Eurasia Press & News
Key Takeaways:
The United States and Israel have launched a strike campaign into Iran in order to topple the Islamic Republic, among other objectives. US President Donald Trump announced the launch of combat operations in a video statement and called on the Iranian people to rise up against their regime.
Israel has launched decapitation strikes against Iranian leaders. Israeli officials told Axios that Israel is targeting the “entire Iranian leadership,” including current and former officials. Israel conducted numerous airstrikes targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to Israeli and US officials speaking to Axios. Khamenei’s condition remains unclear at the time of this writing. Israeli officials assess that the IDF killed Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour, Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasir Zadeh, and the Iranian “intelligence chief.”
Israel and the United States have also attacked Iranian military targets. Some of these attacks are probably meant to disrupt Iran’s ability to immediately retaliate. The IDF announced that it has targeted “hundreds of military targets,” including missile launchers, in western Iran. The IDF previously attacked Iranian missile launchers at the outset of the June 2025 Israel-Iran war to disrupt Iran’s ability to retaliate.
There are unconfirmed reports of strikes on Iranian naval assets. An Israeli OSINT account reported strikes on the IRGC Navy frigate Jamaran. There are also unverified reports of strikes on the IRGC Navy Imam Ali Navy Base in Chabahar, Sistan and Balochistan Province.
Iran has responded immediately to the US and Israeli strikes. Iran has launched multiple barrages at Israel in recent hours. An Israeli media correspondent reported that Iran had launched around 35 missiles at Israel as of 5:42 AM EST. Iran has also attacked numerous US bases across the region. Iran has attacked US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Toplines
This update is the first of multiple Iran Updates that CTP-ISW will publish over the next 24 hours. The US and Israeli strikes are a rapidly evolving situation, and no single individual or organization will have complete information at this time, including the states involved. Some of the information that is available in the open-source will be contradictory or inaccurate. CTP-ISW will continually refine its assessments over the coming days and weeks as we work to understand the situation. CTP-ISW will issue corrections and clearly articulate when we refine an earlier understanding of events.
Many sources will misinterpret information in the coming hours. Social media users posted footage that showed dozens of bright streaks in the sky during the October 2024 Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel and claimed that all of the streaks were ballistic missiles, for example. It later emerged that some of the streaks were ballistic missile interceptors, not missiles.
CTP-ISW will only publish high-confidence information. Our maps and the update below include information such as air defense activity, reported explosions with and without footage, and reported and confirmed airstrikes. Some users online may misinterpret anti-aircraft fire as evidence of an airstrike. Some air defense systems have long ranges that make it difficult to assess if the air defense fire’s point of origin is the actual target or if the air defense system is protecting a more distant site. Likewise, the sound of explosions may not denote an airstrike because some sources may misinterpret the sound of missile launches or other kinetic activity.
The United States and Israel have launched a strike campaign into Iran in order to topple the Islamic Republic, among other objectives. US President Donald Trump announced the launch of combat operations in a video statement and called on the Iranian people to rise up against their regime. Trump separately said that his main concern is the freedom of the Iranian people. The stated US objectives are to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, “raze” the Iranian missile program “to the ground,” “annihilate” Iranian naval forces, and prevent the Axis of Resistance from harming US forces in the Middle East.[i] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has similarly stated that it seeks to “remove existential threats” to Israel, including the Iranian nuclear and missile programs and Axis of Resistance.[ii]
Israel has launched decapitation strikes against Iranian leaders. Israeli officials told Axios that Israel is targeting the “entire Iranian leadership,” including current and former officials.[iii] Israel conducted numerous airstrikes targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to Israeli and US officials speaking to Axios.[iv] The New York Times published satellite imagery of several destroyed buildings in Khamenei’s compound in Tehran.[v] Khamenei’s condition remains unclear at the time of this writing. A senior official told Israeli media that Israel assesses that the IDF killed Khamenei but is still waiting for “final confirmation.”[vi] A source “with knowledge of the matter” told Reuters that Khamenei was not in Tehran at the time of the strikes and had moved to a secure location, however.[vii]
Israel has also targeted senior regime officials close to Khamenei. Israeli officials assess that the IDF killed Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour, Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasir Zadeh, and the Iranian “intelligence chief.”[viii] The “intelligence chief” likely refers to either Intelligence and Security Minister Esmail Khatib or IRGC Intelligence Organization Chief Brigadier General Majid Khademi. Pakpour replaced former IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami and Khademi replaced former IRGC Intelligence Organization Chief Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi after Israel killed Salami and Kazemi in the June 2025 Israel-Iran War.[ix] Israel has also reportedly targeted President Masoud Pezeshkian and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, although the condition of these officials remains unclear.[x]
Israel and the United States have also attacked Iranian military targets. Some of these attacks are probably meant to disrupt Iran’s ability to immediately retaliate. The IDF announced that it has targeted “hundreds of military targets,” including missile launchers, in western Iran.[xi] The IDF previously attacked Iranian missile launchers at the outset of the June 2025 Israel-Iran war to disrupt Iran’s ability to retaliate.[xii] Israel destroyed at least one-third of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers during the Israel-Iran war, according to the IDF.[xiii] Israel also destroyed at least 35 percent of Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile during the June war, but Iran has reportedly reconstituted its stockpile in recent months.[xiv]
There are unconfirmed reports of strikes on Iranian naval assets. An Israeli OSINT account reported strikes on the IRGC Navy frigate Jamaran.[xv] The Jamaran previously operated in the Red Sea during at least parts of the Houthis’ attack campaign against international shipping during the October 7 war.[xvi] US Central Command (CENTCOM) noted in June 2024 that the Jamaran failed to respond to a distress call issued by a commercial vessel attacked by the Houthis despite being several nautical miles from the vessel.[xvii] There are also unverified reports of strikes on the IRGC Navy Imam Ali Navy Base in Chabahar, Sistan and Balochistan Province.[xviii]
The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced airstrikes in Jurf al Sakhr, which is an Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah stronghold. The PMF announced that airstrikes killed two PMF members in al Mayadin and injured three PMF members in Sanidij.[xix] An unspecified security source told Iraqi media that Israel targeted the Kataib Hezbollah headquarters in Jurf al Sakhr.[xx] The United States previously attacked the 46th and 47th PMF brigades, which are controlled by Kataib Hezbollah, in Jurf al Sakhr in January 2024.[xxi] Jurf al Sakhr is a previously Sunni town south of Baghdad that Iranian-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah occupied after committing acts of sectarian cleansing against the previous residents.[xxii]
Iran has responded immediately to the US and Israeli strikes. Iran has launched multiple barrages at Israel in recent hours. An Israeli media correspondent reported that Iran had launched around 35 missiles at Israel as of 5:42 AM EST.[xxiii] Iran has reportedly launched Emad and Ghadr missiles at Israel.[xxiv] Iran has used Emad and Ghadr missiles to attack Israel during previous conflicts, including in June 2025.[xxv] A ballistic missile expert also reported that Iran may have used Kheybar Shekan or Fatah-1 missiles to attack Israel in the current conflict.[xxvi] An OSINT account based in Bahrain claimed that Iran has launched between two to four missiles per barrage.[xxvii] Iran previously struggled to coordinate large-scale missile barrages during the Israel-Iran war and may again be struggling due to the disruption imposed by US and Israeli strikes.
Iran has also attacked numerous US bases across the region. Iran has attacked US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.[xxviii] Khatam ol Anbia Central Headquarters Commander Major General Ali Abdollahi Ali Abadi confirmed that Iranian forces have conducted missile strikes against Israel and US bases in the region and stated that Iran will continue to retaliate until the United States and Israel are “definitively defeated,” signaling the Iranian intention to sustain military action rather than conduct a limited retaliatory strike.[xxix] IRGC-affiliated media claimed that Iran has targeted 14 US bases thus far.[xxx]
The following map shows US positions in the Middle East. This map does NOT reflect the US bases that Iran has attacked.
