US‑Israeli strikes target Iran’s internal security after Khamenei’s death The combined force killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Feb 28 and then hit the IRGC Ground Forces Sarallah Headquarters, the Law Enforcement Command headquarters, and killed LEC intelligence chief Gholamreza Rezaian, also striking the Revolutionary Court and IRIB headquarters to cripple the regime’s ability to suppress dissent [1][2][4][5][6][7][8].
Decapitation campaign eliminates senior Iranian military leaders The IDF confirmed the killing of Armed Forces General Staff chief Maj‑Gen Abdol Rahim Mousavi, who succeeded Mohammad Bagheri after Israel killed him in June 2025; Iranian media reported 12 IRGC members killed in Kashan, and the New York Times said Iran’s top intelligence chief survived while intelligence agencies were decimated [11][12][13][15][16][17].
Leadership council formed to assume supreme‑leader duties The Expediency Discernment Council appointed Ali Reza Arafi, a trusted Khamenei confidant and senior cleric, as the third member of the council alongside the president and judiciary chief, per the constitution, to temporarily wield supreme‑leader powers until the Assembly of Experts selects a new leader [18][19][20][21].
IDF outlines three‑phase plan to gain air superiority over Iran Phase 1 will dismantle western Iran’s air defenses, phase 2 will secure western airspace and pave the way to Tehran, and phase 3 will achieve dominance over central Iran; this mirrors the June 2025 strategy that enabled Israel to degrade Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, and the IDF continued targeting missile launchers on March 1 [22][23][24][25][26].
Iran retaliates by threatening and striking maritime traffic in Hormuz UKMTO reported projectiles hitting vessels near Mina Saqr (UAE) and north of Muscat (Oman) on March 1, causing fires that crews extinguished; an EU official said the IRGC warned “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz,” and TankerTrackers suggested Iran may have hit its own vessel, though verification is pending [27][28][29][30][31][32].
Iranian missile and drone attacks hit Gulf civilians and Israel, while protests flare in Baghdad Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, striking airports, ports and hotels; a missile hit Beit Shemesh in Israel killing nine, and other projectiles impacted Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa; simultaneously, protesters stormed Baghdad’s Green Zone after Khamenei’s death, prompting tear gas and a US embassy security alert [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61].