What to know about the US-Israel attack on Iran

The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday in what President Donald Trump said was a massive operation to destroy the country’s military capabilities and eliminate the threat of developing a nuclear weapon.

Iran’s foreign ministry says it defends its homeland and its Revolutionary Guards have launched counterattacks in Israel, firing drones and missiles and targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

The strikes come after Trump pressured Tehran into a deal to curb its nuclear program by building up a fleet of US warships in the region, as the country grapples with growing divisiveness following nationwide protests.

At least 57 people were killed and 45 others wounded in an Israeli-US attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the capital of the United Arab Emirates killed one person, state media said.

Israel announced that it had launched an attack on Iran just days after the explosions in Tehran on Saturday morning. The first strikes occurred near the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was not immediately clear where Khamenei was at the time; He was not seen for a long time.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the attacks across the country as “removal of threats”. Iran’s military, government symbols and intelligence sites were targeted, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss non-public information.

Sirens wailed across Israel to warn the public of possible incoming missile attacks.

Bahrain said the missile attack targeted the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to a US military base. Explosions were also heard in Qatar, where Al Udeid Air Base is home to thousands of service members.

Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace and sirens sounded in Jordan.

An apartment building in northern Israel was damaged and shrapnel fell in several places, media and police said. But Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said there were no significant hits in Israel and no injuries were reported from the missile attacks across the country.

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, meanwhile, have vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes and in Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because there has been no official announcement from the leadership.

It took an hour for Trump to make an official announcement about US involvement in what he called “major combat operations”.

In an 8-minute video on social media, Trump suggested the US was striking for reasons beyond the nuclear program, listing grievances dating back to the Islamic Republic’s rise after the 1979 revolution that turned Iran, one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East, into a fierce enemy.

Trump told the Iranians to take cover but then urged them to stand up and overthrow the Islamic leadership.

“When we’re done, take over your government,” Trump said. “This will be yours. This will probably be your only chance for a generation.”

The attacks came a day after Trump expressed frustration over the lack of progress in talks to curb Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.

Israel said it worked with the US for months to plan the attacks.

Ahead of the US-Iran talks in Geneva, the US assembled a huge fleet of warplanes and warships in the region to pressure Iran into a deal on its nuclear program.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in January to increase the number of warships in the region. The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and four accompanying destroyers were then sent from the Caribbean to the Middle East and are now in the Mediterranean.

The Navy has deployed more than 10,000 US troops to the region.

The fighting disrupted air traffic in the region.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates, home to both long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, closed their airspace on Saturday. Qatar Airways Group said it has temporarily canceled flights to and from Doha as Qatar’s airspace is also closed.

Flights to Israel were rerouted to other airports.

Virgin Atlantic canceled its flights from London’s Heathrow Airport to Dubai and said it would avoid flying over Iraq, meaning flights to and from India, the Maldives, Dubai and Riyadh could take longer. Virgin Atlantic said all flights carry adequate fuel in case of short-term rerouting.

Flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan will be suspended until Monday, and flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman will be suspended on Saturday, Turkish Airlines said in X.

Dutch airline KLM earlier said it would suspend flights to Tel Aviv from Sunday.