After the United States and Israel launched a regime change operation against Iran on Saturday morning, images broadcast on social media and geotagged by CNN offered a window into its impacts.
The attacks hit high-profile Iranian military targets and resulted in the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a Truth Social announcement from President Donald Trump. A strike killed dozens of students at a primary school in southern Iran, according to state media.
In retaliation, Tehran carried out attacks across the Middle East. Images from at least five Arab countries that host US military bases – including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar – show the range of sites struck by Iran, from a US Navy installation to Dubai's luxury Palm Jumeirah district.
Following initial reports of strikes in the Iranian capital, images broadcast from inside Tehran showed extensive damage to several key political and military buildings.
The joint US and Israeli attacks appear to show that high-ranking political figures were targeted at the Iranian Supreme Leader's compound. It was not immediately clear which country – or if both – was targeting the complex.
Smoke seen a few blocks from the supreme leader's compound
This facility, known as beyt-e rahbarihas long been the site of the Ayatollah's decades-long hold on power. CNN geotagged several videos from different angles that appear to show smoke rising from inside the compound.
This satellite image captured by Airbus shows damage to several buildings in the compound. It is unclear whether this is where Khamenei was killed.
As plumes of smoke rose across the city of about 10 million people, geotagged videos by CNN also appeared to show a strike on the Iranian intelligence ministry compound.
Video shows plume of smoke near Iranian intelligence ministry
U.S. and Israeli sources said they were hitting military targets, but videos also show the attacks hit densely populated civilian areas.
The highest number of civilian casualties so far is believed to be from a strike on a girls' school in the southern Iranian town of Minab. At least 85 students died at the Shajaba Tayyiba school, according to the official IRNA news agency, which cited the prosecutor of the town of Minab, where the school was located. The Red Crescent estimates the death toll at 108.
Video shows aftermath of school strike in Iran
The school is about 200 feet from an Iranian military base and previously appears to have been part of that facility, but satellite images show it has been separated from the base since at least 2016. Another video reviewed and geotagged by CNN shows several fires burning at the military base next to the school.
Asked about the strike, U.S. Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins said “we are aware of reports of civilian harm resulting from ongoing military operations. We take these reports seriously and are investigating them. The protection of civilians is of the utmost importance, and we will continue to take every available precaution to minimize the risk of unintended harm.”
Shortly after the U.S.-Israeli attacks began, Iran launched a rapid series of counterattacks targeting sites throughout the region, including several U.S. military bases. Iran has also launched dozens of ballistic missiles toward Israel, according to Nour News, a media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to the IRGC, al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates and the US naval base in Bahrain were targeted. The Muwaffaq al-Salti air base in Jordan was also targeted, according to Iranian state media, as well as a US base in northern Iraq.
One of the most notable strikes filmed was an Iranian strike against the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
In a video filmed near the US Navy base in Manama, Bahrain, an Iranian Shahed drone is seen directly hitting a radar dome on the facility. The drone attack occurred near an earlier strike against the Fifth Fleet.
Video shows Iranian drone strike on US Navy base in Bahrain
Iranian drones have also struck commercial and residential targets in the Persian Gulf. Several geotagged videos by CNN show a Shahed drone attack near the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai, causing a large explosion and fire.
The Fairmont is in Dubai's upscale Palm Jumeirah district, a set of densely populated artificial islands off the city's beachfront, known for its luxury apartments, hotels and restaurants.
Videos verified by CNN show the moment what appears to be a drone plunges to the ground in Dubai's luxury Palm Jumeirah district, before an explosion rocks the Fairmont Hotel, leaving it in flames.
” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=”this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)” onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1080″ width=”1920″/>
Dramatic video shows Shahed drone hitting Dubai's Palm Jumeirah area
Videos verified by CNN show the moment what appears to be a drone plunges to the ground in Dubai's luxury Palm Jumeirah district, before an explosion rocks the Fairmont Hotel, leaving it in flames.
” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=”this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)” onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1080″ width=”1920″ loading=”lazy”/>
Several videos from Bahrain show one of the Shahed drones hitting the upper floors of the Era Views Tower, a high-rise residential building about a mile from the U.S. Navy base.
Video shows high-rise residential building hit in Bahrain
In Kuwait, a drone attack on the country's international airport injured several people and caused limited damage to the passenger terminal, according to the Kuwait Civil Aviation Authority. Video recorded from inside the airport appears to show the aftermath of the strike.
On Saturday evening, a producer from CNN's Tel Aviv bureau shared video of a projectile hitting the ground amid warning sirens. One of the missiles appeared to pierce Israel's air defenses and hit the Tel Aviv area, triggering a large explosion and sending a large dark cloud into the sky.
Video shows missile strike on Tel Aviv
The U.S. and Israeli operation is expected to last several days, according to two sources, and the Israeli military said the strikes had been planned in close coordination with Washington for months. As Tehran's retaliation continues, the Iranian military has said it will deliver a “historic lesson” to the United States and Israel.
