Two people smugglers who ran a ‘Tripadvisor’ travel service for illegal immigrants from a Welsh car wash have been jailed.

Migrants would leave reviews on social media on videos filmed inside lorries or boats for the journeys arranged by Dilshad Shamo, 43, and Ali Khdir, 42.

The pair smuggled about 100 migrants to Europe weekly for two years via planes, boats, lorries, taxis and cars.

Iraqi-born Shamo and Iranian-born Khdir made a turnover of £1.8million in just six months secretly running the operation out of the carwash in Caerphilly.

Recorder of Cardiff, Tracey Lloyd Clarke, told them: ‘You were both the organisers of a large and sophisticated network which enabled the successful illegal movement of a very large number of migrants from Iran, Iraq, and Syria into and across Europe.

‘You provided that service to almost anyone who was prepared to pay your fees.’

She added: ‘You were friends and operated the Fast Track Car Wash on Pontygwindy Road in Caerphilly.

‘You were both involved in trafficking individuals – that is people smuggling – for financial gain. Those people were predominantly from Iran, Iraq or Syria.

‘Migrants paid, often thousands of pounds, to be trafficked by you and many other by various routes.’

Migrants would leave reviews on social media on videos filmed inside lorries or boats for the journeys arranged by Dilshad Shamo, 43, and Ali Khdir, 42

Migrants in a video filmed in 2022 when they were in Romania during their journey across Europe 

Shamo (left) and Khdir (right) in a surveillance picture taken by NCA officers 

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The smugglers moved people from Iraq, Iran and Syria through the EU to Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany, France and Britain.

The duo, who lived and worked legally in Britain, ran the operation using a Middle Eastern money-transfer system called Hawala banking.

They offered migrants a multi-tier service, with higher fees for premium modes of transport.

And they encouraged their customers to rate the journeys in videos including one in which a man sat at the back of a lorry gives a thumbs up after being asked how his route was, and a another involving an Iranian family smuggled to Europe who shout: ‘God bless you, we are very grateful.’

In another video, a migrant says: ‘Lorry route agreed with knowledge of the driver; here we have men, women and children – thank God the route was easy and good.’

Further footage shows men smiling to the camera as they pointed to at least a dozen other migrants travelling on a boat.

Derek Evans, NCA branch commander, said Shamo and Khdir ran the illegal business ‘like a travel agency.’

Shamo, an Iraqi national, pictured in a police mugshot 

Iranian national Ali Khdir worked alongside Shamo to move people from Iraq , Iran and Syria through the EU to Italy, Romania , Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany and France

‘It’s like Tripadvisor, they were rating their service within that community,’ he added.

The ‘platinum’ tier cost between £10,000 and £25,000 and would provide migrants with a fake passport and air travel.

The second highest tier, the ‘gold’ service, came with transport via ship for between £8,000 and £10,000, while the bronze service for between £3,000 and £5,000 involved travel on a lorry or dinghy across the Channel.

The pair are thought to have transported thousands of people across Europe, making enormous profits.

Mr Evans said: ‘Our long-running investigation showed Khdir and Shamo were working around the clock to orchestrate the movement of migrants across Europe. We believe they smuggled more than 400 people in a period of just six months.’

Fast Track hand car wash in Caerphilly, south Wales, which was used as a base for Shamo and Khdir to smuggle people 

Very little of the profits have been recovered, as the processing was done through the Hawala system.

‘So, most of that money is still in Iraq or Kurdistan,’ Mr Evans said.

Shamo and Khdir, of Caerphilly, South Wales, admitted five counts of conspiring to breach migration laws in Italy, Romania, Croatia and Germany.

Cardiff Crown Court heard the offences – under the 1971 Immigration Act – are alleged to have been carried out between October 2022 and April 2023.

Shamo and Khdir were each jailed for 19 years and told they must serve at least 40 per cent of their sentence behind bars.

The United States military reportedly launched airstrikes targeting the headquarters of Iraq’s ​Iran-backed Shiite militia (PMF) and a residence belonging to its leader on ‌Tuesday, in an escalation of strikes against Tehran’s prized militias. 

The latest strikes from the U.S. military follows a statement last week from Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said AH-64 helicopters “have been striking against Iranian-aligned militia groups to make sure that we suppress any threat in Iraq against U.S. forces or U.S. interests.” 

In what appears to be an Iraqi threat against the U.S., Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement on Tuesday, “In light of the unjustified attacks and grave violations of Iraqi sovereignty, including the targeting of official security headquarters, the Council decided the following: To confront and respond to military attacks carried out by military aircraft and drones targeting the headquarters and formations of the Popular Mobilization Forces Commission and other formations of our armed forces, using available means, in accordance with the right to respond and self-defense.”

US WARNS IRAQ MUST ACT AGAINST IRAN-BACKED MILITIA ATTACKS ON AMERICAN ASSETS

Smoke rises from the U.S. embassy building in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 14, 2026.  (Ali Jabar/ AP Photo)

Sudani also said that Iraq’s foreign ministry planned to summon the U.S. chargé d’affaires and separately the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday. The PMF is part of Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Sudani’s government.

An Iraqi Kurdish government official said to Fox News Digital, “So what the Iraqi government will now fight the Americans?”

When asked about the Iraqi Kurdish government official’s comment, a spokesperson for Iraq’s embassy in Washington D.C., told Fox News Digital, “Absolutely not. It is against elements that target them.”

According to the Times of Israel, a fresh airstrike on Wednesday hit the PMF in western Iraq. “Two missiles were fired from a fighter jet” at a base in Anbar province, a security official said. The Anbar base was also reportedly struck by U.S. forces on Tuesday.

The Iraqi embassy spokesman said, responding to additional Fox News Digital press questions that he lacked the current information to comment regarding the fast-moving developments in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani chairs negotiations between Iraq and the United States to end the International Coalition mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2024. President Joe Biden is set to host al Sudani Monday, April 15, for talks that come as tensions across the Middle East have soared over the war in Gaza and Iran’s threats to retaliate for an Israeli military strike against an Iranian facility in Syria.  (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, Pool)

The PMF has launched attacks on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Israel and other American assets in the region, especially in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following the U.S.-Israel joint attack on the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28. Over the years, the PMF has been accused of killing American military personnel in the Middle East.

DEFIANT IRAN VOWS TO FIGHT ‘UNTIL COMPLETE VICTORY,’ DESPITE HEAVY MILITARY LOSSES

PMF leader Falih al-Fayadh was not present when his residence was hit in the northern city of ​Mosul on Tuesday. At least 15 PMF terrorists were killed in other ⁠airstrikes that hit a headquarters of the group in Iraq’s Euphrates valley ​province of Anbar, according to sources and a statement from the group.

The Kurdish government official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday: “The militias are brazenly doing Iran’s bidding. They’ve attacked U.S. forces and diplomats, Iraq’s own intelligence services, French troops, and the KRG’s Peshmerga [Kurdish Regional Government]. Energy and civilian infrastructure haven’t been spared. This does not require analysis — these groups openly claim responsibility.”

Supporters gather in Baghdad’s Sadr district holding Iranian flags and posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following the announcement that he was killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks, on March 1, 2026 (Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Kurdish official added: “So why does the Iraqi government continue to pay those it itself describes as terrorists and criminals? There are four principal groups: Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataeb Hezbollah, Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. This government is unwilling to defend its own interests, let alone those of its partners. At this point, the distinction between the PMF and the state is increasingly hard to discern.”

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a senior non-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and an expert on the PMF, told Fox News Digital there was a “sense of delusion” during the Biden administration, which tried to differentiate between the PMF and six of its pro-Iran militia members that are U.S.-designated terrorist entities.

She said the recent strikes clearly “show that the U.S. is tired of this inane distinction,” Tsurkov said. She stressed the “entire PMF structure is a problem.”

Tsurkov, who was held hostage by the pro-Iranian regime, Kataib Hezbollah, for two and half years in Iraq, said, “The U.S. possesses immense leverage over Iraq. The U.S. can sanction certain ministries and certain directors generals.” She added that the U.S. can also sanction Iraqi banks that transfer money to Iran.

An explosion is reported near the U.S. Consulate and the Erbil International Airport area, where a U.S. military base is also located, in Erbil, Iraq, with fire breaking out and thick smoke rising following the blast, on march 12, 2026.  (Ahsan Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tsurkov said the PMF are highly sensitive to U.S. strikes on their top leadership.

The PMF movement is reeling from the devastating alleged U.S. airstrikes. The dead included its operations commander, Saad al-Baiji. The statement said ​U.S. forces had targeted a command headquarters in Anbar while personnel were on ​duty. The security sources said the strikes were hit during a meeting attended by senior commanders.

TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY REVEALS WHAT LED TO BREAKDOWN IN IRAN TALKS BEFORE OPERATION EPIC FURY

A State Department official told Fox News Digital that, “The United States strongly condemns the widespread attacks by Iran and Iran-backed militias against U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities.”

The official continued: “As Secretary Rubio has said, the Iraqi government must take all measures to safeguard U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities and ensure militia groups cannot use Iraqi territory to threaten the United States, our Iraqi partners, or the region. Doing so is in Iraq’s interest. Continued attacks by Iran-backed militias undermine Iraq’s stability and risk drawing Iraq into a broader regional conflict.”

Members of Shiite radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi Army parade in Baghdad’s Shiite neighborhood of Sadr city 03 April 2004. Sadr’s followers have held almost daily demonstrations to protest the decision by the coalition to close his weekly newspaper, the al-Hawza al-Natiqa, for 60 days on charges of inciting violence. (Ahmed Labib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command referred Fox News Digital to the White House and to the Office of the Secretary of War for comment on the administration’s policy. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Pentagon for comment.

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On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert warning: “Iraq Iran-aligned terrorist militias have conducted widespread attacks on U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR). U.S. citizens should leave Iraq now.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Israel Defense Forces regarding Israel’s role in the ongoing strikes against Iran-backed militias.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The leaders of the West are not doing their duty. It may already be too late, but everyone with an ounce of clout or influence must now use it to end the US-Israel attack on Iran. And let us not forget that those two countries started this war. They attacked, an action which all through history has put the attacker in the wrong.

If the war is not soon stopped, then an economic and political crisis worse than anything since 1945 may well be triggered. It will be accompanied by yet another mass movement of countless refugees into Western Europe. And for what?

Will we never grow out of the Utopian fantasy that we can go stomping round the world, telling other countries what to do? It is as if we have been hypnotised. All someone needs to do is to talk of Winston Churchill or of ‘appeasement’, and grown men and women lose their minds and start howling for war. Some seem to long for it.

In the early moments of Donald Trump’s current spasm, the leaders of Reform UK and the Tory Party instantly piled in to endorse the Trump-Netanyahu assault. They had time to think before they spoke. But they couldn’t be bothered. Like so many modern ‘conservatives’ and ‘patriots’, they have fallen in love with foreign war, quite unaware that war is the enemy of conservatism and the ally of the Left.

For instance, has it still not sunk in that the vast waves of migration from Africa and the Middle East are the direct results of the wars we kept starting or fuelling, in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and Syria? Even now, there are people amid the ruins of their former homes, in their demolished cities, all over Iran, preparing for the long trudge westwards that ends with them struggling aboard a rubber dinghy on the French coast, headed for Kent or Sussex.

You may meet them, sooner than you think, in an English suburb. If you do, it will be a poorer, bleaker place than it is now.

The rising price of oil and gas is hugely dangerous to our tottering economy, threatening the same deadly combination of inflation and unemployment that hit us after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, only much worse, for we are so much weaker and so much more indebted now.

President Trump, a small man, always tries to belittle his critics, writes Peter Hitchens

Smoke rises above Dubai airport after a drone attack on an aviation fuel tank

Those politicians who began by backing this attack, and urging closer British involvement in it, must have known that the war was an act of aggression.

Nobody has ever come up with any serious evidence that Iran was preparing its own attack.

On the contrary. Informed Americans admit that there was no urgent threat.

One key Trump aide, Joseph Kent, last week resigned from his job as the director of the President’s National Counterterrorism Centre. He said he had done so because Iran was not an imminent threat to the United States and that the US entered the war amid ‘pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby’.

The President, a small man, always tries to belittle his critics.

And he did so again, saying he ‘always thought [Kent] was weak on security, very weak on security’. But it will be hard for him to brush aside this criticism.

Mr Kent is more Trumpist than Mr Trump. He is an ultra-loyalist who has defended some of the President’s most questionable actions. But he still holds to what used to be Mr Trump’s position – of opposition to stupid foreign wars.

He has an impressive record of military service, and of sacrifice for his country. His wife was killed while serving with the US Navy in Iraq. Let them try to say his word does not count.

And if Mr Kent, all alone, can now stand up to the most powerful man on the planet and say that he is wrong, so can the leaders of what is left of the civilised world. It may not work, though it may. Mr Trump has a long record of chickening out if his blustering aggressions turn bad on him.

For certain, there is no point in doing nothing, or muttering among ourselves. It is positive folly to flatter Mr Trump with obedience and praise. The attack on Iran is an outrage against common sense as well as a breach of all civilised rules of behaviour.

It won’t do to justify it by saying what a vile regime Iran has. This is a pretext. Lots of countries have vile regimes. Many of them are our allies. Mr Trump is not attacking Iran because he can’t stand despots or leaders who kill their own people.

He’s fine with Egypt, which has a military junta that massacres pro-democracy demonstrators on its streets. He gets on well with Saudi Arabia, which actually cut up one of its dissidents with bone saws. He’s cool with Nato Turkey, which is rapidly turning into a rather nasty dictatorship.

There is certainly a good precedent from history, which gives Britain a special right to tell Mr Trump to grow up and behave.

In the midst of the Suez crisis in 1956, when Sir Anthony Eden was equally madly invading Egypt, the phone in his office in Downing Street began to ring insistently. Eden was elsewhere, so a civil servant, William Clark, lifted the receiver, only to hear the infuriated tones of President Dwight D. Eisenhower yelling across the Atlantic ‘Anthony, you must have gone out of your mind!’ The President was enraged. ‘It was some time before I was able to persuade him that I was not Anthony,’ Clark recalled.

There is little doubt that Ike got through to Eden later. The US threatened us with economic ruin if we did not call off the invasion. In the meantime, the US Navy were sent to harass and obstruct British ships in the Mediterranean, fouling our radar and sonar and flying their aircraft aggressively low over our fleet.

The US Navy’s then chief, Admiral Arleigh Burke, explicitly discussed opening fire on the Royal Navy with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.

So Mr Trump can keep his sentimental appeals to a non-existent soppy relationship between London and Washington. And we can feel free to tell him to stop before he wrecks the world.

All six heroes killed this week in Operation Epic Fury have been named, with a young dad and ‘superstar’ female pilot among them.

The Department of War named Captain Ariana G. Savino, Major John ‘Alex’ Klinner, Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt, Captain Seth R. Koval, Captain Curtis J. Angst and Sergeant Tyler H. Simmons as the victims of Thursday’s crash.

The US KC-135 plane went down in the western part of Iraq, which authorities said was ‘friendly airspace’, and the tragedy was not caused by ‘hostile fire.’

Washington resident Savino, 31, was assigned to the sixth Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. A loved one remembered her as an ‘Air Force superstar.’

‘She was one of those people who lit up every room she walked into,’ they said. 

‘That smile of hers wasn’t just infectious, it was disarming. She brought energy, grit, and a ruthless commitment to making everyone around her better.’

Klinner, 33, had a wife, seven-month-old twins and a two-year-old son, his brother-in-law, James Harrill, said Saturday while confirming his death. 

‘It’s kind of heartbreaking to say: He was just a really good dad and really loved his family a lot — like a lot,’ Harrill said. 

A pilot from Alabama who had recently become a dad to adorable twins has been named as one of the six US servicemembers killed this week in Operation Epic Fury

Captain Ariana Savino, 31, was killed Thursday in the horrific accident over Iraq

Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, 34, was from Bardstown, Kentucky

Pruitt was a wife, mother to a three year old daughter and stepmother 

Klinner had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed for less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard crashed in Iraq on Thursday.

The father-of-three was survived by his wife, Libby Klinner, who said her world ‘shattered’ when she got the news that her husband was among the victims.

‘I’m devastated to lose the best person I know, the person that made everything more fun, my best friend,’ Libby wrote on social media. 

‘But even more so, my heart is broken for our three kids who will grow up not knowing him.’

Klinner had been deployed for less than a week when he died, and his young family had just moved into a new home. They had been living in Birmingham since 2022.

He was fondly remembered as an outdoorsman who enjoyed hiking and was always willing to help others. 

‘Alex was one of those guys that had this steady command about him,’ Harrill said. ‘He was literally one of the kindest, giving people.’

Harrill helped set up a GoFundMe page for Klinner’s widow and children to aid with any additional expenses in the wake of his death.

They paid tribute to the fallen pilot as a ‘devoted husband, a loving father and the kind of person who would quietly step in to help anyone who needed it.’

Klinner’s wife Libby (right) mourned the loss of her husband on social media before deactivating her profiles

Klinner was an outdoorsman and grdauate of Auburn University

Loved ones said Savino was an ‘Air Force superstar’ who ‘lit up every room she walked into’

‘Libby and Alex built a beautiful life together and were raising three precious children: their energetic two-and-a-half-year-old and their seven-month-old twins,’ it read.

‘In an instant, Libby has been left to walk through profound grief while caring for their young family.

‘During this incredibly difficult season, we want to surround Libby and the children with the same generosity and love that Alex so freely gave to others.’ 

The fundraising page asked for $600,000 to support the family, and more than $500,000 of which has already been fulfilled. 

Klinner graduated from Auburn University in 2016 with a degree in mechanical engineering, per AL.com. 

His alma mater posted a tribute to him, mourning the tragic loss. 

‘On Behalf of the Auburn Family, we extend our deepest condolences to Major Klinner’s family, fellow service member and all who knew and loved him,’ it said.

‘We honor his sacrifice and remain grateful for his service to our nation.’

Pictured: A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling a Navy Super Hornet during Operation Epic Fury earlier on Thursday

The KC-135 refueling plane went down on Thursday in  ‘friendly airspace’ and a second aircraft involved in the incident landed safely. Picture shows the second aircraft with damage to its tail

Alabama Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell expressed her condolences to Klinner’s family on X.

‘I’m heartbroken to learn that Maj. Alex Klinner of Birmingham, Alabama, was among the six service members who lost their lives in the crash of a KC-135 refueling aircraft in Iraq,’ she wrote.

‘Please join me in praying for his family and honoring his selfless service to our nation.’

Representative Dale Strong also took to social media to compliment Klinner’s ‘bravery’ and express his condolences. 

‘All of Alabama mourns the loss of Maj. Alex Klinner,’ he wrote. 

‘Please join me in praying for his family and loved ones.’

‘His sacrifice is a somber testament to the profound bravery of those who volunteer to protect our freedom.’

Curtis Angst, 30, was from Wilmington, Ohio and was listed among the casualties

Captain Seth Koval, 38, was one of the victims of the refueling plan accident 

Tyler Simmons, 28, was killed during the refueling flight 

Pruitt, 34, was from Bardstown, Kentucky. According to a GoFundMe posted by loved ones, Pruitt loved her job and was a devoted wife, stepmother and mother to a three-year-old girl. 

‘She worked hard for the family she always wanted and cherished them all,’ it read. ‘Ashley’s loss leaves an unimaginable hole for her family, friends and fellow Airmen.’

Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr expressed his condolences to Pruitt’s family on social media. 

‘Praying for the family and friends of TSgt Ashley Pruitt of Bardstown,’ he wrote. 

‘God bless her memory and her ultimate sacrifice in Operation Epic Freedom to rid the world of the largest state sponsor of terror. Her legacy will never be forgotten.’ 

Koval, 38, was from Mooresville, Indiana. His wife, Heather Nichole, posted a statement on Facebook after his death was announced. 

‘Seth was a man whose life I could never confine to a single statement and whose loss will echo in my heart forever,’ she wrote. 

‘Seth was exceptional in everything he did. He was truly the most amazing husband, father, son, brother, friend, and Airman. He loved what he did, and he was proud to put his uniform on and serve others.’

According to a GoFundMe posted in his honor, Koval was survived by his wife and son.

Angst, 30, was from Wilmington, Ohio, and attended the University of Cincinnati, per the Wilmington News Journal. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering.

Angst was the husband of Mary Angst, whom he married last year. 

The Clinton County Republican Party issued a statement mourning the death of Angst. 

‘God rest Curtis Angst,’ it read. ‘Please pray for them and the souls of the brave crew that were with him on their mission.’ 

Angst was married to Mary Angst (center). The pair wed last year 

Koval (right) was survived by his wife Heather Nichole. She said he was an ‘amazing husband’ who was ‘exceptional in everything he did’

Tyler Simmons, 28, was identified as one of the servicemembers in the deadly crash aboard a US KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down over western Iraq

Ohio resident Tyler Simmons, 28, was named on Friday by family members as one of the airmen involved in the deadly crash. 

Simmons was the first of the six victims to be named by loved ones. He was remembered for his ‘million-dollar smile.’

Simmons’ mother broke down in tears as she recalled the moment uniformed officers appeared at their home to deliver the heartbreaking news that her only child had passed away.

‘When he (another relative) opened the door, he said, ‘Oh no,’ and I jumped up and ran in there and they were lined up out on the porch,’ Cheryl Simmons told WBNS 10.

‘You got to be kidding me,’ she added, while covering her face as she began to sob.

Simmons, along with two other victims, was a part of the Columbus-based Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing.

The second plane involved in the crash sustained minor damage to its tail but landed safely. There were no fatalities reported on board.

Iranian attack on two vessels on Gulf near Iraq marks ‘direct and forceful’ response, analyst says

A third wave of Iranian suicide drones has hit Dubai this afternoon and destroyed a hotel in Bahrain, as Tehran’s onslaught against the region continues following the death of its Supreme Leader.

The remnants of the Iranian regime are launching widespread airstrikes across the Middle East, targeting US allies, military bases and areas popular with Western expats.

At least two drones have hit Dubai’s airport, the world-famous Burj Al Arab and Palm Jumeirah hotels were hit yesterday, and further explosions are echoing across the Emirates today.

In the Bahrain city of Manama, the Crowne Plaza hotel was destroyed by a suicide drone, and Iranian missiles are also hitting Tel Aviv.

The Iranian regime has vowed to unleash its ‘most intense offensive operation in history’, with ‘force they have never experienced before’.

Senior regime figure Ali Larijani, who is expected to take over from the Ayatollah, led the calls to intensify revenge attacks on Israel and the West today.

The revenge strikes follow confirmation from Iran that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by the joint US-Israeli strikes, along with four of his family members and at least two high-level military leaders.

It comes as:

• Iran launched fresh airstrikes today on targets around the Middle East, expanding the scope of its attacks to even more states
• The regime confirmed the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after hours of denying he had been killed
• Trump and Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise up and overthrow the government, saying it would be their only chance in a generation
• Israel hit the ‘heart of Tehran’ with more airstrikes today, and warned the regime to back down
• Defence Secretary John Healey revealed that missiles were fired towards Cyprus, narrowly missing British troops
• The ‘Red Flag of Revenge’ was raised in Iran following the death of the Supreme Leader

Multiple rounds of further blasts echoed around Dubai this morning, with the most recent reported just before 12pm GMT.

In the last few hours, residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, also reported hearing several loud bangs.

Explosions have been heard for a second day in Qatar, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq, and in Oman for the first time, though most missiles and drones have been downed by air defences.

Smoke rises from Dubai International Airport this morning as Emirates planes remain grounded

Dramatic footage showed showed an interception near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building

The Crowne Plaza Manama in Bahrain smolders after coming under Iranian attack

Iran also launched two missiles towards British military bases in Cyprus, Defence Secretary John Healey revealed this morning, where they ‘narrowly missed’ their targets after being shot down by UK troops.

Mr Healey warned that Iranian missile commanders are ‘increasingly allowed to choose their own targets’ as Tehran loses its ‘command and control’.

Iran claimed to have struck 27 US bases in the region, but has also hit a range of other sites including residential tower blocks and luxury hotels.

Yesterday in Dubai, Iranian suicide drones hit landmark hotel the Palm Jumeirah, injuring four people, as well as the iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel, sparking panic among tourists.

Dramatic footage showed a fireball in the sky near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, as a weapon was intercepted. 

The Dubai Media Office confirmed that debris from drones intercepted by air defences had fallen onto two homes in the city, injuring two people, and also caused a fire at the major Jebel Ali port.

Further videos overnight showed panic in a smoke-filled, debris-strewn terminal at Dubai Airport, which has been evacuated after four members of staff were injured.

A post on X read: ‘Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained.’

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said that, as of late last night, 137 ballistic missiles had been launched by Iran towards the Emirate, of which 132 had been destroyed by air defences and five fell into the Persian Gulf.

It said it had also been targeted by 209 suicide drones, of which 195 were intercepted and 14 got through – with some making contact.

Dubai’s iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab was ablaze following Iranian attacks

The Palm Jumeirah hotel in Dubai was engulfed in flames yesterday after being hit, with four people injured

A cluster of missiles sailing over Dubai overnight – some of the more than 100 launched by Iran at the state

The Crowne Plaza hotel in Bahrain was engulfed in thick smoke this morning, with its owners reporting it had suffered an ‘incident’ but that all guests and staff were safe.

Bahrain’s air defenses responded overnight to ‘hostile Iranian missile attacks’, intercepting at least 45 missiles and nine drones, state media reported this morning.

An oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Musandam in Oman, according to the country’s maritime security center, injuring four people and forcing the entire 20-strong crew to evacuate.

Iran has also closed the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most vital oil shipping lanes that connects the major Gulf producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the UAE, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

One person was killed and seven injured in an attack on Abu Dhabi’s Zayed airport, while thick black smoke has been seen rising from the Erbil Airport in Iraq.

Reports from Doha, Qatar’s capital, say that several loud explosions were heard at 7:30 this morning local time, while the government said 16 people had been injured. 

The airspace over the Middle East remains almost completely empty, with most of the airports closed to all traffic. Around 20,000 flights have so far been delayed or cancelled.

One woman has been killed and scores injured in Tel Aviv, Israel, where a missile struck a residential block last night and attacks have continued this morning. Air raid sirens have rung out in Israel more than 20 times in the past 24 hours.

The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has warned Britons in several Middle East countries to ‘immediately shelter in place’ and to avoid travel to Israel and Palestine.

‘Remain indoors in a secure location, avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities,’ it advised, adding it was ‘working around the clock’ to support British nationals affected.

This morning’s continued bombardment around the Middle East comes as Iran confirmed the death of the Ayatollah after hours of denial, even after Donald Trump announced he was gone.

Khamenei, 86, was killed in the airstrike after Israeli jets dropped 30 bombs on the Supreme Leader’s compound. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump were reportedly shown an image of Khamenei’s body after it was recovered from his compound. 

His death comes after nearly 37 years as the Islamic Republic’s leader – sending the regime into meltdown and destabilizing the Gulf.

Smoke rises from Tehran after Israel announced it had struck the ‘heart’ of the city

A fireball explosion erupts from a building in Manama, Bahrain, after an Iranian drone attack

As well as Khamenei’s four family members, two high-level military leaders – Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, and commander of the IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour – were also obliterated in the strikes on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, Israel announced it had carried out a fresh wave of strikes on Iran and struck the ‘heart’ of the capital.

A statement from the IDF said: ‘For the first time since the start of Operation “Roaring Lion”, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] is striking targets that belong to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran.

‘Over the past day, the Israeli Air force conducted large-scale strikes in order to establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.’

This morning, Trump promised to strike Iran ‘with a force that has never been seen before,’ after boasts from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) about the number of American air bases attacked.

The president posed on Truth Social: ‘Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!’

A number of celebrities and influencers have been caught up in the violence, including Luisa Zissman, Petra Ecclestone and Love Island star Arabella Chi.

Branding it the ‘scariest, worst nights of our lives’, many spoke of how terrified they were at hearing the constant bangs overhead, while sheltering in their homes or hotels.

Israeli socialite Hofit Golan posted footage from her hotel balcony of rockets and explosions hitting the famous Palm Jumeirah hotel after she arrived in Dubai just hours earlier.

She wrote on Instagram: ‘After being debriefed from my flights as the skies closed above us. I came home to see the Palm filling up with smoke!

‘I can see rockets and explosions from my balcony! reports of other explosions being heard all over the city. Please stay safe, everyone,’ she urged.

Vicky Pattison shared that her and husband Ercan Ramadan are ‘safe and trying to stay calm’ amid the airstrikes.

The pair touched down in Dubai this week after flying on a lavish first class Emirates flight and just hours after sunbathing at the beach, the pair were forced to safety.

An oil tanker burns off the coast of Oman after being attacked, with four of the crew injured

This morning, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said that Donald Trump has crossed a ‘very dangerous red line’.

Saeed Khatibzadeh told CNN: ‘Of course, from a religious aspect, he was a great religious leader, so many of Shiite followers across the region and around the world are going to react to that, and this is very obvious because President Trump passed a very dangerous red line.’

Iranian state media announced there would be a 40-day mourning period after Khamenei’s death, as the regime scrambles to kickstart the process of finding a new leader.

During the official announcement on Iranian state news, the anchor wore black and stifled tears as he read a statement from the National Supreme Council.

‘God is great. God is great. With deep sorrow, it is announced to the nation of Iran that Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, was martyred today in a joint criminal attack by the United States and the Zionist regime,’ the anchor said in a clip posted on social media.

The Council described Khamenei as a revered religious Islamic figure, and said his ‘long dream of martyrdom became true.’ It was noted that Khamenei was killed during the month of Ramadan. 

According to the statement, Iranians were mourning the leader’s death, and enemies of the country should note that ‘martyrdom will spark a massive uprising in the fight against oppressors’.

However, there have also been Iranians taking to the streets in large numbers to rejoice the decapitation of the regime that has for decades ruled over them with an iron fist.

It has been deeply unpopular among some for the way it has enforced strict religious law, clamped down violently on dissent, and made Iran a pariah on the world stage.

Iranian media yesterday reported that more than 100 girls had been killed at a primary school near a military base by the US-Israeli strikes.

Prime minister Keir Starmer said yesterday that the UK was not involved in the strikes against Iran, but that RAF planes were in the sky in a ‘defensive’ capacity.

He condemned Iran’s lashing out at the region, and urged both sides to avoid ‘further escalation’.

Donald Trump is sending 35 criminal illegal aliens back to the UK amid his immigration crackdown that triggered shockwaves across America and the world.

The Britons feature on a list of shame dubbed the ‘worst of the worst’ drawn up and published by Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

It means more ‘worst of the worst’ criminals are being deported back to the UK from America than to Afghanistan or Iraq. There are 19 Afghans on the list, and 31 Iraqis.

A Daily Mail analysis of the countries of origin of the ‘worst of the worst’ illegal migrants also shows more are being sent back to the UK than France, Germany and Italy combined.

France is receiving nine, Germany eight, and Italy 10.

Offenses committed by the Britons include homicide, drug trafficking, sexual exploitation of minors, fraud, and making bomb threats.

Those on the list include three British women.

Mugshots of British criminals who feature on Donald Trump’s ‘worst of the worst’ list of illegal aliens being deported from America. Their pictures have been published online by the US Department of Homeland Security 

President Donald Trump has removed more than 700,000 illegal immigrants from the United States

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with ICE agents during an operation in Arizona

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said more than half of the 35 British criminals – 22 of them – had already been deported.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘If you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US.

‘The 35 criminal illegal aliens from the UK listed on the Worst of the Worst website [have] criminal histories including multiple counts of homicide, enticement of a minor, lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, robbery, assault, aggravated assault, weapons offenses, and drug trafficking.

’22 of these criminal illegal aliens have already been removed from the US.

‘Under President Trump’s and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, DHS has already removed more than 700,000 illegal aliens.’

(L) Rosalie McCann, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had a conviction for identity theft, and was arrested in Pennsylvania, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Mohamed Bah, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had gun and assault convictions, and was arrested in Hagerstown, Maryland, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

(L) Harry Stacey, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had a conviction for drug trafficking and was arrested in Bentonville, Arkansas, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Raechal Wood, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had a conviction for drug possession, and was arrested in Ocala, Florida, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

It comes as Trump, Noem and ICE are embroiled in turmoil in the wake of the recent fatal shootings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

The ‘worst of the worst’ list – which is expected to grow – reflects the approach of Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who has been at odds with Noem over how best to enforce the president’s immigration policies.

Noem pursued a strategy of high-profile raids to round up as many illegal immigrants as possible, sometimes joining operations herself in tactical gear and taking TV cameras along.

Homan has argued for a more targeted approach to capture and deport the ‘worst of the worst’ illegal alien criminals – like the ones featured on the list of shame.

In the wake of the fatal ICE shootings Trump sent Homan to Minneapolis to ‘fix’ the problem there.

Homan subsequently confirmed that future immigration operations would be ‘targeted’ against specific individuals.

President Trump’s ICE is returning 35 ‘worst of the worst’ illegal immigrants to Keir Starmer’s UK

(L) Winston Percival Lee, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had a conviction for homicide and was arrested in New York, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Richard Castle, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had had convictions including sexual exploitation of a minor, and was arrested in Missouri, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

The list of shame so far also features 25 criminals from Russia and 34 from Ukraine.

There are 137 from China, 347 from Venezuela, and 62 from Somalia, according to an analysis by the Daily Mail.

In total, the number of illegal aliens so far featured on the ‘worst of the worst’ list was 20,249 as of January 28.

The country with by far the most citizens on it is Mexico with 9,739.

The 35 UK-origin criminals represent only a portion of the total removals to the UK under Trump’s widespread immigration crackdown.

Tom Homan, Trump’s Border Czar, wants to target the ‘worst of the worst’ illegal immigrants

An anti-ICE protester in Minneapolis in the wake of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration agents

Federal agents clash with rioters on the streets of Minneapolis

A protest against ICE in downtown Minneapolis

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the three women on the ‘worst of the worst’ list include Raechal Wood, who it said had a conviction for drug possession and was detained by ICE in Florida.

Jessica Bell Tulloch had convictions for offenses including robbery and was arrested in New Jersey, according to the DHS.

Rosalie McCann was convicted of identity theft and held in Pennsylvania, the list showed.

Also on the ‘worst of the worst’ list was Sean Bourne, who was shown as convicted of homicide and assaulting a police officer, and detained in Orlando, Florida.

Shawn Winston Percival Lee was listed as convicted of homicide, and detained in New York, according to the DHS.

Harry Stacey was convicted of drug trafficking in Bentonville, Arkansas, the department said.

Richard Castle was convicted of offenses including ‘sexual exploitation of minor’ and arrested in Springfield, Missouri, according to the ‘worst of the worst’ list.

The DHS says the list was produced to ‘highlight the worst of worst criminal aliens arrested by ICE’.

(L) Phillip Harkins, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had convictions including homicide and robbery, and was arrested in Tallahassee, Florida, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Sean Bourne, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had convictions including homicide, and was arrested in Orlando, Florida, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

(L) Jessica Bell Tulloch, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had convictions including robbery, and was arrested in New Jersey, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Leslie Service, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had convictions including ‘threat to bomb,’ and was arrested in Virginia, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

‘Under Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations – starting with the worst of the worst – including the illegal aliens you see here,’ it says.

Noem is currently under heavy pressure over her handling of the Good and Pretti shootings.

She called Good, an unarmed mother, a ‘domestic terrorist,’ and suggested Pretti was ‘brandishing’ a gun, which videos from the scene showed he was not.

On Monday, Trump held a two-hour meeting with her in the Oval Office before sending Homan to Minneapolis, but the president has said she will stay in her job.