The Levant Files

Iran fires two missiles toward British Sovereign Bases on the island as Operation “Epic Fury” engulfs the region, killing Ayatollah Khamenei and triggering unprecedented retaliatory strikes across the Gulf and beyond For the first time since the 1974 Turkish invasion, Cyprus found itself in the direct trajectory of foreign missiles on Sunday, after Iran fired two ballistic missiles in the direction of British Sovereign Base Areas on the island. The attack came as part of Tehran’s massive retaliatory wave following Operation “Epic Fury,” the coordinated US–Israeli military campaign that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and devastated Iranian military infrastructure on Saturday. With Washington vowing to intensify strikes and Tehran pledging vengeance of historic proportions, the window for a ceasefire has all but closed – and Cyprus, an EU member state hosting Britain’s most strategically vital bases in the Eastern Mediterranean, now sits squarely inside the conflict zone. O...

"If Conflict Erupts on a Larger Scale, It Is Unlikely to Remain Contained" China has issued a stark warning that a broader military confrontation between the United States, Israel, and Iran risks spiralling beyond control, as Beijing called for an immediate cessation of hostilities following coordinated US and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory on Saturday. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China is "highly concerned" about the military attacks, stressing that Iran's national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity must be respected. "China calls for an immediate halt to military operations, to avoid further escalation of tensions, to resume dialogue and negotiation, and to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East," the spokesperson said, according to the Global Times. The warning comes as a prominent Chinese analyst on Middle Eastern affairs offered a blunt strategic assessment. "If conflict erupts on a larger scale, ...

As US and Israeli strikes on Iran entered their second day, the dominant theme emerging from Moscow's military and analytical establishment is one of deep scepticism — not about the firepower being deployed, but about what it can realistically achieve. Russian experts and commentators are broadly united in their assessment that while "Operation Epic Fury" and "Operation Lion's Roar" may degrade Iranian capabilities; they are unlikely to bring down the Islamic Republic. The Kremlin, for its part, has already called for a return to diplomacy. What Russia sees unfolding in the Middle East is less a decisive strike than the opening of a costly, open-ended confrontation — one that could trap Washington in a conflict it has neither the regional resources nor a clear endgame to manage. The Opening Strikes and Iran's Response On the morning of 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated attacks against Iran. According to Izvestia, the ini...

Israeli Military Names Seven Senior Iranian Officials Killed in Strikes — Iran's Foreign Minister Partially Confirms Deaths - Burj Khalifa Not Hit — Evacuated as Precaution U.S. President Donald Trump has officially confirmed the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, posting a lengthy statement on his Truth Social account on Saturday evening in which he declared Khamenei "one of the most evil people in History" and announced that U.S. and Israeli bombing operations will continue "throughout the week or as long as necessary." The announcement ends the last remaining ambiguity about Khamenei's fate and marks a defining moment in modern history. Trump Confirms: Khamenei Is Dead In a post on his Truth Social account, President Donald J. Trump wrote: "Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead." Trump said the killing was the result of American intelligence and what he described as "Highly Sophisticated Tracking Sys...

Ο Πρόεδρος των ΗΠΑ Ντόναλντ Τραμπ επιβεβαίωσε επίσημα ότι ο Ανώτατος Θρησκευτικός Ηγέτης του Ιράν, Αγιατολάχ Αλί Χαμενεΐ, σκοτώθηκε. Σε ανάρτησή του στο Truth Social, ο Τραμπ χαρακτήρισε τον Χαμενεΐ ως «έναν από τους χειρότερους ανθρώπους της ιστορίας» και ανακοίνωσε ότι οι κοινές επιχειρήσεις ΗΠΑ και Ισραήλ θα συνεχιστούν «καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια της εβδομάδας ή όσο χρειαστεί». Με αυτή τη δήλωση, αίρονται και οι τελευταίες αβεβαιότητες σχετικά με την τύχη του Χαμενεΐ. Ο Τραμπ ανέφερε ότι η επιχείρηση πραγματοποιήθηκε με συντονισμένη χρήση αμερικανικών πληροφοριών και εξαιρετικά προηγμένων συστημάτων παρακολούθησης, σε συνεργασία με το Ισραήλ, και δήλωσε ότι όχι μόνο ο Χαμενεΐ αλλά και «άλλοι ηγέτες μαζί του» έχασαν τη ζωή τους. Παράλληλα, απηύθυνε μήνυμα προς στελέχη των Ιρανών Φρουρών της Επανάστασης (IRGC), του στρατού και της αστυνομίας, προσφέροντας ατιμωρησία εάν υποχωρήσουν, λέγοντας: «Μπορούν να λάβουν ατιμωρησία τώρα· αργότερα θα αντιμετωπίσουν μόνο τον θάνατο». Το Ισραήλ ανακοίν...

ABD Başkanı Donald Trump, İran Dini Lideri Ayetullah Ali Hamaney'in öldürüldüğünü resmen doğruladı. Trump, Truth Social hesabından yaptığı açıklamada Hamaney'i "tarihin en kötü insanlarından biri" olarak nitelendirerek ABD ve İsrail'in ortak operasyonlarının "hafta boyunca veya gerektiği sürece" devam edeceğini duyurdu. Bu açıklama, Hamaney'in akıbetine ilişkin son belirsizlikleri de ortadan kaldırdı. Trump, söz konusu operasyonun ABD istihbaratı ve son derece gelişmiş takip sistemlerinin İsrail ile koordineli biçimde kullanılmasıyla gerçekleştirildiğini belirterek yalnızca Hamaney'in değil, "onunla birlikte diğer liderlerin" de hayatını kaybettiğini açıkladı. Bunun yanı sıra İran Devrim Muhafızları (IRGC), ordu ve polis mensuplarına geri adım atmaları halinde dokunulmazlık teklif ederek şu ifadeleri kullandı: "Şimdi dokunulmazlık alabilirler, daha sonra yalnızca ölümle karşılaşırlar." İsrail, Öldürülen 7 Üst Düzey İran Yetkil...