Big explosions heard, thick smoke seen in Tehran: CGTN reporter

China

Big explosions heard, thick smoke seen in Tehran: CGTN reporter

2026-02-28 16:23 Last Updated At：20:57

China Global Television Network (CGTN) correspondent Ehsan Keivani said he heard big explosions and saw huge smoke in Tehran on Saturday, following the sound of fighter jets.

"After 09:30 in the morning in Tehran, we heard the sound of fighter jet -- at least one fighter jet -- into Tehran's sky. After that, we heard two or three big explosions. And following the incident, there was a huge smoke in the south of Tehran, or almost the southwest of Tehran," said Keivani.

The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement that Israel launched a "preemptive" strike against Iran on Saturday morning "to remove threats to Israel."

"Israeli officials have apparently confirmed the attack against Tehran. We don't have any official reports yet, but some sources say the presidential palace or the leader's residence and the center of Tehran have been hit," said Keivani.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was not in Tehran and has been moved to secure location, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is in full health, according to media reports and other sources.

U.S. President Donald Trump said early Saturday morning the U.S. forces are carrying out a "massive and ongoing" attack on Iran to "destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground."

China's fast development over past decades transforms society: President of Seychelles

China's fast development over the past decades has significantly transformed the society, said Patrick Herminie, president of the Republic of Seychelles, as he recalled his first visit to the country about 35 years ago.

Herminie made the comments in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seychelles' capital Victoria, which was aired on Friday.

He spoke highly of the development China has achieved over the past three decades, especially in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence.

"I was surprised, I was impressed by the level of development, technological development and the use of artificial intelligence for better public service, smart services. I think China is leading the world. That's my personal opinion. You know, when I first visited China some 35 years ago, there were only bicycles. But today, China is just incredible -- the roads, the cars. It's a revolution, it's not even a revolution, it's a transformation of a society. And I think, yes, you have done very well, and I was very impressed with what I saw," said Herminie.

China has remained the world's second-largest economy for more than a decade and developed the largest middle-income group, while overall living standards have continued to rise.

The country is also driving continuous breakthroughs in frontier technologies, fostering the development of future industries as part of efforts to cultivate new growth engines.