Israel says attacks on Iran have been ‘deep and systematic’

The Islamic Republic launched missile and drone attacks in recent hours on Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel.

Kuwait’s state news agency reported that an Iranian drone strike hit fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport, causing a large fire but no casualties. Initial reports pointed only to material damage at facilities belonging to the Kuwait Aviation Fueling Company.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a vessel about 31 km north of Qatar’s Ras Laffan was hit by two projectiles, one of which did not explode. The other caused a fire on board that has since been brought under control.

Hours earlier, the same body said a tanker about 31 km north of Doha had been struck by an unidentified projectile, damaging the hull above the waterline. The crew was safe and no environmental impact was reported.

Bahrain’s interior ministry also reported a fire at a company facility following an Iranian attack but gave no further details.

Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said two drones had been intercepted in recent hours.

The Israeli military said several missiles had been launched from Iran toward Israel and that interception efforts were under way. It also said a missile had been fired at Israel from Yemen.

Iranian media reported that the former US Embassy building in Tehran was targeted in an attack early on Wednesday, and said the United States had struck the site.

According to witness accounts cited by the reports, the eastern side of the compound at the intersection of Taleghani and South Mofatteh streets was damaged.

Officials have not yet released details about the attack or the extent of the damage.

The former US Embassy was turned into a museum after it was seized in November 1979 and has since been largely controlled by institutions linked to the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij.

A tanker struck off Qatar was hit by two projectiles, one of which caused a fire that has since been extinguished, while the other remained unexploded in the vessel’s engine room, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Wednesday.

The vessel was hit about 17 nautical miles north of Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial hub, sustaining damage above the waterline.

UKMTO said the crew was safe and no environmental impact had been reported.

The incident came amid growing threats to maritime traffic as the US-Israel conflict with Iran intensifies across the region. Kuwait said on Tuesday that one of its fully loaded oil tankers was targeted off Dubai, triggering a fire.

Messages sent to Iran International described explosions and fighter jet overflights across several Iranian cities early on Wednesday, including Amol, Shiraz, Aligoudarz, Ahvaz, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Chalus, Tehran and Kelardasht.

A message from Amol said repeated fighter jet overflights had been heard from Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning.

A resident in Chalus reported an explosion near Namak Abroud at around 5:30 a.m., while another in nearby Kelardasht said several fighter jets were heard flying over the city at about the same time.

In Shiraz, residents reported an attack on the Electronics Industries Complex and what they described as a heavy strike on industrial facilities at around 2:20 a.m. They said the explosions were followed by smoke and the smell of gunpowder across the city.

Several messages from Ahvaz said the Meraj IRGC base, Al-Hadid artillery site and the area around the airport had been targeted. Residents also reported a large explosion in the Sepidar area and several blasts near Chaharshir Square at around 4 a.m.

Residents in Bushehr, southern Iran, said the port authority had been targeted, while messages from Bandar Abbas said drones were heard flying near the city’s refinery.

A resident in Aligoudarz, in Lorestan province, said low-flying fighter jets roared over the city at 5:20 a.m., jolting people awake.

In Tehran, residents reported a possible missile strike in the Shian area, around eight explosions in the Pasdaran and Nobonyad districts, and three blasts in Narmak between 5:30 a.m. and 5:40 a.m. Heavy explosions were also reported in western parts of the capital, as well as in Malard and Mahdasht.

Reports from Tehran indicated particularly heavy strikes in the north and northeast of the city. Based on messages from residents, sites linked to the defense industry and the navy may have been hit in those areas.

The IRGC has blocked presidential appointments and decisions while erecting a security perimeter around the core of power, effectively sidelining the government from executive control.

Efforts by Masoud to appoint a new intelligence minister last Thursday collapsed under direct pressure from IRGC chief-commander Ahmad Vahidi, sources with knowledge of the situation told Iran International.

All proposed candidates, including Hossein Dehghan, were rejected. Vahidi is said to have insisted that, given wartime conditions, all critical and sensitive leadership positions must be selected and managed directly by the IRGC until further notice.

Under Iran’s political system, presidents have traditionally nominated intelligence ministers only after securing the approval of the Supreme Leader, who holds ultimate authority over key security portfolios.

However, with the condition and whereabouts of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei unclear in recent weeks, the IRGC is now effectively blocking the president from advancing its preferred candidate, further consolidating its grip over the state’s security apparatus.

Security cordon around Khamenei Jr.

Pezeshkian has repeatedly sought an urgent meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei in recent days, but all requests have gone unanswered, with no contact established.

Informed sources say a “military council” composed of senior IRGC officers now exercises full control over the core decision-making structure, enforcing a security cordon around Mojtaba Khamenei and preventing government reports on the country’s situation from reaching him.

Speculation has also emerged regarding whether Mojtaba Khamenei’s health condition may be contributing to the current power dynamics.

Efforts to remove Hejazi

At the same time, an unprecedented internal crisis is reportedly unfolding within Mojtaba Khamenei’s inner circle. Some close associates are said to be pushing to remove Ali Asghar Hejazi, a powerful security figure in the Supreme Leader’s office.

The tensions are rooted in Hejazi’s explicit opposition to Mojtaba Khamenei’s potential succession. He had previously warned members of the Assembly of Experts that Mojtaba lacks the necessary qualifications for leadership and argued that hereditary succession is incompatible with the principles outlined by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to informed sources.

Hejazi reportedly cautioned that elevating Mojtaba would effectively hand full control of the country to the IRGC and permanently sideline civilian institutions.

In the first week of the ongoing war, Israeli media reported that Hejazi had been targeted in an airstrike in Tehran. However, later reports indicated that he survived the attack.