US and Israel attack Iran: What we know so far | Israel-Iran conflict news

The United States and Israel have struck multiple locations across Iran, including the capital Tehran, in what US President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations”.

The attacks come amid talks between the US and Iran over their nuclear and ballistic missile programs, after weeks of escalating threats from Trump – and eight months after the US and Israel waged a 12-day war against Iran.

Iran has fired missiles targeting US military bases in northern Israel and the Middle East. Details of casualties and damage in Iran and Israel are currently scarce.

Here’s what we know so far:

What happened in Iran?

Around 9:27am (06:27 GMT), Iran’s Fars news agency reported a series of explosions in the capital, Tehran.

An Al Jazeera correspondent in western Tehran said he heard two explosions, while videos shared on social media showed smoke rising from several parts of the city.

Israel first announced that it had fired missiles at targets inside Iran.

A US official told Al Jazeera that the strikes were carried out as part of a joint military operation with Israel. In recent weeks, Washington has assembled a large fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region, its most significant military buildup since the Iraq War.

Trump described the operation as “massive and ongoing.”

The US Department of Defense later said the operation was named “Operation Epic Fury”, marking the first public statement from the US military since the start of the joint US-Israeli offensive.

Where did the US and Israel attack in Iran?

Several missiles hit University Street and the Jomhouri area of ​​Tehran and near the headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Fars reported.

The Associated Press news agency reported that the strike took place near the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran’s capital.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency also reported explosions in Seyed Khandan area, north of Tehran.

Explosions were reported in the cities of Kermanshah, Qom, Tabriz, Isfahan, Ilam and Karaj, according to local media.

What did Donald Trump say?

While announcing “major combat operations,” Trump said the goal of the US campaign was to “destroy their missiles and knock their missile industry to the ground.”

“We’re going to destroy their navy,” Trump added.

Here are the key points of his message

• The US has launched major combat operations in Iran, describing them as “massive and ongoing”.
• The statement aims to dispel what Washington calls imminent threats from the Iranian government.

Trump said the campaign’s military objectives include:

• Destroying Iran’s missile capabilities.
• The target is Iran’s navy.
• Disrupting Iran-backed armed groups in the region.
• Ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

He also issued a warning-cum-offer to Iran’s military personnel. If they lay down their weapons, Trump said, he would ensure amnesty. But if they don’t, they will face “certain death,” he warned. He acknowledged that US forces could face casualties.

The Trump administration is planning a “multiday operation,” Reuters reported, citing a US official.

Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reports from Washington that the US president’s comments suggest Trump is setting the “table for revolution in Iran” 73 years after the CIA orchestrated a coup against Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.

“They’ve done it before. This time, they’re doing it with weapons and bombs instead of covertly through the CIA,” Fisher said. “It is clear that this is going to be a sustained military operation, with Donald Trump acknowledging the fact that there will be casualties.”

What was Iran’s response?

Iran first retaliated by firing missiles toward Israel, according to the Israeli military. Air raid sirens sounded in many parts of the country and explosions were reported in northern Israel.

“The public is requested to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command,” Israel’s military said in a statement. “At this time, the Israeli Air Force is working to intercept and strike threats where necessary to eliminate the threat.”

But soon after, Iranian forces launched missiles at several locations linked to US military operations across the region, including:

• Al Udeed Air Base in Qatar.
• Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
• Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
• US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
• An explosion was also heard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, Ibrahim Azizi, head of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament, threatened a “crushing” response. “We warned you!” Aziji wrote on social media. “Now that you have begun the path, its end is no longer in your control.”

Where are the leaders of Iran?

The whereabouts of the 86-year-old Khamenei was not immediately clear. He has not been seen in public in days as tensions with the United States escalate.

Authorities closed roads to Khamenei’s compound in downtown Tehran as explosions rang out across the capital.

Meanwhile, Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency, citing a source in the presidential office, said President Masoud Pezheshkian was unharmed.