The attack pushes the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dims hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West.
U.S. and Isreal have launched military strikes against Iran on Saturday plunging the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dimming hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s nuclear dispute with the West.
The first wave of strikes in what the Pentagon named “OPERATION EPIC FURY” mainly targeted Iranian officials, a source familiar with the matter said.
U.S. and Isreal strikes against Iran are being carried out by air and sea, a U.S. official told Reuters on Saturday.
Israel says it launched a “pre-emptive” attack against Iran on Saturday.
“The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
US President Donald Trump said that US has begun “major combat operations in Iran” after Israel launched strikes.
Trump called the attacks on Iran “a noble mission,” saying they were necessary because of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and missile systems that could reach the US.
He called on Iranian officials to “lay down your arms” or “you will face certain death,” and encouraged the Iranian people to “take over your government – it will be yours to take.”
Iran is preparing retaliation against Israel and its response “will be crushing,” an Iranian official told Reuters on Saturday, after Israeli strikes hit multiple targets and sharply escalated tensions between the two regional rivals.
The Israeli military said missiles were fired from Iran toward Israeli territory, setting off alerts nationwide.
According to a Reuters eyewitness, emergency warnings were sent to mobile phone users across Israel cautioning them about incoming missile fire. At the same time, Iranian state media reported that the port city of Bushehr had come under attack, though it remained unclear whether the Bushehr nuclear power plant suffered any damage.
A source told Reuters that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran launched on Saturday “will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
Netanyahu said joint attack with US was to ‘remove an existential threat posed’ by Iran.
“The time has come for all sections of the people in Iran … to remove the yoke of tyranny from (the regime) and bring a free and peace-loving Iran,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
The attack pushes the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dims hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West.
Saturday’s new Israeli strike comes after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air war in June.
It follows repeated U.S.-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian media reported.
he U.S. and Iran renewed negotiations in February in a bid to resolve the decades-long dispute through diplomacy and avert the threat of a military confrontation that could destabilise the region.
Israel, however, insisted that any U.S. deal with Iran must include the dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, not just stopping the enrichment process, and lobbied Washington to include restrictions on Iran’s missile programme in the talks.
Iran said it was prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions but ruled out linking the issue to missiles.
Tehran also said it would defend itself against any attack.