Israeli-American Attack Targets Iran, Response Follows Swiftly
Iranian media deny that President Massoud Pezeshkian was injured after a strike targeted the vicinity of the presidency.
The United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack against Iran on Saturday morning. U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced the start of extensive combat operations in a video posted on Truth Social, pledged to eliminate Iran’s missile program. The Iranian response was swift, with reports of explosions heard in several areas of Israel.
A U.S. official stated that “the United States is carrying out strikes against Iran by air and sea.” CNN reported that the raids on Tehran focused on military targets. The U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, announced that it had named the operations against Tehran “Epic of Wrath.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had earlier said in a statement that “Israel launched a preemptive strike against Tehran to remove threats directed at it,” adding that “as a result, a missile and drone attack on Israel is expected in the near future.”
An Israeli official confirmed that “the attack had been planned for months and its timing was set weeks ago.” These strikes, which were preceded by a 12-day aerial conflict between Israel and Iran in June, follow repeated warnings from the United States and Israel that further action would be taken if Iran continued its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
In a video statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said: “I do not make this statement lightly. The Iranian regime seeks to kill.”
He added: “Brave American heroes may lose their lives, and we may suffer casualties, as often happens in wars. But we are doing this not for the present, but for the future. It is a noble mission.”
He called on members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to lay down their arms, promising them immunity, and stated that the alternative was “certain death.” He continued: “Iran has refused, as it has for decades, every opportunity to abandon its nuclear ambitions, and we can no longer tolerate it.”
Iranian media denied reports that President Massoud Pezeshkian was injured in the Israeli strikes carried out Saturday morning.
The semi-official Mehr News Agency quoted a source close to the president as saying that he was “in very good condition and that there was no issue concerning him.” One of the strikes reportedly targeted the vicinity of the Iranian presidential office in Tehran.
Iran’s Health Ministry spokesperson, Hossein Kermanpour, announced that a state of emergency had been declared in hospitals across the capital following explosions heard in the city after the Israeli strikes.
He told the official IRNA news agency that ambulances had been dispatched to the sites where explosions were reported, adding that statistics regarding casualties and injuries would be announced later.
A U.S. official stated that the attacks launched against Iran would be “far more comprehensive” than those carried out by the United States against Iranian nuclear facilities last June.
Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that dozens of U.S. strikes had been conducted by attack aircraft stationed at regional bases as well as from an aircraft carrier, adding that the raids focused on military targets and were aimed at preventing the “military threat” emanating from Iran and protecting U.S. forces.
The New York Times, citing U.S. and Israeli officials, reported that the United States and Israel had jointly carried out attacks against Iran. Two officials stated that “the attacks are ongoing and will not be limited or narrow in scope.”
Later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced the launch of a large-scale retaliatory attack involving missiles and drones against Israel in response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes.
In the same context, Noor News Agency, which is close to Iran’s security apparatus, reported that dozens of ballistic missiles had been launched at Israel as part of the retaliatory operation.
