Video footage has captured the Israeli Defence Forces claiming to have destroyed an underground bunker belonging to Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei. The bunker was targeted in a significant airstrike conducted by the Israeli air force in Tehran. According to the IDF, approximately 100 bombs were dropped by 50 Israeli fighter jets on the site, located beneath the leadership complex of the Iranian regime in central Tehran.
Aerial footage released by the IDF shows the bombs being released over the leader’s complex, resulting in massive explosions and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the streets of Tehran. Khamenei had intended to use the bunker as a secure emergency facility, but he was killed before he could utilize it. The IDF mentioned that the compound, spanning multiple streets, contained numerous entry points and rooms for senior members of the Iranian regime.
Despite the assassination of their leader, Iranian officials were reported to have continued using the compound. Iran has not yet responded to the strikes. Concurrently, Israel continued its attacks on the capitals of Iran and Lebanon. The US also reported targeting an Iranian drone carrier at sea as part of its ongoing campaign against Iran’s warships.
Footage released by the US military’s Central Command depicted the burning Iranian drone carrier, named IRIS Shahid Bagheri, which is a converted container ship with a 180-meter runway for drones. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, described the carrier as comparable in size to a World War II aircraft carrier and confirmed that it was on fire.
In Lebanon, the recent bombardment marked the most severe since the last conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in 2024. Thousands of residents evacuated Beirut’s suburbs and southern Lebanon following warnings from Israel, emphasizing that their targets were Hezbollah, not civilians. Tragically, five individuals were killed and seven others wounded in an Israeli strike in Sidon, Lebanon, with the ongoing hostilities resulting in 123 deaths and 683 injuries in Lebanon, although the exact number of civilian casualties remains unclear.
Iran responded with new retaliatory attacks in the Middle East following a week of intense bombardment, prompting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to warn of an imminent escalation. Israel’s military confirmed the initiation of a widespread series of strikes on Tehran. Witnesses reported intense Israeli airstrikes causing homes to tremble, with additional explosions reported near missile bases in Kermanshah, Iran.
