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The United States and Israel have launched a pre-emptive air campaign against Iran striking targets across the country in what the US President said was a “massive and ongoing operation”.
President Donald Trump said the bombing attacks were aimed at destroying Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities, thwarting Tehran’s support to proxies and the destruction of its theocratic government.
The operation called “Epic Fury” is expected to last several days with multiple military, nuclear and political institutions being targeted.
The attacks spurred a furious Iranian retaliation, with multiple barrages striking Israel, Bahrain, Dubai, Qatar and Jordan.
The attacks began with Israeli strikes Saturday morning, a workday in Iran, on Tehran, the capital, with residents speaking of attacks near the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound, the presidential palace, Iran’s National Security Council, the ministries of defence and intelligence, the Atomic Energy Organization and a military complex.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vociferous and longtime advocate for attacking Iran said the campaign would continue “as long as needed.”
The British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also revealed that the Royal Air Force were involved in the military campaign when he revealed that British planes “are in the sky today” in the Middle East as part of defensive operations.
He said the flights were ordered to “protect our people, our interests and our values”, the Prime Minister said in a televised statement.
Sir Keir ordered Iran to “end this now” and “refrain from further strikes”.
The chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mohammed Pakpour, and its defence minister, Amir Nasirzadeh, were killed in the strikes, three sources told Reuters.
In retaliation against the “massive and ongoing” military campaign, Tehran has fired waves of missiles towards Israel, targeted US bases in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, and struck the US Navy 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
In a recorded message from his Mar-a-Lago home, President Trump called on the Iranian people to rise up and force regime change.
Britons are among thousands of tourists caught up in the crisis, as Iranian missiles are intercepted in the sky above Dubai.
In an eight-minute recorded video message on Truth Social, President Trump outlined a maximalist strategy that would see much of what he called “this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”
“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. We are going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilise the region or the world, and attack our forces,” he said. “And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.”
He urged Iranians to take over their government, telling them that “the hour of your freedom is at hand.”
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” he said.
“This will be probably your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight.”
President Trump also said U.S. military forces “may have casualties.”
Iran issued a series of statements, with the Iranian Foreign Ministry saying “Iranians have never surrendered to aggression” and that Iran’s response “will be decisive, and aggressors will regret their hostile actions.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was leading Iran’s delegation in negotiations, said the war on Iran was “wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate.”
“Trump has turned ‘America First’ into ‘Israel First’— which always means ‘America Last’,” he wrote on X.
“Our powerful armed forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve.”
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council has been called for later on Saturday in New York.
It will be convened at 21:00 UK time (16:00 ET). The meeting was requested by Bahrain, Colombia, China, Russia and France.
It comes after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned “today’s military action in the Middle East”.
In a statement, he had said that the actions undermine international peace and security and called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities”.
In central London, crowds and cycle motorcades gathered in celebration at the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the early afternoon.
Revving engines and chants of “Long live Iran, long live Israel” were bellowed out by buoyant Iranians carrying images of Reza Pahlavi (the son of the last Iranian shah, who is exiled in the US and is an opponent of the current Iranian regime).
The former crown prince’s cousin, Davoud Pahlavi, just turned up much to the excitement of the crowd. It appears to be a mainly Pahlavi supporting crowd here.
Some drank homemade Aragh Sagi, an Iranian moonshine distilled from black or white grapes from Shiraz. Others worried about their loved ones, whom they haven’t been able to contact since yesterday evening.
Major airlines have diverted or cancelled flights to the Middle East, citing safety, and have apologised to customers.
Wizz Air has suspended flights until 7 March in Israel, Dubai and Abu Dhabi and Amman in Jordan, and in Saudi Arabia until Tuesday.
British Airways has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday, while Saturday’s service to Amman is grounded.
Kuwait’s aviation authority said it was halting all flights to Iran until further notice, according to state media.
Emirates has temporarily suspended its operations to and from Dubai. Lufthansa, Air India, Virgin Atlantic and Turkish Airlines have also announced cancellations.
Some countries in the region – including Iraq and Jordan – have also closed their airspace. The UAE said it has “partially and temporarily” closed its airspace as a precaution, state media reported.
Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Office travel guidance for Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Oman, is now advising travellers to “remain vigilant, follow local authority advice and take shelter if advised”.
