The USA attacked Iran together with Israel on Saturday.Image: keystone
Israel and the US have hit Iran with airstrikes, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard responded with drone and missile attacks on Israel and US bases. The situation in the Middle East remains highly tense – an overview.
March 1, 2026, 4:11 p.mMarch 1, 2026, 4:11 p.m
Attacks continue
After the killing of the Iranian head of state and religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israel and Iran continue to attack each other. The Israeli army said it was “attacking targets of the Iranian terrorist regime in the heart of Tehran.” Residents reported loud explosions. Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian described the killing of Khamenei by the Israeli military as an open declaration of war against all Muslims worldwide.
Israel and the USA have been attacking targets in Iran since Saturday. Iran has now also confirmed that Khamenei was killed. US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have made it clear that they want to pave the way for a change of power with attacks on the country’s leadership. They called on Iranians to take the country’s leadership into their hands. Iran responded with counterattacks on Israel and Gulf states where the US military has bases.
Israel: Repeated rocket alarms
There were repeated rocket alarms in Israel throughout the weekend. Since Saturday evening, millions of people have had to rush to shelters around 20 times because of attacks. Impacts were reported in several areas. Nine people were killed when a rocket hit Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem. According to Israeli reports, a total of at least eleven people were killed over the weekend and dozens of people were injured.
Israelis have to go to shelters again and again.Image: keystone
Iran: Between joy and fear
The attacks and the killing of Khamenei sparked panic and sadness in Iran, but also joy and hope. On Sunday, Tehran’s city center was again rocked by explosions. According to the Red Crescent, more than 200 people have already died in the attacks on other regions of the country. Hundreds were injured.
There are repeated explosions caused by Israeli rocket attacks in Tehran.Image: keystone
Trump warned Iran against further counterattacks. People will respond to this “with a strength that they have never seen before”. Nevertheless, Iran vowed revenge.
The top three should initially take over Khamenei’s tasks
Iran will now be temporarily led by a three-member council: President Peseschkian, head of the judiciary Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Edschehi and the member of the Guardian Council, Alireza Arafi. The trio is supposed to take over Khamenei’s duties until the 88 clergy in the so-called expert council name a successor. How quickly the power structure can be rearranged in the middle of a war is completely unclear.
This trio is supposed to temporarily lead Iran:
Explosions in Gulf States
Iran did not limit its attacks only to Israel. Impacts and explosions were reported in Bahrain, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The Revolutionary Guards attacked 27 US bases in the Gulf region, reported the Tasnim news agency, a mouthpiece for the elite force.
The escalation in the Middle East is having a significant impact on international air traffic. Numerous airspaces were closed for safety reasons, thousands of travelers were stranded or had to be rerouted. According to the Flightradar24 platform, more than 3,400 flights were canceled at seven major airports – including at the international hubs Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
Israel and the USA defend their actions
The Israeli army said it deliberately killed Khamenei on Saturday while he was with high-ranking government officials in a building complex in central Tehran. According to a report in the New York Times, the US foreign secret service CIA gave the decisive clue to his whereabouts.
Iran has now confirmed that high-ranking military officials such as Chief of General Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi were also killed. The Israeli army said it killed a total of 40 Iranian commanders in the first attacks on Saturday. Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also killed, according to state media.
Israel and the USA base their attacks on the threat posed by Iran and its current leadership. The attacks began shortly after new negotiations between the USA and Iran over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program, which threatens Israel’s existence. Experts see the attacks on Iran as a breach of international law.
Europe’s divided reaction
China and Russia, both major supporters of Iran, condemned Khamenei’s killing. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin spoke of a “cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry sees a violation of Iran’s sovereignty and called for a halt to all military actions.
In Europe, reactions to the Israeli-American attacks varied. Germany – together with France and Great Britain – condemned the Iranian attacks on countries in the region. The heads of government of Spain and Norway strongly condemned not only the Iranian counterstrikes, but also the attacks on Iran.
The death of religious leader Khamenei marks a “decisive moment” in Iranian history, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. In the afternoon, the EU foreign ministers wanted to discuss – and Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), who wants to leave for a trip to the USA on Monday, also wanted to comment again. (hkl/sda/dpa)