Key Points
- High-Level Casualties: Iranian Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and IRGC Chief Mohammad Pakpour were killed in the opening wave of strikes on February 28, 2026.
- Operation Roaring Lion: The IDF and U.S. forces targeted over hundreds of strategic sites, including command centers, nuclear facilities, and ballistic missile units.
- Leadership Targeted: Israeli officials confirmed that the strike bank included the offices of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
- Immediate Threat Neutralized: The IDF released footage showing a precision strike on an Iranian missile unit as it prepared an imminent launch toward Israel.
- Regional Fallout: Iran has responded with massive missile barrages targeting Israel and U.S. assets in Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE.
The geopolitical landscape of the Middle East shifted violently on Saturday, February 28, 2026, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the United States military launched “Operation Roaring Lion” (and “Operation Epic Fury”). This coordinated daylight offensive achieved a significant tactical breakthrough by eliminating two of Iran’s most powerful military leaders.
According to reports from Reuters and regional intelligence, Amir Nasirzadeh, the Minister of Defense, and Mohammad Pakpour, the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were killed during the initial bombardment of Tehran. Pakpour had only taken the mantle of IRGC leadership in June 2025 after his predecessor, Hossein Salami, was also eliminated in an Israeli strike. The loss of both the political head of defense and the operational head of the Revolutionary Guard leaves a critical power vacuum within the Iranian regime at the very moment it faces an existential military threat.
IDF Footage: Thwarting an Imminent Launch
Shortly after the strikes began, the IDF released dramatic declassified footage on social media documenting the surgical nature of the operation. The video depicts an Iranian ground-to-ground missile unit in western Iran frantically preparing a launcher for an immediate strike on Israeli population centers.
The IDF’s “Roaring Lion” command identified the threat in real-time, executing a swift aerial strike that destroyed the launcher and its crew seconds before the ignition sequence could be completed. “The threat was identified, and a swift strike was launched, preventing the launch toward Israel,” the IDF statement confirmed, emphasizing the preemptive nature of the morning’s campaign.
Chaos in Tehran and the Fate of the Supreme Leader
The strikes were not limited to military hardware. Precision missiles reportedly hit the “Beit-e Rahbari” compound, the fortified residence and administrative hub of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While Chinese satellite imagery confirms extensive damage to the complex, the exact status of the 86-year-old leader remains a subject of intense speculation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed in a late-afternoon statement that “all high-ranking officials are alive,” but Israeli intelligence sources suggest Khamenei has been cut off from his command-and-control network.
As the sun sets on February 28, the conflict has widened into a multi-front regional war. Iran’s “Truthful Promise 4” counter-offensive has seen hundreds of drones and missiles launched toward Israel, while U.S. naval assets in the Persian Gulf, including the 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, have come under direct fire. With the death of Nasirzadeh and Pakpour, the Iranian military’s ability to coordinate a sustained defense remains in serious doubt as the joint U.S.-Israeli offensive continues.
