Carrie Khan

Carrie Khan, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Israel's military says it has dealt serious blows to Iran's air missile and drone system.

They say they've been hitting targets throughout the country, and particularly in the capital, Tehran.

We have seen a decrease in the number of air raid sirens in Israel, signaling...

incoming missiles or drones from Iran.

But I have to tell you, overnight and throughout the day, there was still more than a handful of sirens sending residents into the bomb shelter.

And that's where I am right now.

The initial announcement of those deaths came from U.S.

Central Command.

A U.S.

official not authorized to speak publicly did tell NPR that they were ground-based troops with an army support group in Kuwait.

We've seen missile and drone hits at U.S.

bases in many countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait.

Ports in Amman and Dubai have also been hit.

Iran's military retaliation has also affected shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Multiple residents in the Iranian capital told NPR directly they heard the explosions early Sunday local time.

Israel's military says it is striking targets belonging to, quote, the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran.

The Israeli Air Force conducted large-scale strikes, it says, to establish aerial superiority and to, quote, pave the path to Tehran.

It published one video showing strikes obliterating four large blocks of buildings as cars whiz by.

The Iranian state news agency announced the killing of the 86-year-old supreme leader hours earlier.