'We're hopeful and fearful after US-Israel attack'

Iranian families living in the South of England told BBC Radio Solent they were both hopeful and fearful following the US-Israeli attack on Saturday.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed after Israel and the US launched a "massive" and ongoing attack on cities across Iran against the country's leadership and military.

In Fareham, a group of friends who had moved to the UK from Iran, met up to support each other.

One of the group, Nadia, told BBC South Today: "It's a boiling feeling, you want to shout, you want to scream."

The military operation - which the US has dubbed Epic Fury - follows weeks of threats from US President Donald Trump that he would order military action if Iran did not agree to a new deal over its nuclear programme.

"Almost every Iranian across the world, the first thing they do in the morning is they check their phone to see what's happened," added Nadia.

"I quickly told my sister and friends, 'Let's get together and share this feeling'."

But the friends are also optimistic this could be a key moment for Iran.

Nadia said: "I'm really sad for what people are going through, my friends and family are there, and we can't sleep without crying.

"But at the same time we're happy inside that there is hope."

Mandana, another member of the group, said she had not spoken to her family since January this year.

She said: "We will take Iran back. And our major work for rebuilding Iran will start at that point."