engineering firm SpektreWorks, the LUCAS drone can be launched from catapults, vehicles or mobile ground platforms, according to Business Insider. 

The drones cost roughly $35,000 each, Reuters reported.

KEY MILITARY SITES TARGETED INSIDE IRAN AS PART OF COORDINATED US-ISRAELI STRIKES

The strikes targeted command and control centers, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Joint Headquarters and Aerospace Forces Headquarters, integrated air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, Iranian Navy ships and submarines, anti-ship missile sites and military communications infrastructure, according to CENTCOM.

Iran retaliated by launching waves of missiles across the Middle East, targeting major U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, Business Insider reported.

Three U.S. service members were killed and five others were "seriously wounded" as part of Operation Epic Fury, CENTCOM said Sunday morning. The joint military operation is expected to carry on for days.

CENTCOM did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Reuters and Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

The Strait of Hormuz region became a flashpoint Sunday after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury triggered electronic warfare activity and multiple "attacks" on vessels along one of the world’s most critical energy waterways, according to reports.

The sudden escalation followed a Feb. 28 warning from U.S. maritime authorities urging commercial vessels to avoid strategic waterways if possible, including the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, citing heightened security risks.

"It is recommended that vessels keep clear of this area if possible," the advisory warned.

"The Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters are the most dangerous place right now for commercial shipping," Jakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security at BIMCO, told Fox News Digital.

"Ships in the Persian Gulf are under threat from Iranian attacks," Larsen said.

HISTORIC US-ISRAEL STRIKES ON IRAN UNDERWAY AS TEHRAN FACES REGIME SURVIVAL TEST

"To protect themselves, most ships stay as far away from Iran as they can," he added before describing how ships are "trying to depart from the Persian Gulf to get away from the threat."

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and regional authorities reported multiple maritime incidents listed as "attacks" Sunday.

One vessel west of Sharjah, UAE, was rocked by an explosion from an unknown projectile that detonated close alongside, and another tanker north of Muscat, Oman, was struck above the waterline, sparking a fire that was later brought under control, according to data.

A third vessel northwest of Mina Saqr, UAE, was also hit by a projectile that ignited a blaze aboard, the organization reported.

Compounding the physical threats is a surge in electronic warfare with maritime intelligence firm Windward reporting widespread GPS and Automatic Identification System (AIS) interference, impacting 1,000-plus ships.

IRAN FIRES MISSILES AT US BASES ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AFTER AMERICAN STRIKES ON NUCLEAR, IRGC SITES

Windward cited widespread navigation disruption near Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, with ships falsely appearing at airports, a nuclear power plant and inland locations.

Several new AIS jamming clusters were also identified across Emirati, Qatari, Omani and Iranian waters, Windward said.

Major shipping company Maersk announced it would reroute some services away from the region, citing crew and cargo safety.

Roughly 20% of global oil and gas exports pass through the Strait, and traffic has already thinned, with some tankers reversing course or switching off AIS signals.

Industry groups also warned of Houthi retaliation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, while analysts cautioned that Iran could seize vessels tied to U.S. or Israeli interests.

"The Houthis have threatened to resume attacks on ships in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden," Larsen explained.

KEANE WARNS IRAN STRIKE BECOMING ‘REGIONAL WAR,' SAYS THREE GULF STATES PREPARING FOR COMBAT

Ships with business connections to U.S. or Israeli interests are considered more likely targets, though others could be struck deliberately or in error, he said.

Tanker owners’ association Intertanko also warned members that "the expectation is that the Houthis may respond and recommence attacks on shipping," although immediate intelligence remained unclear.

"There are no signs of Iranian attempts to close the Strait with sea mines or naval mines, although this can change at short notice," Larsen added before confirming that GPS interference has "increased significantly following the initiation of hostilities."

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News Digital in an interview the United States now has a clear and defined military objective in Iran: dismantle the regime’s ability to strike Americans.

He said the U.S. mission is "to literally eliminate every single piece of military hardware that exists in Iran that can reach out and touch an American somewhere throughout the Middle East."

"That is what we are conducting right now so that we do not get hit with something, a surface-to-surface missile or a surface-to-air missile or anything else, certainly with a nuclear tip, but with any other tip as well."

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ALI KHAMENEI DEAD AFTER IDF STRIKE HITS TEHRAN COMPOUND, ISRAELI SOURCE CONFIRMS

Mast paid tribute to the three Americans killed in the operation. "These service members understood the hazards of their profession. They went out there, conducted their duty to defend the United States of America, and I could not be more proud than to thank them for their service, and I’m proud to be their brother in arms."

He stressed that the scope and duration of the operation will be decided by the administration. "The ending of this militarily for the United States is on our terms," he said.

Mast pushed back forcefully against claims that Israel dragged the United States into war with Iran, saying the Trump administration first pursued diplomacy and set a deadline before shifting to military action.

"Israel has not dragged the United States of America anywhere," he said in the interview. "The United States, number one, started out with diplomatic negotiations with Iran to say, end your nuclear program, end your ballistic missile program and your support of these proxies that are continually attacking the United States of America."

OMAR, SQUAD LASH OUT AT TRUMP IN RESPONSE TO IRAN STRIKE: 'ILLEGAL REGIME CHANGE WAR'

"Everything is a part of that debate and that conversation. When should something be done? How should something be done? Obviously, the United States of America and President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, Secretary Rubio, our director of intelligence, our director of our CIA, John Ratcliffe, working to get all of the assets in place so that the negotiating tool of ending the literal threat of Iran, was a part of that."

"It didn't just happen on accident that we snapped our fingers and we had the Ford carrier group there, the Lincoln carrier group. That is something that took time," he added. "Now, the diplomatic approach was the preferred approach. That's why it began with that instead of beginning with a military strike. And what I can tell you about those negotiations, speaking directly to those individuals that I just mentioned, is that Iran came into this extremely egotistical, unwilling to really discuss anything relating to ending their nuclear program," he said.

IRAN VOWS 'DECISIVE' SELF DEFENSE AT UN AFTER TRUMP KILLS SUPREME LEADER IN OPERATION EPIC FURY

"Even after the United States offered to fund nuclear materials for a civilian energy program if Iran agreed not to pursue weaponization, they didn't want that. They didn't wanna talk about ending their ballistic missile program."

Looking ahead, Mast suggested the conflict could reshape Iran’s political future. He described the regime’s formal succession process, which "begins with this three-person body, ultimately moves to this 88-person assembly that would go out there and choose the next leader," and noted potential contenders, including "the son of the Ayatollah, grandson of the ayatollah" and "a very hard-line cleric named Arafi, who's very closely aligned with the IRGC."

But he also raised the possibility of broader upheaval.

"That assumes that there is no uprising, where the people, the millions and millions of people across Iran, who have been just brutally tortured and suppressed, don't decide that there is another path," Mast said.

"We want to see a change, a turning of the page for what Iran has been undertaking."

As the White House confirmed on Sunday, the Islamic Republic of Iran's leadership has contacted the U.S. asking for talks. The list of potential successors to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday by an Israeli airstrike, includes his son and former advisers. 

Since the establishment in 1979 of the Islamic Republic, led by the fiery anti-American Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, this will be only the second time that a new supreme leader has been selected. 

The potential successors to Khamenei include a list of hard-line anti-Western extremists who, like Khamenei, are set on the destruction of Israel and the continued export of the Islamic revolution.

IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER ALI KHAMENEI DEAD AFTER IDF STRIKE HITS TEHRAN COMPOUND, ISRAELI SOURCE CONFIRMS

One possible successor is regime loyalist Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who reportedly implemented Khamenei’s plan to massacre over 30,000 Iranians who protested against his regime in January.

On Saturday, he threatened a response in a statement on X on Saturday, writing, "We will make the Zionist criminals and the vile Americans regret it," adding, "The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will deliver an unforgettable lesson to the hell-bound oppressors of the international order."

In January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Larijani as one of "the architects of the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators." The statement added, "Larijani was one of the first Iranian leaders to call for violence in response to the legitimate demands of the Iranian people."

Larijani was the president of the Islamic Republic’s parliament and, like Khamenei, has engaged in Holocaust denial. Larijani was also a commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S. and EU-designated terrorist organization.

TOMAHAWKS SPEARHEADED US STRIKE ON IRAN — WHY PRESIDENTS REACH FOR THIS MISSILE FIRST

Beni Sabti, an Iran expert at the Institute of National Security Studies in Israel, questioned reports claiming that Larijani is favorite to be the next supreme leader. He told Fox News Digital, "Larijani is not a cleric, but he can help some of the candidates who are clerics behind the curtains, such as his brother, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, who was head of the judiciary." 

Mohammad-Javad Larijani has called for the destruction of Israel and denied the Holocaust. He was previously secretary general of Iran's high council for human rights. 

As a close adviser to the late supreme leader, he has defended stoning for adultery, declaring it protects "family values" as part of Islamic law. 

Another replacement for Khamenei might be his second son, Mojtaba, who works closely with IRGC. The first Trump administration sanctioned him in 2019. 

According to the Treasury Department sanction designation, "The Supreme Leader has delegated a part of his leadership responsibilities to Mojataba Khamenei, who worked closely with the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and also the Basij Resistance Force (Basij) to advance his father’s destabilizing regional ambitions and oppressive domestic objectives." 

JEB BUSH COMMENDS FORMER RIVAL TRUMP’S IRAN OP: ‘THIS IS THEIR TIME TO TAKE THEIR COUNTRY BACK’

Iran International reported that the IRGC seeks a rapid-fire replacement for Khamenei. The Islamic system in Iran prescribes an elected body of 88 senior clerics—the Assembly of Experts—to select the next leader.

The cleric and jurist Alireza Arafi, 67, who is part of a three-person temporary leadership council to run Iran might also be the successor to Khamenei.

According to the U.S.group United Against a Nuclear Iran, Arafi promised "death" to protesters who knock over the turbans of Iranian Islamic clerics. "Those who attack the turbans of the clergy should know that the turban will become their shroud," Arafi said. 

OBAMA OFFICIAL WHO BACKED IRAN DEAL SPARKS ONLINE OUTRAGE WITH REACTION TO TRUMP'S STRIKE: 'SIT THIS ONE OUT'

The extremist Ayatollah Mohammad-Mehdi Mirbagheri is also a contender to replace Khamenei. Mirbagheri argues for fighting and overcoming "infidels." 

Mirbagheri has quoted Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, declaring that a "new culture based on Islam in the world" would mean "hardship, martyrdom and hunger" and that Iranian people had "voluntarily chosen" to embrace this activity, according to Iran International. Mirbagheri’s theological credentials position him as a natural replacement for Khamenei.

Another clerical successor to Khamenei being discussed is Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He is the custodian of the Khomeini mausoleum and, at 53 is young by the Islamic Republic’s standards for leadership.

United Against a Nuclear Iran ranked Ayatollah Seyyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, who was born in 1956 in Bardkhun, Bushehr, a second tier candidate to replace Khamenei.

IRAN'S TERROR PROXIES FROM IRAQ-TO-LEBANON SAY READY TO RESPOND TO US-ISRAEL ATTACKS

"Bushehr, is a powerful figure in Iran's religious and academic spheres. He embarked on his theological education in Bushehr before moving to Qom to further his studies. 

According to UANI, In 2024, Bushehri urged Iranian women to "address issues such as the status of women's rights in Western societies and the flaws that exist in this area in the West," which would prevent the "enemy [the West]" to "not even have a chance to challenges us [Iran]."

Iran analyst, Sabti, who was born in Tehran, said, "I don’t think that Israel and the U.S. should allow them to choose the next leader." He compared the successor system to Hamas when Israel eliminates a Hamas terrorist leader, and he is swiftly replaced with a new leader. 

"There is a need to "prevent the next leader from being chosen," he said. "Maybe we can eliminate the next one even before he is chosen." 

He said it is important to "break the system" to prevent the continuation of terrorism. "It is bad for Arab countries and Israel if the regime remains the same" in Iran.  

Sabti said the regime can continue to build its illicit nuclear weapons program, ballistic missiles and sponsor terrorism, adding it is better to dissolve the regime and "bring in a new system. 

He concluded that regime change requires "talking to the people," and, "maybe it is time for them to come out and make the good revolution." 

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Saeid Iravani, sparred with U.S. envoy Mike Waltz at a Security Council session on Sunday, telling the American ambassador to "be polite," a remark that drew a sharp rebuke from Waltz, who accused Tehran of killing "tens of thousands" of its own citizens and imprisoning many more simply for seeking freedom from "your tyranny."

"I have one word only: I advise to the representative of the United States to be polite," Iravani said during the emergency meeting.

Moments later, Waltz responded: "Frankly, I’m not going to dignify this with another response, especially as this representative sits here in this body representing a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people and imprisoned many more simply for wanting freedom from your tyranny."

UN CHIEF BLASTED AS ‘ABJECTLY TONE-DEAF’ OVER MESSAGE TO IRAN MARKING REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY

The exchange came during an emergency Security Council briefing as the United States, Israel and Iran entered war, with diplomats offering sharply different interpretations of the expanding military campaign and its legality under international law.

In extended remarks at the session, Waltz rejected what he described as Iran’s "ridiculous and frankly farcical assertion" that U.S. actions violated international law, arguing that the United States acted "in close coordination with the Government of Israel" and "in line with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations," which addresses self-defense.

He also reiterated that Iran supports armed proxies across the region and has destabilized the Middle East for decades.

AMBASSADOR MIKE WALTZ LAYS OUT ‘AMERICA FIRST’ VISION FOR US LEADERSHIP AT THE UN

The clash unfolded against the backdrop of broader controversy surrounding Iran’s standing within the U.N. system, previously reported by Fox News Digital. Last month, Iran was elected vice chair of the U.N. Charter Committee, a body focused on examining and strengthening the principles of the U.N.’s founding document — a move that drew criticism from Israeli and Western officials.

Fox News Digital also reported earlier that month on backlash after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres sent a congratulatory message to Iran marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a gesture critics described as "abjectly tone-deaf" given Tehran’s human rights record.

The United States is set to assume the rotating presidency of the Security Council on March 1, a role that shifts monthly and gives the presiding country control over the council’s agenda and meeting schedule, placing Washington in a key procedural position as tensions continue to mount.

Three U.S. service members were killed and five others were seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday morning.

In addition, several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of being returned to duty, CENTCOM announced.

"The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified," CENTCOM said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

Pope Leo XIV warned Sunday that U.S.-Israel airstrikes on Iran risk plunging the Middle East into an "irreparable abyss," urging leaders to halt a dangerous spiral of violence.

Speaking at the Angelus, the pontiff expressed "deep concern" over recent developments and called on nations to choose dialogue over war.

"Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue," the pope said, according to Vatican News.

MIKE POMPEO: OPERATION EPIC FURY IS RIGHTEOUS — AND REGIME CHANGE MUST FOLLOW

"Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions," he added, "I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss!"

The pope's warning came after Israel and the U.S. launched a joint military operation against Iran on Saturday, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury." The attacks reportedly killed several senior leaders, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic for more than three decades.

 Meanwhile, Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest missile barrage landed miles from Jerusalem.

The pope reinforced his warning in a two-part message posted Sunday morning on X.

PUTIN: KILLING OF KHAMENEI A 'CYNICAL VIOLATION' OF MORALITY

"I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time," he wrote.

"Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue."

In a follow-up post, he warned of "the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions" and urged all parties involved to "assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm."

"May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace," he added.

At least nine people are dead and more than two dozen injured, after violent clashes outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan.

Hundreds of protesters stormed the diplomatic compound in a sharp escalation of anti-American demonstrations.

The unrest followed reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike, sparking anger among Shiite Muslims in Pakistan.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that many of the protesters were Shiite Muslims who expressed outrage over Khamenei’s reported death and alleged U.S. involvement. Protesters chanted anti-American and anti-Israel slogans, and attempted to breach the consulate’s perimeter.

SUSTAINED WAR WITH IRAN COULD DRAIN US MISSILE STOCKPILES, TEST ESCALATION CONTROL

Security forces deployed police and paramilitary units as clashes intensified outside the compound.

Between 25 and 30 people were wounded in the clashes, according to local officials.

Pakistani authorities tightened security around the consulate and other U.S. diplomatic missions in Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar amid fears the unrest could spread. The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan issued a security alert urging American citizens to monitor local news, avoid large crowds and remain vigilant.

IRAN GOES DARK AMID 'REGIME PARANOIA', BLACKOUT FOLLOWS ISRAELI, US STRIKES ON COMPOUND

"We are monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional demonstrations at U.S. Embassy Islamabad and Consulate General Peshawar," the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said on X. "We advise U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news and observe good personal security practices, including being aware of your surroundings, avoiding large crowds, and ensuring your STEP registration is up to date."

The violence comes amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program, regional influence and support for proxy groups.

IRANIANS CELEBRATE WORLDWIDE AFTER SUPREME LEADERS ARE KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES

Pakistan has seen protests over what demonstrators describe as Western aggression.

The unrest comes as U.S. and Israeli forces continue coordinated strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, air defenses and command centers. The Pentagon named the mission Operation Epic Fury, while the Israel Defense Forces called its portion Operation Lion’s Roar. U.S. officials said the strikes aim to degrade Tehran’s military capabilities and neutralize what they describe as imminent threats to the United States and its allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday, calling the death, which came amid strikes from Israel and the U.S. a "cynical violation" of norms.

Putin made the statement in a letter to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that the Kremlin released to the public in the wake of Khamenei's death. Saturday's bold daytime strikes eliminated Khamenei along with several other top Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"Please accept my deep condolences in connection with the murder of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family, committed in cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law," Putin wrote.

"In our country, Ayatollah Khamenei will be remembered as an outstanding statesman who made a huge personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations and bringing them to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership," Putin continued.

GULF STATES CONDEMN IRANIAN RETALIATORY STRIKES ON THEIR TERRITORIES FOLLOWING US-ISRAELI OPERATION

"I ask you to convey my most sincere sympathy and support to the family and friends of the Supreme Leader, the government and the entire people of Iran," he added.

Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir-Saeid Iravani condemned the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that rained down on his country throughout Saturday during a U.N. Security Council meeting.

Iravani accused the U.S. of undermining its claims of pursuing international stability while attacking a sovereign country for its "domestic" activities.

TRUMP TELLS IRANIANS THE 'HOUR OF YOUR FREEDOM IS AT HAND' AS US-ISRAEL LAUNCH STRIKES AGAINST IRAN

"Neither the charter nor international law recognize internal matters of a state as justification for the use of force by other states. The rule of law would be replaced by the rule of force," Iravani said.

"Iran will continue to exercise its right of self-defense decisively and without hesitation until the aggression ceases in full and unequivocal terms."

On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump ordered the execution of Operation Epic Fury, citing Tehran’s continued efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.

HISTORIC US-ISRAEL STRIKES ON IRAN UNDERWAY AS TEHRAN FACES REGIME SURVIVAL TEST

"It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I'll say it again. They can never have a nuclear weapon," Trump said in remarks about the attack Saturday.

Trump said the strikes were meant to "defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime" and that they had come after Iran had refused to abandon plans to develop nuclear capabilities.

Iravani called the attack a continuation of longstanding U.S. aggression against Iran.

"Mr. president, this morning the United States regime, jointly and in coordination with the Israeli regime, initiated an unprovoked and premeditated aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the second time in recent months," Irvani said, referring to strikes the U.S. carried out against its nuclear enrichment sites last year. "The president of the United States and the prime minister of the Israeli regime have openly claimed responsibility for this act of aggression and have explicitly articulated regime change as their objective, an unmistakable admission of their intent to violate Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Fox News' Leo Briceno and Reuters contributed to this report.

Iran entered a new chapter Saturday after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, abruptly ending more than three decades of authoritarian rule and setting in motion a leadership transition the regime has long prepared.

A senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that while Khamenei’s demise is a "massive blow" to the Islamic Republic, Tehran anticipated the possibility and took steps to withstand such a scenario.

"Mere survival, at this point, would be considered a victory," the diplomat said of the regime, according to the outlet, following U.S. and Israeli strikes across the country.

A recent report from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) outlined three broad trajectories for a post-Khamenei Iran: managed regime continuity, an overt or creeping military takeover, or systemic collapse.

WORLD LEADERS SPLIT OVER MILITARY ACTION AS US-ISRAEL STRIKE IRAN IN COORDINATED OPERATION

CFR cautioned that even a leadership change at the top would not necessarily translate into meaningful political reform in the near term, given the regime’s deeply institutionalized power structure and its record of using force to maintain control.

The report notes that the real balance of power rests within a tight circle of clerical elites and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

It describes a likely "continuity" scenario as producing "Khamenei-ism without Khamenei," in which a successor from within the regime preserves the ideological framework of the Islamic Republic while relying on established security institutions to preserve stability.

LEAKED DOCUMENTS EXPOSE KHAMENEI'S SECRET DEADLY BLUEPRINT FOR CRUSHING IRAN PROTESTS

"The Islamic Republic's constitution includes a succession process. The Assembly of Experts, a clerical body, is constitutionally charged with selecting the next supreme leader," Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital. 

"In the interim, should there be a leadership vacancy, an interim leadership council is formed comprised of the president, chief justice, and a member of the Guardian Council selected by the Expediency Council," he added. "The IRGC is a key stakeholder in this process, and will heavily influence its outcome."

Over the past three decades, the Bayt-e Rahbari, or the Office of the Supreme Leader, expanded into what a February report by UANI described as a "sprawling parallel state" operating alongside Iran’s formal institutions.

The analysis characterizes the Office as the regime’s "hidden nerve center," extending control across the military, security establishment and major economic foundations in ways that make the system’s authority institutional rather than dependent on Khamenei’s physical presence.

"The supreme leader today is no longer just one man; he is represented through an all-encompassing institution that consolidates power, manages succession, and guarantees continuity," the non-partisan policy organization said. "The Islamic Republic’s most enduring strength lies in this hidden architecture of control, which will continue to shape the country’s future long after Khamenei himself departs from the scene."

Iran was plunged into an internet blackout Saturday after Israel and the U.S. launched military strikes around the country, according to a global internet monitor.

Within hours of the strikes — which officials said targeted infrastructure and killed dozens of senior regime figures at a compound in Tehran— NetBlocks CEO Alp Toker confirmed connectivity started "flatlining."

"We're tracking the ongoing blackout, but our assessment is that this is straight out of Iran's wartime playbook and consistent both technically and strategically with what we saw during the 2025 Twelve-Day War with Israel," Toker told Fox News Digital.

"Iran's internet connectivity is now flatlining around the 1% level, so the original blackout the regime imposed during the morning has been consolidated," he confirmed.

"The blackout was imposed just after 7:00 UTC, not long after the attack on the Iranian regime compound," Toker clarified, adding that Iran had been largely offline for approximately 12 hours following the attack.

"At 06:10 UTC, there is the main compound strike; at 07:10 UTC, telecoms disruption starts; at 08:00 UTC, the blackout is largely in effect; and by 08:30 UTC, connectivity flatlines."

"Wartime national blackouts are exceedingly rare around the world, and it's something we've only really seen at this scale in Iran," he said.

ISRAEL LAUNCHES PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGAINST IRAN, DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS

In the wake of the attack, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the "heavy and pinpoint" bombing in Iran "will continue uninterrupted throughout the week or as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!"

He claimed Iranian security forces and members of the regime’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were already seeking immunity. He urged them to "peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots."

"We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces no longer want to fight and are looking for Immunity from us," Trump said in the post. "As I said last night, ‘Now they can have Immunity; later they only get Death!’"

Toker argued the timing of the blackout suggested it was imposed deliberately as the regime sought to secure communications amid fears of further targeting.

TRUMP TELLS IRANIANS THE 'HOUR OF YOUR FREEDOM IS AT HAND' AS US-ISRAEL LAUNCH STRIKES AGAINST IRAN

"The Iranian regime will have deployed this new blackout to counter potential cyberattacks during their own military operation, but also to avoid leaking the locations of senior regime figures through metadata and user-generated content," he said.

"Communications would have been limited, and Iran's leadership would have proceeded with the assumption that all communications, including satellite or whitelisted networks, carry risks," he said before claiming that "paranoia would be well grounded at this point, with the blackout a belated but direct response to that."

"Those participating directly would already know to avoid technology that could betray their whereabouts," Toker said.

"However, the metadata may well have played a part in determining that the meeting of regime leaders was being held at the Tehran compound, who was in attendance, and at what time."

DID THEY GET HIM? KHAMENEI'S FATE REMAINS UNKNOWN AFTER ISRAEL-US STRIKE LEVELS HIS COMPOUND

Toker revealed that the broader network around the regime leaders and around the compound wouldn't have had the same strict restrictions.

"This kind of adjacent ‘background noise’ can be correlated against other intelligence sources to build an understanding of activity on the ground," he added.

"Smartphones are a readily available, almost ‘free’ source of intelligence, and even when locked down, they eventually connect to international online services and generate insights that can be used to pinpoint regime figures," Toker said.

"In the aftermath of Saturday’s strike, this concern will have been high on the remaining Iranian leadership’s minds, especially if they didn't have a clear and specific understanding of how the meeting was compromised."

Iran has previously imposed sweeping internet shutdowns during periods of domestic unrest, including nationwide protests in January, which saw thousands killed, often seeking to curb the spread of information and restrict coordination.

Iranians across the country could be seen and heard celebrating the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after coordinated Israeli strikes overnight.

In one video, Iranians near Karaj, Iran, outside the capital of Tehran, took to the streets, honked their horns and cheered.

In social media videos, Iranians in Tehran cheered from their apartments, playing loud music and setting off fireworks as the news spread.

TRUMP OVERSEES US STRIKES ON IRAN FROM MAR-A-LAGO, SPEAKS WITH NETANYAHU: WH

In Fuladshahr, people packed the streets, waving their arms in the air, whistling, honking and cheering over the news.

In Borazjan, Iran, celebrants chanted and, in Mamasani, they waved flags and danced.

People also celebrated in the Iranian cities of Shiraz and Abadan, "where the people are out on the streets till the wee hours of the night in celebration of an Iran that is on the brink of finding its freedom after almost five decades," according to Lisa Daftari, editor at The Foreign Desk.

IRAN FIRES MISSILES AT US BASES ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AFTER AMERICAN STRIKES ON NUCLEAR, IRGC SITES

Iranian people also cheered the news in other parts of the world, such as Madrid, London, Berlin, Armenia and the United States.

"Iranian people all over the world, from Los Angeles to Tehran, are on the streets celebrating [in] sheer jubilation over the dawn of a new and free Iran," Daftari told Fox News Digital.

"Iranians poured onto the streets cheering, clapping, waving the lion and sun flag, dancing openly and singing the old national anthem. It’s hard to imagine a people so starved for freedom, so desperate for justice, that they are cheering military strikes on their own soil as the price of liberation."

In Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community in the U.S., hundreds came out to wave Iranian and American flags on Saturday. 

Some people also held signs bearing expressions such as, "Make Iran Great Again."

"I love America. I love everything about this country," Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad told Fox News Saturday.

"I grew up in a country where I was brainwashed to say, ‘Death to America,' the same country — how ironic — the same country that saved my life three times and is now helping my people in Iran. They’re celebrating. They’re celebrating out of joy.

"Thank you, President Trump, for taking decisive action. This is how true leadership looks like."

Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, like Boston; Washington, D.C.; and New York City held competing anti-war protests, as did cities in Europe.

In coordinated, sweeping U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran in the predawn hours of Saturday, key military and nuclear-linked sites were targeted inside the country.

The strikes focused on what U.S. officials described as high-value Iranian targets, which included Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command and control facilities, naval assets and underground sites believed to be associated with Iran’s nuclear program. 

In addition, Iranian air defense weapons, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields were also targeted, according to officials. 

Israeli forces targeted sites linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior Israeli official confirmed to Fox News. 

President Donald Trump confirmed Saturday afternoon that Khamenei had been killed in a strike. He is among more than 40 senior Iranian security and regime figures killed in the attack, a senior Israeli official told Fox News.

IF KHAMENEI FALLS, WHO TAKES IRAN? STRIKES WILL EXPOSE POWER VACUUM — AND THE IRGC’S GRIP

"Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS."

He also claimed that the IRGC is seeking immunity from the U.S.

The leaders had all been meeting at a compound in Tehran on Saturday morning.

FBI RAISES COUNTERTERROR TEAMS TO HIGH ALERT AMID IRAN TENSIONS

The strikes were moved up due to the "target of opportunity," multiple sources told Fox News, which is why the strikes happened in the daytime in Iran, keeping the element of surprise. "There was a deliberate decision to accelerate the timeline," one source said.

The campaign, which Trump described overnight from Mar-a-Lago as the beginning of "major combat operations" in the region, encompasses multi-geographic targets in an effort to overwhelm Iran’s defensive capabilities.

ISRAEL'S LARGEST EVER MILITARY FLYOVER HAMMERS IRANIAN MILITARY TARGETS

The strikes could also continue for multiple days.

Trump said the campaign aimed to devastate Iran’s military, dismantle its nuclear program, and he urged the Iranian people to "take over" their government.

Tomahawk cruise missiles were used in the first strikes of the operation, called Operation Epic Fury, along with one-way attack drones that were used for the first time, according to a U.S. official.

Fox News' Liz Friden, Morgan Phillips, Amanda Macias, Alexandra Koch and Kelley Kramer contributed to this report. 

Israel struck its key target in Tehran Saturday in what a defense expert has described as a multi-million dollar precision-guided attack alongside a broader offensive involving U.S. waves of lower-cost kamikaze drones.

Cameron Chell, CEO of drone manufacturer Draganfly, told Fox News Digital the campaign would have likely paired advanced and costly assets against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound, while U.S. forces used cheaper drones to "overwhelm" on land, air and sea.

"Saturday saw an overwhelming daytime attack with incredible intelligence to target the leadership and a strike on the compound possibly costing tens of millions," Chell said.

WORLD LEADERS SPLIT OVER MILITARY ACTION AS US-ISRAEL STRIKE IRAN IN COORDINATED OPERATION

"That would likely have included expensive, precision-strike drones or manned aircraft in highly coordinated attacks to ensure success, not necessarily the lower-cost, one-way version of the suicide drones," he explained.

"The U.S. has this lower-cost alternative to hit everything at once, but then the very expensive, high-precision assets would likely have gone directly after leadership on Saturday," Chell added.

A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the compound strike was a "wildly bold daytime attack."

"It caught the senior leadership off guard, on a Saturday morning during Ramadan and on Shabbat in the daytime," the official added. 

"We hit the senior leaders right out of the gate," the source told Fox National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin.

AYATOLLAH'S ARSENAL VS. AMERICAN FIREPOWER: IRAN'S TOP 4 THREATS AND HOW WE FIGHT BACK

Iran’s military, government and intelligence sites were targeted, an official briefed on the operation also told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

A handful of top Iranian leaders were killed, including the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

President Donald Trump also announced Saturday that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in the strike.

"If drones were involved in that top target attack, it would have been the very sophisticated MQ-type or Global Hawk-type drones," Chell said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said other attacks across the country were being done "to remove threats."

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, those targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.

IRAN FIRES MISSILES AT US BASES ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AFTER AMERICAN STRIKES ON NUCLEAR, IRGC SITES

Chell described how those secondary targets would have been hit by the U.S. with the cheaper one-way "kamikaze" drones before adding that the strikes "seemed to be an excellent example of mass overwhelm at a new level."

Chell suggested Iran’s defenses were likely degraded well before the strike began because of the coordination.

"I think likely the defense systems, communication systems, were overwhelmingly compromised," he added. "And so I think they just overwhelmed them," he said.

"I’m sure there would have been days, if not even weeks, of work and preparation to take out those defense communication systems," he said.

"They would have compromised those defense communications in some way through electronic warfare or cyberattack."

"The battlefield now is so multidimensional," Chell emphasized.

"It’s about cyber warfare, misinformation and electronic warfare as well."

"This was seemingly so swift because it was incredibly well-planned and coordinated by the U.S. and Israel on a massive level that’s not been seen before," he added.

The Israeli military on Saturday said it had killed dozens of members of Iran’s leadership during sweeping, coordinated strikes in Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted a number of locations across Tehran "in which senior officials of the Iranian defense establishment had gathered."

More than 40 senior Iranian security and regime figures were eliminated in the strikes, a senior Israeli security official told Fox News.

It was one of the largest regime "decapitation operations" conducted in modern warfare history, the official added. Israeli intelligence managed to infiltrate the Iranian security echelon, making the strikes possible, the official explained.

IRAN FIRES MISSILES AT US BASES ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AFTER AMERICAN STRIKES ON NUCLEAR, IRGC SITES

Among those killed, according to the IDF, were Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Iranian Security Council who was also a personal advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader.

Mohammad Pakpour, who was also killed, had been commander of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps since Operation ‘Rising Lion’ and was one of the leaders of the "destruction of Israel" plan, the IDF said.

Saleh Asadi, who headed up the Intelligence Directorate of the Khatam al-Anbiya emergency command, Mohammad Shirazi, head of the Military Bureau of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei since 1989, Iran’s Defense Minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Hossein Jabal Amelian, who chaired an organization that advanced projects related to nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, and Reza Mozaffari-Nia, who previously chaired the same organization, were also killed, according to the IDF.

IF KHAMENEI FALLS, WHO TAKES IRAN? STRIKES WILL EXPOSE POWER VACUUM — AND THE IRGC’S GRIP

President Donald Trump also confirmed Saturday that Khamenei was killed in the strikes. 

"Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS."

The leaders had all been meeting at a compound in Tehran on Saturday morning.

The strikes were moved up due to the "target of opportunity," multiple sources told Fox News, which is why the strikes happened in the daytime in Iran, keeping the element of surprise. "There was a deliberate decision to accelerate the timeline," one source said.

"This was a massive, wildly bold daytime attack," a senior US defense official told Fox News."It caught the senior leadership off guard, a Saturday morning during Ramadan and on Shabbat in the daytime."

"We hit the senior leaders right out of the gate," the source added.

Iran’s militant and unyielding supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic for more than three decades and oversaw an era of harsh internal repression and confrontation with the United States and Israel, has died following the Israeli strike in Tehran, as his compound was reduced to rubble, a senior Israeli official told Fox News Digital.

"Khamenei was the contemporary Middle East’s longest-serving autocrat. He did not get to be that way by being a gambler. Khamenei was an ideologue, but one who ruthlessly pursued the preservation and protection of his ideology, often taking two steps forward and one step back," Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of FDD’s Iran program, told Fox News Digital. 

"Khamenei’s worldview was shaped by his militant anti-Americanism and antisemitism, which first manifested itself in his protests against the Shah of Iran," he added.

LEAKED DOCUMENTS EXPOSE KHAMENEI'S SECRET DEADLY BLUEPRINT FOR CRUSHING IRAN PROTESTS

Born April 19, 1939, in Mashhad, eastern Iran, Khamenei was among the Islamist activists who played a central role in the 1979 revolution that overthrew the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. A close ally of Iran’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Khamenei rose through the new system and served as president from 1981 to 1989 before becoming supreme leader after Khomeini’s death that same year.

Decades in power, Khamenei consolidated control over Iran’s political and security system, presiding over repeated crackdowns on dissent and maintaining a hardline posture toward Washington and Jerusalem.

"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule has been marked by unrelenting brutality and repression, both within Iran and beyond its borders," said Lisa Daftari, an expert on Iran and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk. She pointed to executions and the enforcement of strict social controls as defining features of the system under Khamenei’s leadership.

His ultra-conservative style of leadership did face challenges, however. In 2009, following disputed elections in which Khamenei declared victory for the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, massive protests erupted across the country.

TRUMP TELLS IRANIANS THE 'HOUR OF YOUR FREEDOM IS AT HAND' AS US-ISRAEL LAUNCH STRIKES AGAINST IRAN

Mass demonstrations also broke out in 2022 after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died while detained by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. The protests were brutally put down, with many of those arrested and put to death by his regime.

In late December, Iran was again rocked by protests and a fierce brutal security response. According to an Iran International investigation, as many as 30,000 people may have been killed across two days, Jan. 8 to 9, 2026.

International monitors and rights groups have repeatedly documented high execution numbers in Iran in recent years as well. Amnesty International said Iranian authorities executed more than 1,000 people in 2025, calling it the highest yearly figure the organization recorded in at least 15 years. Separately, a U.N. report said Iran executed at least 975 people in 2024, the highest number since 2015.

WORLD LEADERS SPLIT OVER MILITARY ACTION AS US-ISRAEL STRIKE IRAN IN COORDINATED OPERATION

Across the region, Khamenei invested heavily in Iran’s network of allied militias and armed groups, a strategy used to project Iranian power beyond its borders. From the West Bank and Gaza, where he backed terror groups such as Hamas, to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi extremists in Yemen, as well as other militant militias in Iraq, Iran under Khamenei’s spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the terror groups.

However, his prized proxies, as well as the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, collapsed under Israeli military pressure following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. During a 12-day war in June 2025, Israel also succeeded in taking out some of Khamenei’s closest aides and senior security figures, leaving the long-serving leader significantly weakened.

Yet analysts argue that Khamenei’s most enduring legacy may be the institutional machinery he built at home to safeguard the system.

GULF STATES CONDEMN IRANIAN RETALIATORY STRIKES ON THEIR TERRITORIES FOLLOWING US-ISRAELI OPERATION

A recent report by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), authored by Saeid Golkar and Kasra Aarabi, describes the Bayt, the Office of the Supreme Leader, as a parallel structure embedded across Iran’s military, economy, religious institutions and bureaucracy.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Aarabi said, "It is the hidden nerve center of the regime in Iran… it operates as a state within a state." He argued that even Khamenei’s removal would not necessarily dismantle the system. "Even if he is eliminated, the Bayt as an institution enables the Supreme Leader to function," Aarabi said, adding, "Think of the Supreme Leader as an institution rather than just a single individual."

Aarabi also warned that "eliminating Khamenei in isolation on its own is not enough," calling for a broader strategy aimed at the wider apparatus surrounding the supreme leader. "You have to dismantle this extensive apparatus that he has created," he said.

"Unlike Khomeini, the founding father of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei institutionalized his power. Today, the Islamic Republic is more a product of Khamenei than Khomeini," FDD’s Ben Taleblu added.