The Killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader and the End of an Era in the Middle East

From The New York Times, I'm Rachel Abrams, and this is a special episode of The Daily. We have breaking news that we're following from overnight. The US and Israel have launched a wide scale assault on Iran. Breaking news this hour. Smoke can be seen coming from buildings in Tehran, and people have reportedly been running away in panic there. This weekend, The United States and Israel have launched a massive attack against Iran Explosions could be killing the supreme leader and, according to Iranian state media, several people in the country's leadership structure. This is this is very big news. These strikes are now officially decapitation strikes. The strikes were the most aggressive military action that The US has taken against Iran in generations, aimed at toppling a regime that president after president has deemed an enemy of The United States. A missile fragment falling to the ground and exploding in Doha, the capital of Qatar. But the attack has already prompted retaliation across the region, as well as fears about a wider conflict that could reshape the Middle East. You can hear the sirens are going off right now, and this is indicating essentially that there is a barrage of missiles coming towards Israel. US Embassies across the region are now telling Americans to shelter in place. And just in, the state department is now urging all US citizens in Lebanon to get out while commercial options are still available. Today, my colleagues Mark Mazzetti and David Sanger explain what's next for Iran and what these strikes threaten to unleash. It's Sunday, March 1. David, Mark, welcome to the show. Thank you. Good to be back, Rachel. So in my lifetime, there have been many false alarms about a full fledged US war with Iran, where it seemed like we were close, but, obviously, it did not happen. This moment feels very different, though, and I think that that's in large part because The United States has killed Iran's supreme leader as well as a number of top officials in the regime. And just the scale of that alone, as well as the scale of the retaliation we've seen in the region just in the last, basically, less than twenty four hours, it far surpasses any kind of military operation we have seen in Iran since the Iranian revolution in 1979. So I think that a basic question on a lot of people's minds right now is, are we at war with Iran? And, David, let's start with you. It certainly feels like that, Rachel. After all, The United States, for the first time, hit at the core of Tehran, the leadership compounds, and the Iranians have responded by missile attacks on many of The US allies and on US bases. If that doesn't define a war, even one that may only last a few days, I don't know what does. That's right, David. This is a full blown war by The United States and Israel against …