The United States joined Israel in launching preemptive strikes against Iran on Saturday, as President Donald Trump confirmed “major combat operations” were underway.
The U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack just after 9 a.m. local time in what the Pentagon has named “Operation Epic Fury.”
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world,” Trump said in video remarks posted to Truth Social.
Although strikes were reported across Iran, the initial assault was focused near the compound and main offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran, according to The Associated Press. It remains unclear whether he was present at the time.
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Iran launched missiles toward Israel in response, and the Israel Defense Forces said the Aerial Defense Array was intercepting incoming threats. Most of the
Sirens were heard across Israel, including in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The IDF urged the public to remain in protected spaces until further notice.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that Israel and the United States “launched an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terror regime in Iran.”
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“Our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands,” he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special and immediate state of emergency across the country.
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He said the strike was “to remove threats” against the state of Israel.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
