Tehran, Feb 28 : In a dramatic escalation that has shaken the Persian Gulf, the United States and Israel launched coordinated missile strikes early Saturday on multiple Iranian cities, including Tehran, Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Karaj. Iran retaliated by targeting American military bases across the Gulf, including the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Israel named its campaign “Operation Lion’s Roar,” while the Pentagon referred to the US action as “Operation Epic Fury.” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) code-named its response “True Promise-4.” Washington said the operation aimed to eliminate imminent threats and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Casualty figures remain unclear. Israeli broadcaster N12 reported that IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour was killed in the strikes, though there has been no official confirmation from Tehran. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that 57 schoolgirls were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli strike on a girls’ school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, with several students reportedly trapped under rubble.
The IRGC claimed it struck US bases in Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, including the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, and said missile and drone attacks would continue. Iran also launched drones and ballistic missiles toward northern Israel and Tel Aviv.
Airspace across Iran, Israel, Iraq, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar has been indefinitely closed, disrupting global air traffic. Reports also indicated an air strike near the offices of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly moved to a secure location. Iranian officials said President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior leaders were “alive and well.”
The escalation comes despite three recent rounds of US–Iran negotiations in Geneva, mediated by Oman. US President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of talks, stating Washington’s objectives include dismantling Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities.
With multiple theatres now involved, the confrontation has intensified fears of a wider Middle Eastern war