Israel launched a daylight airstrike on Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Saturday, sending a cloud of smoke rising over the city’s downtown area. The first apparent explosion was reported near the offices of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

It was not immediately clear whether the 86-year-old Khamenei was present at the time of the strike. He has not been seen publicly in recent days as tensions between Iran and the United States have escalated.

According to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the operation, Washington is participating in the military action, though the full extent of its involvement remains unclear. Both individuals spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The strike comes amid mounting pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump has sought a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear activities, viewing the current period of domestic unrest in Iran — following nationwide protests — as a potential opportunity for leverage. Tehran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium and has resisted negotiations on broader issues, including its long-range missile program and support for regional armed groups.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the strike as an operation conducted “to remove threats,” without providing further details.

Witnesses in Tehran reported hearing the initial blast near Khamenei’s office. Iranian state television later confirmed an explosion but did not specify the cause. Additional explosions were reported across the capital after Israel acknowledged launching attacks. No casualty figures have been released.

Simultaneously, sirens sounded across Israel as the country closed its airspace. The Israeli military issued what it described as a “proactive alert” to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward Israeli territory.

Iran has previously warned that U.S. military personnel and bases across the region would be considered targets in the event of retaliation. Following the strikes, Iran shut down its airspace and mobile phone services were reportedly cut in parts of the country.

The situation remains fluid, with the potential for further escalation across the region.

India delivered a sharp rebuttal to Pakistan at the 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which is being held from 23 February to 31 March, accusing Islamabad of spreading propaganda and asserting that Jammu and Kashmir’s development trajectory stands in stark contrast to Pakistan’s economic troubles.

Exercising India’s Right to Reply during the high-level segment held on February 25, Anupama Singh, India’s representative, rejected allegations made by Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), saying the grouping had allowed itself to be used as an “echo chamber” for one member state.

“We categorically reject these allegations, ” Singh said, adding that Pakistan’s “incessant propaganda now reeks of envy.”

Singh reiterated India’s long-standing position that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.” She said the accession of the region to India in 1947 was “completely legal and irrevocable,” in accordance with the Indian Independence Act and international law.

“The only outstanding dispute regarding this region is the illegal occupation of Indian territories by Pakistan,” she stated, calling on Islamabad to vacate areas under its control.

In a pointed remark that drew attention at the Council, Singh referenced infrastructure and economic development in the region, including the inauguration of the Chenab Rail Bridge, described as the world’s highest railway bridge.

“If the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world’s highest bridge, inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir last year, is fake, then Pakistan must be hallucinating or living in the ‘La-la-land’”, she said.

She further claimed that the development budget of Jammu and Kashmir is “more than double the recent bailout package” Pakistan sought from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), contrasting what she described as governance and development in the Union Territory with Pakistan’s economic challenges.

Responding to criticism on democratic processes, Singh said it was “hard to take lectures on democracy from a country where civilian governments rarely complete their terms.” She cited voter turnout in recent general and assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as evidence that people in the region have “rejected the ideology of terrorism and violence” and are moving ahead on the path of development.

Concluding her remarks, Singh accused Pakistan of attempting to destabilise the region through ” relentless state-sponsored terrorism,” while asserting that Jammu and Kashmir continues to progress politically, economically and socially.

“Pakistan would do well if it focuses on fixing its deepening internal crisis rather than masking it with grandstanding at such a platform, ” she said, adding that “the world can certainly see through its charade.”

The exchange marks the latest round of sharp diplomatic sparring between India and Pakistan at multilateral forums like the UNHRC over the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. (Agencies)