Washington/Tel Aviv/Tehran, Mar 1 (.) Israel carried out a new wave of attacks “in the heart of Tehran,” while Iran unleashed fresh strikes of its own, and the US admitted that three American troops have been killed during the operation, as the Middle East continued to be embroiled in violence after the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli Air Force has carried out a new wave of strikes on the Iranian capital Tehran, according to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).
“For the first time since the start of Operation ‘Roaring Lion’: The IDF is striking targets that belong to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran,” a statement said
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“Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force conducted large-scale strikes in order to establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.”
Reports from Tehran say there were explosions in multiple areas of the city Sunday morning.
Images posted on social media purported to show large clouds of dense smoke rising from several parts of Tehran.
Video and images from Tehran showed several huge explosions in various parts of the city, including around the landmark Azadi Tower in western Tehran.
Iranian state media reported multiple explosions in the north and west of the city.
On the other hand, ran launched a fresh wave of strikes across the Middle East Sunday morning, with explosions heard in several capitals and major cities.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it launched a “sixth wave” of missile and drone attacks on Israel and US bases in the region, according to Iranian’s semi official Tasnim news agency
An Iranian attack killed people sheltering under a synagogue near Jerusalem.
Irani’s ruling clergy have formed a transitional council to lead the country after the Ali Khamenei’s death in US-Israeli strikes. The council includes Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, 67, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the head of judiciary, CNN reported.
Arafi is an established cleric with a track record in government institutions who was also a confidant of Khamenei. He currently serves as deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts and has been a member of the powerful Guardian Council, which vets election candidates and laws passed by parliament.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said in an interview that the new leaders “want to talk,” although he didn’t specify who they were.
Trump told The Atlantic that the new leaders in Iran “want to talk.”
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” Trump said.
Pressed further, the president declined to say when he would speak with the Iranians.
“I can’t tell you that,” the president said.
Trump also did not say which particular leaders his administration was dealing with, and noted some with whom they had talked to in the past had been killed.
Earlier, Trump told Fox News that 48 Iranian leaders were killed during the ongoing strikes.
The US Central Command said three US service members have been killed in action as of Sunday morning as part of Operation Epic Fury and five more are “seriously wounded.”
“Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing,” CENTCOM said on its X handle.
The waves of violence have disrupted travel through the Middle East, rocked densely populated areas and hindered the flow of oil through a vital shipping lane. . .