A dramatic video captures the moment U.S. and Israeli missiles bombarded the compound of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, as explosions lit up the area and a bystander could be heard laughing in stunned disbelief.
The dramatic video shows heavy plumes of smoke billowing from the heavily guarded compound, which—along with several nearby military sites—was hit during what the U.S. State Department described as "Operation Epic Fury." As the scale of what is happening sinks in, a woman can be heard laughing, sounding shocked and almost unable to process what she was watching. "Oh my God, they hit it. They struck it. Oh my God!" the woman says.
Khamenei's Compound Blown
"They hit the Supreme Leader compound!" the woman can be heard saying. Several missiles — at least seven — slammed into the area surrounding the fortified compound of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in central Tehran, with more strikes reported near the presidential palace.
Officials say the 86-year-old leader was not inside the compound — or even in Tehran — when the attack happened and was later relocated to a secure, undisclosed location.
Airstrikes were also reported in other parts of the country, including Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah, though the full scale of the operation was still unclear early Saturday.
Iran quickly hit back, launching a wave of retaliatory attacks in Bahrain, including one strike that reportedly targeted a U.S. Navy base.
The joint U.S.–Israeli strike was carried out early Saturday after Iran's leadership refused to dismantle its nuclear program, despite weeks of negotiations aimed at easing tensions.
Explaining the move, President Donald Trump said that the objective of Operation Epic Fury was to "defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime."
Trump also issued a direct appeal to the people of Iran, urging them to rise up and overthrow what he described as a "violent" regime.
Complete Unrest
Back on Feb. 19, the president gave Iranian officials a strict 10–15-day deadline to reach a nuclear deal, warning that the regime would face "really bad things" if it failed to comply. Trump made it clear he would not agree to any deal that allowed Iran to keep enriching uranium, saying he feared the material was being used to develop a nuclear weapon.
Tehran, however, has continued to insist its nuclear activities are strictly for civilian use.
As tensions escalated, Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, urged American citizens on Friday to evacuate the embassy as quickly as possible.
The U.S. attack represents the first American-led strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since Operation Midnight Hammer last June, when U.S. forces hit key nuclear sites across the country. Those strikes targeted the Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility, and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center.
