The United States and Israel carried out a large-scale military assault on Iran on Saturday, marking a sharp escalation in hostilities. In a public message, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians to “seize control of your destiny,” calling on the population to rise up against the Islamic leadership that has governed the country since 1979.
Early strikes appeared to hit areas near offices associated with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Iranian media reported attacks across multiple regions, with smoke rising over the capital. It was unclear whether the 86-year-old leader was present at the targeted locations at the time.
In a video address announcing what he called “major combat operations,” Trump told Iranians that once the campaign concluded, they should take control of their government, describing the moment as a rare opportunity for change. He claimed Iranians had long sought U.S. support without success. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the sentiment, saying the joint operation was intended to create conditions for Iranians to determine their own future.
The assault represented a significant expansion of U.S. military involvement with Iran and marked the second time in eight months that the Trump administration had used force against the Islamic Republic. It followed a separate Trump-ordered operation aimed at capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and bringing him to the United States to face federal drug conspiracy charges.
Tensions had been building for weeks as U.S. naval forces moved into the region and Trump pressed for an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear activities, against a backdrop of domestic unrest inside Iran following nationwide protests.
Iran responded rapidly, launching waves of missiles and drones toward Israel and striking U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. The United Arab Emirates and Iraq closed their airspace as a precaution.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement vowing it “will not hesitate” to respond, declaring that the country would defend itself against what it described as a military assault. According to the state-run IRNA, five students were killed at a girls’ school in southern Iran during the Israeli-U.S. strikes. In the UAE, state media reported that shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack killed one person in the capital.
Israeli officials described the campaign as a broad, coordinated operation against Iran’s ruling system, planned over months in close cooperation with Washington. Trump defended the strikes by asserting that Iran continues to advance its nuclear program and seeks missiles capable of reaching the United States. He acknowledged the possibility of American casualties, remarking that such losses “often happen in war.”
The rhetoric contrasted sharply with Trump’s earlier “America First” pledges to avoid prolonged overseas conflicts. In explaining the decision, he pointed to grievances dating back to the 1979 revolution that transformed Iran from a close U.S. partner into a long-standing adversary.
