It started on February 28, 2026. Two weeks later, the Middle East is unrecognizable.
On that morning, the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran — not a limited "surgical" operation, but a full-scale assault on the Islamic Republic's military infrastructure, nuclear sites, and leadership. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who had held power since 1989 — was killed in Tehran during the first wave. Senior commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) perished alongside him.
By March 8, Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed as successor. The regime, shaken but not broken, ordered widespread retaliation.
The strikes were unprecedented in scale. BBC Verify has confirmed at least 142 separate attacks across Iran since February 28, with approximately 65 strikes hitting Tehran alone. The US military claims it has targeted roughly 6,000 locations across the country.
Nuclear facilities at Natanz were hit. Missile sites were destroyed. But the human cost is what matters.
In one incident that shocked the world, a girls' school near an IRGC base in southern Iran was hit on February 28. Iranian authorities say 168 people died — around 110 of them children. BBC Verify, analysing video footage, identified a US Tomahawk missile as the weapon. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth now faces congressional questions.
Iran's response was immediate and desperate — but it didn't stop at Israel.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian later appeared on state TV, apologizing to neighbouring countries. "We did not intend to invade neighbouring countries," he said. The apology came too late.
On March 2, Hezbollah entered the war, firing rockets at Israeli positions to "avenge" Khamenei's death.
Israel responded with devastating force. Beirut's southern suburbs. Nabatieh. The shoreline.
More than 700,000 have been displaced from Lebanon — around 200,000 of them children.
This dispatch is being written as the war enters its third week. Access is restricted. Truth is the first casualty.
The only thing we can do is document, bear witness, and refuse to look away.
Word count: ~750