Israel and the US have launched a war on Iran, with Donald Trump declaring the start of “major combat operations” and calling on Iranians to rise up against their government.
The US president’s comments came soon after explosions were heard across central Tehran. One apparent strike hit near the offices of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran is preparing a “crushing retaliation”, an Iranian official told Reuters.
Israel declared a state of emergency, warning civilians to stay near air raid shelters, in anticipation of Iranian drone and missile strikes in response. Iran and Israel both closed their airspace to civilian flights.
The attack came hours after Trump, said he was “not happy” about the latest negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.
The US had built up a large military presence in the region in recent weeks in preparation for an attack, including two aircraft carrier strike groups.
Both the US and Israel called for regime change in Iran and urged a popular uprising after Saturday’s attacks.
Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” in a video on his Truth Social platform. “It will be yours to take,” he added.
Israel directly addressed Iranians in a Persian-language post on a dedicated Telegram channel.
“Our Iranian brothers and sisters, you are not alone!” the post said, calling on Iranians to upload photos and video of anti-regime protests. “Together we will return Iran to its glorious days.”
Trump and the Israeli military described their attacks as a pre-emptive strike against Iranian threats.
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