Tehran was jolted awake just before dawn as a massive airstrike slammed into Mehrabad International Airport, one of Iran’s busiest hubs and a key military‑civilian gateway in the capital, defence sources say.

Witnesses reported a series of thunderous explosions on the western edge of the city, followed by flames rising from the airfield and secondary blasts echoing across nearby neighbourhoods. Phone videos show fireballs tearing through what analysts identify as hangars and maintenance sheds used by both the regular air force and the Revolutionary Guard.

Iranian state media accuses the United States and Israel of jointly executing the strike, saying “precision‑guided munitions” hit a military transport apron, radar facilities and a logistics depot inside the Mehrabad complex. Civilian terminals and runways also suffered blast and shrapnel damage, forcing an immediate shutdown of all flights and diversion of traffic to Imam Khomeini International Airport.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene as sirens wailed across western Tehran. Hospitals report dozens of casualties, including military personnel and airport workers; unconfirmed local accounts speak of civilians injured in residential blocks rattled by the shockwaves.

US and Israeli officials have not publicly claimed responsibility but have recently labelled Mehrabad a “dual‑use node” for moving drones, missiles and command staff. Iranian commanders vow that “this attack on the heart of our capital will be answered far beyond symbolic gestures.”

With one of Iran’s main airports now a smoking battlefield, anxious travellers and jittery markets are asking the same question: has the war just crossed a new red line by turning Tehran’s civilian lifeline into a front‑line target?