By Desire Emmanuel with Agency Reports
Israel’s strikes on Iran on Saturday morning targeted senior Iranian figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sayyid Abdolrahim Mousavi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, among others, two Israeli sources familiar with the operation told Cable News Network (CNN).
Other targets included the secretary of Iran’s newly established Defence Council, Ali Shamkhani, and the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, Ali Larijani, according to the sources.
It is however unclear if any senior Iranian figures were hit in the attack as of the time of this report.
In a related development, one person was killed by falling debris after air defences intercepted Iranian missiles targeting sites in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, state-run WAM news agency said, citing the UAE defence ministry.
The defence ministry said an Asian national was killed after the debris fell on a residential area of Abu Dhabi.
The UAE said in the statement that it had intercepted “a number” of ballistic missiles fired by Iran, describing the attack as “a dangerous escalation and a cowardly act.”
