Historic US-Israel strikes on Iran underway as Tehran faces regime survival test

Israelis awoke Saturday to the quality that Operation "Roaring Lion" had begun, with associated American-Israeli strikes targeting subject sites wrong Iran. Within hours, outer images circulated successful Israeli media appearing to amusement harm to a compound associated with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly struck successful the opening wave.

Air raid alerts were activated crossed parts of the state arsenic Iran launched rocket barrages successful response. According to an Israeli subject authoritative speaking connected inheritance the incoming occurrence amounted to "more successful the dozens" per round, though nary important impacts had been reported astatine the clip of the briefing. Home Front Command urged civilians to travel updated information instructions and debar sharing real-time locations of rocket strikes.

In a code connected Saturday morning, President Donald Trump condemned Tehran’s relation successful determination instability, saying, "From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq. The authorities has armed, trained, and funded violent militias that person soaked the world with humor and guts. And it was Iran's proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous Oct. 7 attacks connected Israel, slaughtering much than 1,000 guiltless people, including 46 Americans, portion taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, thing similar the satellite has ne'er seen before." 

He added, "Iran is the world's number-one authorities sponsor of terror… It has ever been the argumentation of the United States, successful peculiar my administration, that this violent authorities tin ne'er person a atomic weapon. I'll accidental it again. They tin ne'er person a atomic weapon."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation, informing that "in the coming days we volition beryllium required to amusement resilience." His remarks reflected a broader connection from Israeli enactment framing the cognition arsenic indispensable and perchance prolonged.

Smoke rises connected the skyline aft an detonation successful Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israeli officials said the extremity of the run is "to thoroughly degrade the Iranian regime’s capabilities and region existential threats to the State of Israel." The subject cited renewed Iranian efforts to beforehand ballistic rocket accumulation and conceal elements of its atomic programme arsenic justification for the timing of the strike.

Israeli assessments, according to section reports, bespeak that Ali Shamkhani, a elder advisor to Khamenei and a cardinal fig linked to Iran’s atomic program, was apt killed successful the operation. The subject has not formally confirmed circumstantial individuals targeted, saying assessments are ongoing.

US JOINS ISRAEL IN PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON IRAN AS TRUMP CONFIRMS ‘MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS’

Ichilov Hospital successful Tel Aviv transfers patients to underground fortified facilities aft the motorboat of the run against Iran. (Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL)

The Israeli National Security Council issued a informing to Israelis abroad, urging them to instrumentality heightened precautions successful each destinations and stay alert to imaginable threats against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas.

Inside Israel, the absorption combined hostility with discipline. Schools successful immoderate areas shifted to distant learning, reservists received draught orders, and families checked that protected rooms were stocked. The subject said astir 70,000 reservists were being called up, mostly for aerial defense, Home Front Command duties and borderline reinforcement.

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An interception is disposable successful the entity implicit Haifa during the latest barrage. (Anthony Hershko/TPS-IL)

Officials said forces are deployed crossed each borders successful mentation for imaginable escalation involving Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and others. While leaders stressed that the targets are subject and not civilian, they acknowledged that the coming days could trial the country’s endurance.

For now, Israelis are watching intimately arsenic developments unfold, bracing for further retaliation portion leaders awesome that the run volition proceed "as agelong arsenic necessary."

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