The United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes against Iran on Saturday, February 28, 2026, in what President Donald Trump described as the beginning of major combat operations against the country. The US operation, codenamed Epic Fury, and the Israeli operation, dubbed Shield of Judah, targeted multiple cities across Iran including Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Karaj and Ilam. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the assault as a preemptive attack aimed at removing threats to the State of Israel, while Trump stated the objective was to destroy Iranian missiles and raze the country's missile industry to the ground. The strikes represent the largest US military engagement in the region since the Iraq War and mark a dramatic escalation eight months after the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June 2025.
In Tehran, missiles struck University Street and the Jomhouri area, as well as the northern Seyyed Khandan neighborhood. Explosions also hit locations near the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and in the vicinity of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's offices. Dozens of US attack planes launched from aircraft carriers and bases across the region carried out strikes by air and sea. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the joint action aims to remove the existential threat posed by what he called the terrorist regime in Iran. Trump posted a video on Truth Social warning that bombs will be dropping everywhere, and called on the Iranian people to take over their government, offering complete immunity to armed forces who disarm.
Iran responded with a sweeping wave of retaliatory strikes, launching dozens of ballistic missiles toward Israel and targeting US military installations across the Persian Gulf. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel as missiles were launched from Iranian territory. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed attacks on multiple US bases, including Naval Support Activity Bahrain, headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. Smoke was observed rising from the naval installation in Bahrain. Iranian Parliament security official Ebrahim Azizi warned that Tehran's response would be crushing, stating that Iran had repeatedly warned against such an escalation. Iranian state media declared all Israeli and US regional interests as legitimate targets.
The regional fallout has been immediate and extensive. Israel closed all airspace to passenger flights and declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency, with hospital operations moved to fortified underground facilities. Qatar intercepted several Iranian missiles, while Jordan stopped two ballistic missiles according to Reuters. The UAE state news agency reported one person killed in Abu Dhabi from intercepted Iranian missiles. US embassies in Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Israel issued shelter-in-place directives to all personnel. Oil markets face severe disruption, with analysts warning that Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil passes, could send prices soaring to 100 dollars per barrel. Iran currently produces approximately 4.7 million barrels of oil per day, representing 4.4 percent of global supply.
The strikes came after three rounds of nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran in Geneva failed to produce a breakthrough, with the most recent round concluding just two days earlier on February 26. The US had demanded that Iran destroy its main nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan and surrender all enriched uranium, demands Tehran rejected. Congressional criticism emerged immediately, with Representative Thomas Massie calling the strikes acts of war unauthorized by Congress. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned that the US lacks sufficient munitions stockpiles and industrial capacity for a prolonged conflict with Iran. The military action is expected to last several days, according to two US officials who spoke to NBC News, as Trump vowed to eliminate any nuclear threat from Tehran. Details of casualties and the full extent of damage in both Iran and Israel remain sparse as the situation continues to unfold rapidly across the region.
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