U.S. and Israel Launch Operation Epic Fury Against Iran; Sources Contradict Supreme Leader Khamenei's Death

U.S. and Israeli forces launched a coordinated, months-in-the-making military campaign described by U.S. officials as 'Operation Epic Fury,' striking dozens of Iranian military and security sites including IRGC command-and-control centers, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.

“Short summary - The article reports that recent strikes have increased international tensions”

9News.au

President Trump announced the campaign in prerecorded remarks, saying the strikes were meant to counter 'direct threats from Iran and its proxies to U.S. forces and maritime interests,' and U.S. planners said the operation used precision munitions delivered by air, land and sea after months of preparation.

9News.au

Spanish reporting and U.S. local outlets characterized Epic Fury as a 'massive and sustained' use of U.S. military force in the region and said planners had prepared the strikes for months to target Iran's missile and drone capabilities.

Iran responded with multiple retaliatory missile and drone waves that triggered regional air‑defence engagements and sirens in Israel and Gulf states.

Reporting said Iranian launches prompted interceptions and strikes over or near Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain, with Bahraini officials reporting missiles struck the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Manama; U.S. Central Command and other outlets said they were combating large numbers of Iranian missiles and drones and investigating reports of damage and civilian harm.

Al Jazeera

The exchange produced strikes and alerts across the wider region as countries hosting U.S. assets and Israel reported incoming threats and some localized damage.

Claims about the fate of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were contradictory and remain contested across sources.

“Iran’s state media and the AP reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed in a major airstrike on his Tehran compound carried out by the United States and Israel”

AP News

Several U.S. and Israeli statements and some Israeli outlets indicated Khamenei had been killed, and Iranian state media later announced his death and declared a 40-day mourning period.

Other reporting noted conflicting signals, including Iranian officials later saying Khamenei was alive 'as far as I know'.

Verification remains unresolved in the public record, and multiple outlets emphasize uncertainty and the fluidity of confirmations amid political messaging from all sides.

The strikes and retaliations have generated reports of substantial civilian harm, though casualty figures differ across accounts and remain unverified in many cases.

Iranian state media and the Red Crescent were cited as saying the strikes hit 24 provinces and killed at least 201 people, with reports of heavy losses at schools including dozens of elementary‑age girls; other outlets reported different school casualty figures and local officials gave varying totals, prompting multiple news organizations to flag those numbers as unconfirmed.

Ariana News

Several outlets and international agencies called for investigations into civilian deaths and damage amid the broader exchange.

The political and diplomatic fallout was immediate.

“Iran’s state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed in an Israeli strike Saturday that was part of a large joint U”

Axios

U.S. and Israeli leaders framed the operation as aimed at eliminating an imminent threat and achieving strategic objectives.

BBC

International actors called for restraint and voiced sharp condemnation.

President Trump publicly celebrated the reported results and warned bombing would "continue, uninterrupted."

Israeli leaders said senior Iranian figures were killed.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged de-escalation.

Russia and China condemned the strikes as unprovoked aggression.

Analysts and regional officials warned the operation could deepen instability, complicate succession in Tehran, and carry long-term risks for regional security and civilian populations.