Israel launches strikes against Iran, with US support

2026-02-28 - 07:58

Israel has launched a series of targeted strikes against Iran, with witnesses reporting multiple explosions across the capital, Tehran. A United States official confirmed to Reuters that American forces are also participating in the operation, conducting coordinated strikes from both air and sea. The US has amassed a huge military presence in the region after the president threatened military action if Tehran refused to forswear nuclear weapons. Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, confirmed Israel is attacking Iran. “The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” he said in a statement. Iranian state media reported explosions in Tehran. The first apparent strike happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The full extent of the United States’ involvement is not yet clear; the White House has declined to immediately comment. Just before a quarter past eight in the morning, local time, warning sirens sounded across Israel, warning Israelis to stay close to shelters in the event of any retaliation. Witnesses have reported blast strikes downtown in Tehran, Iran’s capital, as thick smoke was seen rising in the sky. The incident comes as tensions mount between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program. The attack against Iran pushes the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dims hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West. The attack, coming after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air war last June, follows repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The US and Iran renewed negotiations in February in a bid to resolve the decades-long dispute through diplomacy and avert the threat of a military confrontation that could destabilise the region. Israel, however, insisted that any US deal with Iran must include the dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, not just stopping the enrichment process, and lobbied Washington to include restrictions on Iran’s missile program in the talks. Iran said it was prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions, but ruled out linking the issue to missiles. Tehran also said it would defend itself against any attack. It warned neighbouring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington struck Iran. In June, the US joined an Israeli military campaign against Iranian nuclear installations, in the most direct American military action ever against the Islamic Republic. Tehran retaliated by launching missiles toward the Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest US base in the Middle East. Western powers have warned that Iran’s ballistic missile project threatens regional stability and could deliver nuclear weapons if developed. Tehran denies seeking atomic bombs.