How the US and Israel’s deadly assault on Iran unfolded, moment by moment

12.07AM AEDTIranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi says on X that dozens of children were killed when a missile hit a girls primary school in southern Iran.

Minutes later, a ministry of health spokesman, Hossein Kermanpour, says that in “the most bitter news”, 60 children were killed and 80 wounded. State media later reports the death toll to be over 100.

1.35AM AEDTUN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemns the attacks.

“I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States & Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace & security,” says his statement.

“All Member States must respect their obligations under international law, including the Charter of the @UN. The Charter clearly prohibits ‘the threat of the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.’

“I call for an immediate cessation of hostilities & de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians & regional stability. I strongly encourage all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table.”

2.53AM AEDTThe Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reports that ships in the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, through which 25 per cent of the world’s seaborne oil moves, are “receiving repeated high-frequency messages from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stating that no ship is permitted to pass”.

5:09AM AEDTIsrael Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there are “many indications” that Ayatollah Khamenei is dead.

5.45AM AEDTThe Israel Defence Forces claim to have conducted “the largest military flyover in IDF history” in its attack on Iran, with 200 jets striking the missile array and the aerial defence systems of the C in western and central Iran, hitting over 500 targets.

8.19AM AEDTAn IDF spokesman confirms it had launched coordinated strikes in cooperation with the US on gatherings of senior figures of Iran’s regime.

The spokesman claimed the strikes had killed figures including defence council secretary Ali Shamkhani, Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Pakpour, Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Khamenei’s chief military secretary Mohammad Shirazi, Iranian emergency military intelligence chief Saleh Asadi and chairman of the SPND (Iran’s nuclear weapons research organisation) Hossein Jabal Amelian.

Later he posts on Truth Social, “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.”

Israeli officials said Israel targeted Khamenei’s sons, but intelligence assessments suggest they survived the strikes, including Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been discussed as a possible successor to his father, Axios has reported.

Analysts with the Washington DC-based think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies write that they expected Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion are likely to be the start of a prolonged conflict with Iran.

“The U.S.-Israel coalition has moved beyond proliferation targets and is seeking to destroy the Iranian government entirely. This conflict has already spread across the Middle East, involving strikes in more than half a dozen countries within the first few hours.

“U.S. and Israeli strikes may have significantly reduced the risk of short-term Iranian proliferation, but kinetic strikes may introduce new types of proliferation risks.”

Live updates: US, Israel attack IranSupreme Leader killed: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in strikesWhat we know so far: Why have Israel and the US attacked Iran?US President reveals his endgame: Attacking Iran is Trump’s most consequential moment, writes Michael KoziolTrump and Netanyahu decide on war: US-Israeli alliance now above any other, writes David Crowe