U.S., Israel Launch "Major Combat Operations" in Iran, Trump Confirms

U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that the United States has launched “major combat operations” in Iran, hours after Israel said it carried out a pre-emptive strike.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced a state of emergency in Israel in anticipation of retaliation. Sirens sounded across the country at around 08:15 local time (06:15 GMT), sending residents to shelters as authorities warned of a possible missile attack.

In Tehran, smoke was seen rising over parts of the capital, as per reports. Iranian state media reported explosions in the east and north of the city. The Fars News Agency said blasts were also heard in Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah. It reported that several missiles hit University Street and the Republic area of Tehran.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported explosions in two locations in the capital, with smoke visible in the city centre. Fars said strikes targeted the Pasteur district, home to the presidential palace, and one of Iran’s main airports. It reported that people were wounded in the Pasteur area and taken to hospitals. There has been no official statement from the Iranian government and no confirmation of senior officials being killed.

In an eight-minute video posted on Truth Social, Trump claimed Iran had “attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing long-range missiles” that could threaten U.S. allies, American troops overseas and potentially the U.S. homeland.

“We sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried,” he said. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally obliterated.” He added that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon” and warned that its leadership would learn “no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces.”

Just days earlier, indirect talks in Geneva over Iran’s nuclear programme had ended with both sides saying progress had been made. Those negotiations have now been cut off by the latest strikes.

International news organizations are often refused visas to Iran, limiting independent reporting from inside the country.

Following the strikes, several Iranian state-linked media platforms were reportedly hit by cyber-attacks. A Telegram channel linked to the hard-line Hamshahri daily described a “widespread wave” of cyber operations. At the time of publication, multiple Iranian news websites were not accessible from abroad, according to BBC.

The military escalation follows a large U.S. buildup in the region. Open-source intelligence and flight-tracking data indicate more than 100 U.S. aircraft have been repositioned to bases across Europe and the Middle East in recent days, including F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, along with refueling and surveillance aircraft.

At sea, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is moving toward the Middle East and is expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea. U.S. Navy destroyers equipped with cruise missiles and missile defense systems are also operating in the region.