February 28, 2026 (2026-02-28) (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
- Israel launches an attack on Iran, calling it a preemptive strike, killing several Iranian high-ranking officials including supreme leader Ali Khamenei. (CNN) (NBC News)
- The United States takes part in the attack on Iran with president Donald Trump announcing a "major U.S. combat operation" targeting Iranian missile facilities and naval assets, and calls on the Iranian military to overthrow Khamenei. (Iran International) (Ynet)
- The U.S. Department of Defense announces on X that the codename of the U.S. operation in Iran will be codenamed as Operation Epic Fury. Additionally, Israel announces that the codename of their operation will be Operation Roaring Lion. (Iran International) (CNN)
- Explosions are reported in Tehran, Iran, as U.S.-launched Tomahawk missiles strike Iranian targets, including the supreme leader's office. Satellite imagery confirms the destruction of Khamenei's compound. (The Times of Israel) (AP) (Middle East Online) (BBC News)
- Iran launches ballistic missiles at a United States Navy facility in Bahrain, targeting the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and Iranian drones strike residential areas of Manama. The Bahraini interior ministry urges citizens and residents to seek nearest safe locations. (AP) (AFP via Al Khaleej) (Defense Mirror)
- The Cabinet of Israel declares a state of emergency related to the strikes on Iran. Israel closes all border crossings with the Gaza Strip, citing security measures, and suspends the rotation of humanitarian personnel. (The Times of Israel) (AAP via The Canberra Times)
- Iran launches missiles at Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE state that they have intercepted Iranian missiles. The U.S. embassies in Bahrain and Qatar instruct their personnel to shelter in place. (AFP via L'Orient–Le Jour) (Middle East Eye) (Reuters) (Wafa)
- At least two people are killed and five more are injured when an unidentified airstrike targets the Popular Mobilization Forces headquarters in Jurf al-Nasr, Iraq. (AFP via The Times of Israel) (An-Nahar) (The National)
- Iranian Shahed drones strike Kuwait International Airport resulting in minor injures to several airport workers as well as damage to the main airport terminal. (The Times Kuwait)
- Iran says it has launched a ballistic missile attack on Dubai with reports of multiple missiles striking the city. At least one hotel on the Palm Islands is hit and is ablaze, injuring at least four people. The Burj Khalifa is evacuated. An Iranian drone strikes the luxury hotel Burj Al Arab causing a fire. (News.az) (Hindustan Times) (BBC News) (The Mirror)
- Iranian defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Pakpour, and Expediency Discernment Council member Ali Shamkhani are killed by Israeli strikes. (AFP via BSS) (Reuters)
- The IRGC Navy announces the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels. (News18) (Reuters)
- The Iranian Red Crescent Society reports 201 people have been killed and 747 others have been injured so far in Israeli and American strikes on Iran. (AP)
- At least 180 people, mostly schoolgirls, are killed in an airstrike on an elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, Iran. (Al Jazeera) (EFE) (France 24) (The New Arab)
- At least 21 people, including four children, are killed in an airstrike on a sports hall in Lamerd, Fars province, Iran. BBC Verify and The New York Times determined that a U.S. Precision Strike Missile was used in the attack. (NHK World-Japan)
- An Iranian missile strikes Tel Aviv, killing a woman, and wounding at least 22 other people, including several seriously, and badly damaging several buildings. Search and rescue efforts are underway. (Ynet News) (The Times of Israel)
- One person is killed and seven others are wounded in an Iranian airstrike on Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, while four are injured in a similar airstrike on Dubai International Airport. (Newswire) (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
- Red Sea crisis
- 2026 Iran war
- 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war
- Blasts rock Jalalabad, including the Jalalabad Airport in the Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. (Al Arabiya)
- Afghan forces and police say that a Pakistani fighter jet has crashed in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, and that the pilot was captured alive. (Arab News PK)
- The Pakistani Foreign Ministry denies claims that Afghan forces and police downed the pilot. The Pakistani Ministry of Information & Broadcasting confirms on X that no attack took place. (Pakistan TV)
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
- Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and Syria close their respective airspaces to civilian flights as a precautionary measure, while the UAE partially closes its airspace. Later, the UAE indefinitely suspends all flights from the Al Maktoum and Dubai international airports. (The Independent) (Gulf News) (Hindustan Times)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 21 people are killed and eight others are injured in an explosion at a firecracker factory in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India. (AFP via CTV News)
- Six people, including Parliament of Kenya legislator Johana Ng'eno, are killed when an Airbus Helicopters H125 crashes in Nandi County, Kenya. (Aviation Safety Network) (Reuters)
- Five people are killed when an ammunition and missile depot belonging to the National Guard detonates in Suwayda, Sweida Governorate, Syria. (AFP via LBCI) (Arabi21 in Arabic)
Law and crime
- Human rights in Cuba
- Cuban authorities arrest ten Panamanian nationals in Havana, accusing them of creating anti-government signs in exchange for being paid US$1,000–1,500 and charging them under laws that prohibit propaganda against the constitution, offenses that carry prison terms of three to eight years. (AFP via Jamaica Observer) (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Protests against the 2026 Iran war
- Protests against the 2026 Iran war in the United States
- Anti-war protests are held across the United States in cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, and Seattle. (The Guardian) (OPB) (USA Today) (KIRO-TV)
- Protests in Detroit, Michigan, are held against the U.S. strikes at Hart Plaza and Wayne State University. Additionally, a protest is held along Jefferson Avenue. (Detroit Free Press) (Detroit News)
- In Washington, D.C., anti-war protests organized by groups such as 50501 and Code Pink are held near the White House. Additionally, diaspora protests are held near the World War I Memorial with demonstrators holding American and Israeli flags praising the strikes. (The Washington Post)
- An anti-war protest is held in Los Angeles, California, at the City Hall to call for an end to American military actions in the Middle East. Actress and activist Jane Fonda takes part in the protest. (KTLA)
- A pro-government demonstration in Tehran, Iran, marches against the Israel and U.S. airstrikes. (Reuters)
- Protests against the 2026 Iran war in the United States