Israel and the United States launched a joint daylight attack across Iran, including its capital, Tehran, on Saturday, as US President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces had begun “major combat operations” against the Islamic Republic.
Trump also offered the Iranian military a choice between “immunity” or “certain death”, further urging Iranian people to “take over your government — it will be yours to take.”
The attack comes as Washington has deployed a large number of fighter jets and warships to the region, in what officials have described as an effort to pressure Iran over its nuclear programme.
An apparent initial strike was reported near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was not clear whether the 86-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei was at his offices at the time. He has not been seen in public for several days amid escalating tensions with the US.
Israel’s defence ministry said it had carried out a “pre-emptive strike” against Iran. Air-raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem, and residents across the country received phone alerts warning of an “extremely serious” threat.
Abu Dhabi residents told AFP they heard loud explosions in the Emirati capital on Saturday, after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, which has vowed retaliation.
Two residents told AFP they heard the blasts. Abu Dhabi is home to a base housing US personnel.
Earlier the UAE said it had closed its airspace "temporarily and partially" as an exceptional precautionary measure.
Qatari defence systems on Saturday intercepted an Iranian missile, an official told AFP, as warning sirens sounded in the Gulf state.
Qatar's US-made Patriot interceptors downed an Iranian missile, the official said on condition of anonymity after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
Qatar hosts the Al-Udeid military base, the largest US military facility in the region.
A centre for the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain has been hit in a "missile attack", Bahrain said on Saturday, as Iran vowed retaliation following US and Israeli strikes.
"The Fifth Fleet's service centre was subjected to a missile attack. We will provide you with details later," Bahrain's National Communication Centre said, in a statement.
The Pentagon has formally named the US' "major combat operations" across Iran as 'Operation Epic Fury', announcing the title via social media.
The Trump administration similarly formalized last year’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as 'Operation Midnight Hammer' and his strike to abduct Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this year as 'Operation Absolute Resolve'.
Meanwhile, Israel dubbed its mission 'Operation Lion’s Roar'.
Following joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, Tehran began retaliatory strikes targeting American military bases across West Asia.
Bahrain said the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet had been targeted in what it described as a missile attack, but provided no immediate further details.
Residents in the United Arab Emirates reported explosions in the capital, Abu Dhabi, home to a base housing US personnel.
Qatar said its air defences intercepted an Iranian missile, while AFP reported explosions being heard in Kuwait.
As Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the US had begun “major combat operations” against Iran, a 2013 tweet resurfaced in which he claimed former President Barack Obama would “attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly.”
Obama had in fact negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or 'Iran nuclear deal', in 2015, securing sanctions relief for Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. However, it was Trump who withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018.
Trump said Iran had sought an agreement to avoid conflict, but described the talks as unproductive, adding that his patience had been exhausted by the back and forth. “They just wanted to practice evil,” he said.
“They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.”
He added that after the June attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, “we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons. And we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried.”
Trump reiterated that Iran had “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.”
He also said the strikes would dismantle Iran’s ability to launch terror attacks and halt its development of ballistic missiles, though he did not explain how aerial bombardment would achieve those aims.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says joint attack with US was to "remove an existential threat posed" by Iran.
Netanyahu said in a statement that the attacks were aimed at ending “the threat of the Iranian ayatollah’s regime.” He said Israel was striking sites belonging to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its all-volunteer Basij force, as well as ballistic missile sites.
Trump acknowledges that there could be American casualties following Iran strikes, saying "that often happens in war."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is "safe and sound", state media reported, following US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.
"President Masoud Pezeshkian is safe and sound and has no problems," the IRNA news agency reported, alongside the Mehr and ISNA agencies.
US President Donald Trump said the United States would destroy Iran’s missile industry and “annihilate” its navy, while offering the Iranian military a choice between “immunity” or “certain death.”
He also addressed the Iranian people directly, saying, “Hour of your freedom is at hand,” and urging them to “take over your government — it will be yours to take.”
The US embassies in Qatar and Bahrain told their staff to seek shelter Saturday and advised US citizens to do the same after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
The embassies said in two separate statements they were "implementing a shelter-in-place for all personnel. We recommend all Americans do the same until further notice," and urged US citizens to "find a secure location within your residence or another safe building."
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that his county's military has begun "major combat operations in Iran" after Israel launched strikes.
"The United States' military began major combat operations in Iran," Trump said in a video message posted on his social media site while he spent the weekend at his Florida golf club.
"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime."
"We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally -- again -- obliterated. We're going to annihilate their navy," Trump said.
The United States has started carrying out strikes on Iran, US media reported Saturday, after Israel said it had attacked its long-standing regional adversary.
Multiple US media outlets, citing American officials, reported that Washington had begun strikes on Iran in a joint operation with Israel, which said it had also carried out strikes and closed its airspace.
Iraq closed its airspace on Saturday, state media said, after Israel said it carried out strikes against Iran. "The ministry of transport announces closing Iraqi airspace," the Iraq News Agency INA reported.
Iranian media reported that attacks were taking place nationwide as Israel launched airstrikes targeting the country. Blasts were heard in Isfahan and other cities, according to local reports.
Israel’s public broadcaster said the strikes were aimed at regime and military sites in Iran.
Iran on Saturday closed its airspace until further notice, following multiple blasts in the capital Tehran and elsewhere, the civil aviation agency said.
"The airspace of the entire country is cosed until further notice," announced the spokesman of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation, quoted by Tasnim news agency.
Mobile phone services have also been cut across the Islamic Republic following the Israeli airstrikes.
Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights Saturday after announcing it had carried out "preventive strikes" on Iran and sounding sirens in Jerusalem.
"Following the security developments, the Minister of Transportation has ordered the Director of the Israel Civil Aviation Authority to close the airspace of the State of Israel to civilian flights," the minister, Miri Regev, announced.
Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on Saturday morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital.
"The type of explosions suggests that this is a missile attack," the Fars news agency reported, without immediately providing further details.
Israel's defence ministry announced a "preemptive strike" against Iran on Saturday as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat.
"The State of Israel has launched a preemptive strike against Iran. Defence Minister Israel Katz has declared a special and immediate state of emergency throughout the country," read a statement from his ministry.