The Middle East has been pushed towards a wider conflict after joint US-Israeli military strikes in Tehran killed Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top officials The strikes have killed more than 200 people across 24 of Iran's 31 provinces Among those also killed in the attack on the supreme leader's office were his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson
In response, Iran has launched retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and US military assets in neighboring Gulf countries In Israel, projectiles started fires and caused scattered damage, forcing civilians into bomb shelters Explosions have also been reported for a second day in Dubai, UAE; Doha, Qatar; and Manama, Bahrain At least three people have been killed in the United Arab Emirates as a result of the attacks
Tehran has pledged to take revenge for the killing of its supreme leader Iran's Ambassador to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani, denounced the initial US-Israeli strikes, decrying the hundreds of civilian casualties as a "war crime" The rapid escalation has heightened fears of a major regional war in an area previously seen as a relative haven of security
Mohsin Rana
