Iran’s Supreme Leader Declares War

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared war. The major announcement came in his first statement after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to assassinate him.Khamenei wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “In the name of the great Haidar, war has begun.” Haidar is a title of the fourth Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Ali (RA).He further wrote, “We must respond strongly against the terrorist regime. We will show no mercy.”Following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s announcement of war and his call to show “no mercy” toward Israelis, Iran launched two rounds of ballistic missile attacks on Israel. These strikes occurred at midnight on Tuesday (17 June) and again at dawn on Wednesday (18 June), with loud explosions reported across Israel.Iranian Missiles Hit Israeli BusesAccording to The Times of Israel, rocket sirens began to sound across large parts of Israel shortly after 12:40 AM. Around 15 projectiles struck during this time. About 40 minutes later, another wave of nearly 10 missiles was launched toward Israeli airspace.Minutes before the attacks, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) warned residents of incoming missile threats and instructed them to take shelter. After each strike, the IDF notified the public that it was safe to exit bomb shelters.As per the latest reports, rescue teams have reached the impact zones. However, rescue efforts are being hampered due to fears of further attacks.