Iran announces new wave of missile and drone strikes

Iran has launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes on Sunday targeting US military bases across the region and Israel, state media said, in retaliation for the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Twenty-seven US bases in the region, as well as Israel’s military headquarters and a defence industries complex in Tel Aviv, were among the targets, according to an AFP report that cited Iranian state TV.

On Sunday morning, waves of sirens were heard across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank, with Israel’s military saying it was responding to Iranian missile fire.

Explosions were heard over Jerusalem, agencies reported, while the Israeli Air Force said it was “operating to intercept and strike threats.” The Magen David Adom rescue service said early on Sunday that there were currently no reports of casualties.

Smoke billows from Jebel Ali port after an Iranian attack.
Smoke billows from Jebel Ali port after an Iranian attack. Photograph: Raghed Waked/Reuters

Blasts were also heard across several Gulf cities. Thick black clouds of smoke and several loud blast were reported over Qatari capital Doha, while explosions were heard across Dubai and Bahrain’s Manama.

Two people were injured in Dubai after shrapnel from drones fell over two houses when they were intercepted, a Dubai Media office statement said.

Qatar’s interior ministry said on Sunday it was responding to a limited fire in an industrial zone after debris fell from an intercepted missile

Loud explosions and thick, black smoke were seen near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

This follows confirmation by Iranian state media earlier that Khamenei had been killed.

On Saturday, Iran responded to the US-Israel strikes with a wide-ranging attack targeting more than six countries, drawing in countries that have previously been unaffected by the crisis.

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Key events

Thousands of Shia muslims joined street demonstrations in Indian-administered Kashmir to protest against the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday.

Protesters holding red, black, and yellow flags converged on the main square in the heart of Srinagar, the main city of Indian Kashmir. Many of them chanted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans during the emotionally charged but largely peaceful gathering.

Protests erupt in Kashmir following the killing of Khamenei. Photograph: Farooq Khan/EPA

“This day we are all very heavy hearted. We are mourning our beloved leader who was martyred,” Syed Towfeeq told AFP. “We all have a message for Trump … We will always stand against your oppression.”

Another protester, Ishfaq Wani, urged Muslim countries to unite “under one flag”.

Similar protests were held in other places across Kashmir and other parts of India with a sizeable Shia Muslim population.

Shiite muslims mourn the killing of Khamenei in Srinagar. Photograph: Farooq Khan/EPA

Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, said he was “deeply concerned” about the developments in Iran.

He also urged protesters to remain calm and “avoid any actions that could lead to tension or unrest”.

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