NEED TO KNOW

• The US and Israel launched coordinated strikes across Iran on Saturday, hitting Tehran, Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah and other cities in what Trump called “major combat operations”
• Both Trump and Netanyahu explicitly called for regime change — Trump told Iranians to “take over your government” and Netanyahu urged ethnic groups to “rid themselves of the yoke of tyranny”
• Iran retaliated with missiles targeting Israel and US military bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE — one person killed in Abu Dhabi — as the conflict spread across the entire region

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — The United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran early Saturday, striking targets across the country in what President Donald Trump called “major combat operations” and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described as a “preemptive attack” to “remove threats to the State of Israel.”

The operation — codenamed Operation Epic Fury by the Pentagon and Operation Roaring Lion by the IDF — represents the largest American military mobilization in the Middle East since the Iraq War. U.S. officials told multiple outlets the strikes were “not a small strike” and that the military is planning for several days of attacks.

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What sets this operation apart from previous strikes on Iran — including last June’s Operation Midnight Hammer targeting nuclear facilities — is that both leaders have now stated, on the record, that the goal is not limited military action. It is the end of the Iranian government.

“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.” — President Donald Trump

“Our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.” — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

What Was Hit — And What Happened Next

Israeli fighter jets struck “dozens of military targets” across Iran with what the IDF described as “full synchronization and coordination” with U.S. forces. CNN geolocated and verified videos showing smoke rising from Tehran. Strikes also hit Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Karaj, Tabriz, and Ilam, according to Iranian state media.

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The first strikes appeared to target a district in downtown Tehran that houses the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the presidential palace, and the National Security Council. Israeli officials told Axios that both Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were among the targets. U.S. sources told Al Jazeera that American involvement was aimed at “decapitating the Iranian regime.” Iranian media claimed both leaders were safe, though Khamenei has not been seen publicly in days.

Two U.S. officials told NBC News that Israel targeted Iranian leaders while the U.S. focused on Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs. Communications across Tehran were severely impaired, with internet monitoring group NetBlocks reporting Iranian connectivity had fallen to 4% of normal levels.

Iran retaliated within hours. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched what it called a “large-scale wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes” at Israel and U.S. military bases across the Gulf. The IRGC confirmed strikes targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al-Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. One person was killed in Abu Dhabi by missile fragments, the UAE’s state news agency reported.

Approximately 35 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel, according to preliminary IDF assessments. Some were intercepted; others struck open areas. One man in his 50s was lightly injured in northern Israel. Israel declared a nationwide state of emergency, closed its airspace, and ordered civilians to remain near shelters.

A senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera that “all American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target” and that “there are no red lines after this aggression.”

From Geneva To Bombs In 48 Hours

The strikes came just two days after U.S. and Iranian negotiators held a third round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday. An Omani diplomat described the talks as making “significant progress”. Iran’s Foreign Ministry noted in its condemnation Saturday that the attacks were carried out “while Iran and the United States were in the midst of a diplomatic process.”

In his eight-minute video statement posted on Truth Social around 2:30 a.m. EST, Trump framed the collapse differently: “We sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. Again, they wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. They didn’t know what was happening.”

Trump claimed Iran had attempted to rebuild the nuclear program destroyed in last June’s Operation Midnight Hammer and was developing long-range missiles that “could soon reach the American homeland.” He vowed to “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground” and to “annihilate their navy.”

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