As Iran retaliates, largest US military base in Middle East hit by ballistic missile, Qatar says

No one was injured, according to the Qatari Ministry of Defense.

ByJon Haworth, Jack Moore, Nadine El-Bawab, David Brennan, Kevin Shalvey, Meredith Deliso, and Leah Sarnoff
Last Updated: March 3, 2026, 10:02 PM EST

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Saturday, with daytime strikes in the joint U.S.-Israel attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

On Sunday, Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on Saturday.

Iran is responding to the U.S.-Israeli operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and Gulf nations. American diplomatic facilities have also been attacked.

In Lebanon, Israel is intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iranian-aligned Hezbollah militia.

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Feb 28, 2026, 11:57 PM EST

Temporary leadership council to govern Iran, state media says

The following three officials will act collectively as a temporary leadership council to govern Iran, Iranian state media reported.

The three individuals that will form the council are the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and a jurist from the Guardian Council, Iranian state media said.

PHOTO: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a visit to the shrine of the leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in southern Tehran
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a visit to the shrine of the leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in southern Tehran, Iran, January 31, 2026. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Aboutaleb Nadri/iran's President/via Reuters
Feb 28, 2026, 11:30 PM EST

Iranian-backed group claims responsibility for drone strike after explosion near airport in Erbil, Iraq

A fire continues to burn at Erbil international airport in the Kurdistan region of Iraq after an explosion at daybreak. The Iranian-backed group Islamic Resistance in Iraq has now claimed responsibility for the strike.

What exactly is on fire remains unclear, but it is burning in an area that is comprises a number of military base buildings.

PHOTO: IRAQ-IRAN-ISRAEL-US-CONFLICT
A plume of smoke rises near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 1, 2026. Loud explosions were heard early on March 1 near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist said.
Shvan Harki/AFP via Getty Images

This base has been the target of repeated missile and drone attacks in the past.

-ABC News' Bader Katy and Paul P. Murphy

Feb 28, 2026, 8:47 PM EST

Iranian state TV reports Khamenei's death

Iranian state TV confirmed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death Saturday night.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei adjusts his eyeglasses during a press conference after casting his ballot for the parliamentary runoff elections in Tehran, May 10, 2024.
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Khamenei was "carrying out his assigned duties," and was "in his workplace" when he was killed "in the early hours of Sunday morning," according to the announcement.

Iranian state TV said claims from Israeli media that Khamenei was "in a secure and hidden location" when he was killed were false.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

Feb 28, 2026, 8:35 PM EST

Israeli Defense Forces launches 'another wave of strikes' against Iran

The Israeli defense forces have launched "another wave of strikes," against Iran, the IDF said in a post on X.

The post said it was targeting the regime's "ballistic missile array and air defense systems."

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

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