The Iranian military has launched a wave of retaliatory strikes on Israel after the Jewish State and the US attacked the Islamic Republic, although the extent of the damage remains unclear.
On Saturday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the country had carried out a “preemptive strike” on Iran “to remove threats against the State of Israel.”
US President Donald Trump later confirmed that American forces are participating, while vowing to dismantle the Iranian nuclear program, “raze [Iranian] missile industry,” and “annihilate their navy.”
Tehran maintains it does not seek nuclear weapons, insisting its research program is for peaceful purposes only.
Following the US-Israeli attack, the IDF reported several waves of missiles “launched from Iran toward the State of Israel.” The military said air defenses were working to intercept the projectiles but cautioned that protection “is not hermetic,” urging the public to seek shelter when sirens sound. The IDF also called on citizens not to share footage or disclose the locations of impacts.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite branch of Tehran’s military, confirmed that the strikes are ongoing, saying that “in response to the aggression of the hostile and criminal enemy… the first wave of extensive missile and drone attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the occupied territories has begun.”
Israeli authorities have said that there have been no reports of injuries, with media indicating that one Iranian missile had hit an open area in the northern part of the country.
In addition to Israel, explosions have been heard in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait, which all host US military assets. An unnamed Iranian official told Al Jazeera that “all American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target,” adding that “there are no red lines after this aggression.”
The recent escalation comes after the US-Iran nuclear talks failed to deliver a breakthrough, with Trump saying that he was “not happy” with the negotiations. Iran maintains its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes only while warning that a broad regional conflict will have major repercussions.
The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, with President Donald Trump confirming that “major combat operations” are underway.
In a video posted on Truth Social, Trump vowed to decimate Iran’s military, eliminate its nuclear program, and bring about a change in its government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a video statement that a “joint operation” had been launched against what he described as the “existential threat” posed by Iran. He said the US-Israeli military action could “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the US and Israel had struck military and civilian targets, “blatantly violating” the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that, in response to aggression by a “hostile and criminal enemy,” it has launched the first wave of extensive missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets. Explosions have reportedly been heard in Israeli cities, and the Israeli military said it had detected ballistic missiles launched from Iran, describing them as the first wave of retaliation.
