US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (local time) that at least 48 Iranian leaders had been killed so far in the strikes that began on Saturday.
In an interview with Fox News, he said, “Nobody can believe the success we’re having; 48 leaders gone at once. And it’s going fast.”
Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in New Delhi on Sunday after completing his two-day visit, according to Indian government sources, ANI reported.
What is expected at the meeting?
The meeting is being called at a time of rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel and the United States carried out Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury, carrying out airstrikes on several Iranian cities. The attacks reportedly targeted military command centers, air defense systems, missile facilities and key government infrastructure, ANI reported.
According to the report, the strikes led to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with four senior military and security officials. Large explosions were reported in Tehran and other major cities.
US President Donald Trump said the operation was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
In response, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at US positions and allied sites across the region, targeting Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
On Sunday, Israel announced new strikes on what it described as “the heart of Tehran”. Meanwhile, Iran reportedly attacked the port of Duqm in Oman and targeted an oil tanker off the Omani coast.
A new leadership council has begun its activities in Iran
Masoud Pezeshkian announced that the new leadership council had “started its work” following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli airstrikes. The statement was delivered in a pre-recorded message broadcast on Iranian state television on Sunday.
Pezeshkian is one of three council members. The other two are Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, who heads the judiciary, and Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.
The explosions in Tehran – with the intended target not immediately known – sent a large plume of smoke rising over an area where several government buildings are located. Iranian officials report that more than 200 people have been killed since the US and Israeli airstrikes began.
In Israel, loud explosions from rocket attacks or air defense intercepts were heard in Tel Aviv. Emergency services said eight people were killed and 28 wounded in the attack on the central city of Beit Shemesh.
Khamenei’s death, along with US President Donald Trump’s calls for the fall of the long-time Islamic republic, signals a dramatic new phase in US involvement in the Middle East and raises the possibility of widespread conflict.
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