Common Questions

What were the Israeli strikes on 28 February 2026?: Joint US-Israeli strikes under Operation Roaring Lion / Epic Fury, hitting Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah on 28 February 2026. The operation killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggered Iran's full military response.Source: iran-conflict-2026
Did the strikes kill Ali Khamenei?: Yes. Iranian state media confirmed Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his Tehran compound. His daughter, son-in-law, and grandson died in the same strike.Source: iran-conflict-2026
What was Iran's immediate military response?: Iran fired dozens of Ballistic Missiles at Israel and US military bases across seven countries within hours of the opening strikes, while the IRGC threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz.Source: iran-conflict-2026
Were the strikes legal under international law?: Contested. No UN Security Council resolution passed; Russia and China condemned the strikes as unprovoked aggression while the US blocked binding action. The EU called them 'greatly concerning.' No tribunal has ruled.Source: iran-conflict-2026
How did the 28 February strikes differ from previous Israeli operations?: Scale and target set. Previous Israeli operations hit specific nuclear or proxy infrastructure. The 28 February strikes were a simultaneous Decapitation campaign across five cities, with direct US participation, in a single wave.Source: iran-conflict-2026

Background

Carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with US assets, the strikes targeted a regime that had already lost popular legitimacy amid mass protests since late 2025. Iran fired rockets produced over a decade ago in its initial response; the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed more advanced reserves remained unused. Khamenei's death within days triggered a constitutional succession crisis.

Operation Roaring Lion / Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli strike package of 28 February 2026, hit Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah in a single coordinated wave, striking military, nuclear, and leadership targets simultaneously. Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on his Tehran compound; Iran fired dozens of Ballistic Missiles at Israel and US bases across seven countries within hours.

The 28 February strikes are the pivot on which the entire conflict turns: they removed supreme leadership, fractured military command, and set off the IRGC-backed succession of Mojtaba Khamenei. Between 600,000 and one million Iranian households were displaced in the first fortnight, the fastest such displacement in the region in decades. No Security Council resolution passed; the US vetoed binding action while Russia and China condemned the operation.

How the World Sees Them

Iran

State media declared the strikes unprovoked aggression against a sovereign nation. Street celebrations across Iranian cities showed the population's view was sharply divided from the official narrative.

Israel

Framed the strikes as a pre-emptive necessity after years of Iranian proxy warfare and nuclear advancement. The operation achieved decapitation of the Iranian leadership, though at the cost of a sustained war.

Russia

Putin condemned the strikes as pre-planned unprovoked aggression and the cynical murder of a sovereign leader. Moscow backed no binding UN response, framing it as proof of Western hypocrisy.

United States

Trump endorsed the operation and threatened escalation if Iran struck US assets, but explicitly ruled out ground troops, limiting exposure to air and naval power projection.

European Union

Described the strikes as 'greatly concerning' with no member state backing Washington, exposing the deepest transatlantic rift since the 2003 Iraq invasion.