Washington – The U.S. and Israel said they launched an attack on Iran, which retaliated with strikes on Israel and targeted U.S. bases. President Trump confirmed major combat operations against the regime, and urged Iranians to “take over your government” as the strikes continued.
“I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social. He said the military operation would strike Iran’s missile and nuclear programs as well as its navy.
The focus of the strikes, he said, was to ensure Americans “will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said they had launched missile and drone attacks toward Israel. A civilian was killed in the United Arab Emirates by falling debris from intercepted missiles.
The U.S. and Israel plan to carry out several days of intensive attacks, people familiar with the matter said. The joint operation risks a wider regional conflict in one of the most economically sensitive parts of the world.
The strikes were preceded by a monthlong U.S. military buildup that followed a Trump pledge to come to the aid of protesters who rocked the regime at the beginning of January. The president had repeatedly warned Iran it could face military action if it failed to give up its nuclear program.
-WSJ
