The United States and Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Iran on Saturday, with the first reported strikes targeting areas near the compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. The attacks prompted an immediate retaliatory response from Iran, with the Revolutionary Guard announcing a “first wave” of drones and missiles directed toward Israel, triggering air raid sirens across the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in a video statement released shortly after the initial strikes, described the operation as the beginning of “major combat operations in Iran,” asserting the require to eliminate “imminent threats” posed by the Iranian regime. He went further with an unprecedented appeal to the Iranian people, urging them to “capture over your government” following the conclusion of military actions. “For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder,” Trump stated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Trump’s sentiment, stating the attacks aimed to “remove the existential threat” posed by Iran and create “the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.” According to an official briefed on the operation, targets included Iranian military sites, government symbols, and intelligence facilities.
Iranian state media reported strikes across the country, including in Tehran, where explosions were heard near Khamenei’s compound. Roads leading to the area were closed by authorities. Reuters reported a source indicating that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not present in Tehran at the time of the strikes and had been moved to a secure location.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a defiant statement, declaring the country “will not hesitate” in its response and asserting the “time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault.”
The retaliatory strikes by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard quickly escalated the conflict. Explosions were reported in Israel as the country’s defense systems worked to intercept incoming missiles. Several Israeli hospitals initiated emergency protocols, including relocating patients and surgical facilities to underground bunkers.
The conflict’s reach extended beyond Iran and Israel. Bahrain reported a missile attack targeting the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters, while witnesses in Kuwait and Qatar reported hearing sirens and explosions. Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace, and sirens sounded in Jordan. The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials.
U.S. Embassies and consulates in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel issued shelter-in-place orders to staff and recommended all American citizens do the same.
The attacks follow inconclusive negotiations between the U.S. And Iran regarding Iran’s nuclear program. While Iran maintains it has not enriched uranium since June, it has restricted access for international inspectors to sites previously inspected. Satellite imagery has indicated renewed activity at those sites, suggesting potential efforts to recover materials. Iran currently limits its ballistic missile range to 2,000 kilometers, placing regional targets within reach, but has not publicly pursued intercontinental ballistic missiles.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters stated the government was “monitoring the military strikes in the Middle East closely” and advised New Zealand citizens in Iran or Israel to shelter in place or depart if safe to do so. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reported 23 New Zealanders were registered as being in Iran and 62 in Israel.
