The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday – marking a major escalation following weeks of negotiations between US and Iranian officials over the country’s nuclear program.
President Donald Trump confirmed in a video posted to social media that the United States had begun a “massive and ongoing” military campaign in Iran, “to prevent 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,” Trump said.
Explosions were also heard in the Haifa area in northern Israel on Saturday following launches from Iran, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported.
Earlier, air raid sirens sounded in several areas across Israel after missiles were identified as launched from Iran toward the country, the Israeli army said.
Israel launched attack against Iran early Saturday under the name ‘Lion’s Roar,’ declaring a “special and immediate” state of emergency across the country.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. Iran’s state media said the country is preparing for a “a crushing response” to the attacks.
The US military is planning for several days of attacks, two sources told CNN Saturday, with one official describing them as “not a small strike.” Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the attack a “preemptive strike” against Iran, as a state of emergency was declared across Israel.
The attack targeted Iran’s ballistic missiles and missile launchers, which Israel views as a serious threat. It’s unclear whether there have been any casualties.
Iran has closed its airspace, Majid Akhavan, the spokesperson for the civil aviation organization, said, according to state-affiliated media. Schools have also been ordered shut and remote learning has been activated, Iranian media reported.
Videos geolocated and verified by CNN show smoke rising from the capital city of Tehran. While strikes have also been reported in the Iranian cities of Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah, according to state-run news agency Fars.
Approximately two hours after the strikes, Israel sounded the first warning of incoming missiles from Iran.
The notification from Israel’s Home Front Command sent straight to cell phones warned that alerts are expected in the area “in a few minutes” and to prepare to enter a protected space.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel.
“At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
Also Read: Trump vows to deter Iran getting nuclear weapons
Following its attack on Iran, Israel declared a state of emergency because of the expectation of retaliation. The Home Front Command also closed its airspace and ordered only essential activity across the country.
In his video message, Trump said Iran had been working to rebuild its nuclear program after the US bombed its nuclear facilities in June.
“They rejected every opportunity to reach their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore,” he said.
The Saturday operation follows repeated threats from Trump, who warned Iran of US military intervention if the regime didn’t stop killing anti-government protesters. The US also threatened to intervene if Iran did not agree to a new nuclear deal, which was the subject of US-Iran diplomatic talks in Geneva on Thursday.
Trump has repeatedly hinted that he would like to see regime change in Iran, while also insisting the country halt all of its uranium enrichment so it can never develop a nuclear weapon.
Trump, however, has not articulated the strategic objective of a US military operation or how long such an operation would last.
The US military has been preparing for possible strikes for weeks while indirect negotiations had been ongoing between Washington and Tehran – steadily massing Air Force and Naval assets in the region in anticipation of a possible “go” order from Trump.
CNN
