Tehran, March 6 — The death toll from ongoing US–Israeli strikes on Iran has crossed 1,000 as bombardments continue, with attacks reported across several cities and Tehran responding with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US military bases across the Middle East, including in Gulf states.
Iranian media said at least 1,200 people have been killed since the assault began on Saturday, while more than 6,000 have been wounded. Around 300 children and adolescents have been hospitalised, according to official reports.
Air strikes on Wednesday hit Tehran, the holy city of Qom, western Iran and parts of Isfahan province, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported, adding that several residential buildings were also damaged.
Israel said its forces struck facilities linked to the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary force affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as buildings associated with Iran’s internal security command.
The strikes come days after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of US–Israeli attacks early Saturday, which also killed several senior Iranian officials, including Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh.
Amid continuing explosions in the capital, authorities postponed funeral ceremonies for Khamenei. Organisers said arrangements are still being finalised for a gathering expected to draw massive crowds.
Iranian officials fear that such a large gathering could itself become a target during the ongoing conflict. About 10 million people attended the funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, one of the largest public funerals in modern history.
In response to the strikes, Tehran has launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US military installations across the Gulf region.
Israel, the United States and Gulf states say most incoming missiles have been intercepted, though some have struck military assets and civilian infrastructure. In several areas, debris from intercepted missiles has also fallen on residential neighbourhoods.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that whoever succeeds Khamenei could face the same fate if they pursue confrontation with Israel.
“Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people – will be a target for elimination,” Katz wrote on X.
No official announcement has been made on Khamenei’s successor, but Israeli and Western media reports say Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son, is among the frontrunners to assume the position.
US President Donald Trump said the conflict could continue for weeks and claimed Iran’s leadership structure was weakening.
“We’re in a very strong position now, and their leadership is just rapidly going. Everybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead,” Trump said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said the escalating conflict has triggered a growing humanitarian crisis, estimating that around 100,000 residents fled Tehran between February 28 and March 1 amid fears of further strikes.