The US and Israel launched a war with Iran aimed at hitting the country’s regime, with Tehran retaliating by striking Tel Aviv and targeting American bases across the region.
There was no clear outcome from the initial strikes on Iran or from the retaliatory attacks, which Gulf states said they intercepted in waves of incoming missiles.
However, Iran announced the deaths of more than 80 people in the attacks, including dozens it said were killed at a school.
The war came despite weeks of diplomacy and talks between the US and Iran, although it was clear from the beginning that what Tehran was offering — and willing to discuss — did not match the US agenda, as Washington and Tel Aviv appeared to see an opportunity to attack a weakened regime.
In a video address, President Donald Trump said that the US had started “major combat operations” in Iran after nuclear talks failed to reach an agreement, despite both sides claiming progress was being made.
"The US military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation," he said. “We're going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally obliterated. We're going to annihilate their navy," Mr Trump added.
The President's announcement follows Israeli strikes on Saturday morning on Tehran and other major Iranian cities.
At least 57 pupils were killed and 60 others wounded in an Israeli missile attack on a girls' elementary school in the southern city of Minab in the province of Hormozgan, Iranian state media reported. Minab’s provincial governor, Mohammad Radmehr, told Iranian media that the school had been directly attacked.
Iran's Foreign Ministry acknowledged that a series of attacks hit its defence infrastructure and civilian sites across the country. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran was “prepared for this day”.
“Netanyahu and Trump's war on Iran is wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate,” he wrote on X. “Our powerful armed forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve.”
Iran had signalled an openness to diplomacy since returning to the negotiating table earlier this month, but warned that it would respond decisively to any US attacks.
Its rapid response to the US and Israeli attacks demonstrates that the regime knows it faces an “existential threat”, leading open source analyst Tal Hagan told The National.
Gulf reaction
The UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia said they intercepted Iranian missiles and condemned the attacks as a violation of their sovereignty.
One person was reported killed in Abu Dhabi as a result of shrapnel falling on a residential area, said authorities, adding that three waves of missiles were "successfully intercepted". The UAE "reaffirmed its categorical rejection of the use of the territories of regional states as arenas for settling disputes or expanding the scope of conflict".
Qatar said it "successfully thwarted" three waves of attacks. Kuwait said it intercepted projectiles, which resulted in "debris and shrapnel falling in the vicinity of the Ali Al Salem air base". Jordan accused Iran of mounting an “aggression” against the kingdom. Saudi Arabia strongly condemned what it described as “blatant and cowardly” Iranian attacks targeting Riyadh and the Eastern Province, saying the assaults were intercepted in a statement issued by the kingdom's foreign ministry.
Meanwhile, Bahrain said that the US Fifth Fleet's service centre was attacked. Egypt expressed its "grave concern" over the military escalation, which it said risks "widening the scope of conflict and plunging the entire region into a state of total chaos".
Mr Araghchi held phone calls with his regional counterparts after Tehran targeted the US bases. He condemned the "flagrant violation" committed by the US and Israel against his country and said Tehran was acting in "self-defence".
The UAE, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan closed their airspace following the attacks, with flight maps showing reduced air traffic in the region.
In his speech, Mr Trump accused Iran of backing the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and killing “thousands” of its own citizens.
Mr Trump asked the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the armed forces and police to “lay down their weapons and have complete immunity or face certain death”. He called on the people of Iran to “stay sheltered” and not leave their homes.
“Don't leave your homes. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we're finished, take over your government.”
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the strikes are intended to topple the regime.
“Our joint action will create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands,” he said.
Iran's Health Ministry spokesman said hospitals are on alert and the number of casualties has yet to be determined, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.
The operation was planned for months and the launch date was decided weeks ago, an Israeli source briefed on the operation told The National. The strikes are expected to be “more extensive” than during last year’s 12-day war, the official added.
Potential targets in Iran include government centres and military and intelligence targets. The source said Israel is expecting several days of extensive retaliation.
Iran has closed its airspace. Its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been moved from Tehran to a secure location, an Iranian official told Reuters.
An Israeli source told The National that Mr Khamenei is a target of the attacks.
Mr Khamenei is Iran’s ultimate authority, with final control over the armed forces, nuclear policy and strategic decision-making. His survival is seen as essential to maintaining the command structure of both the state and the powerful IRGC.
'Not your war'
Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi said he was “dismayed” by the US-Israeli strikes. Muscat had been mediating negotiations between Iran and the US and pushing for a diplomatic solution. The Foreign Minister said “significant progress” was made during the last round of talks in Geneva on Thursday.
“Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined. Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this,” wrote Mr Al Busaidi on X.
He called for restraint, urging the US “not to get sucked in further”.
“This is not your war,” he added.
Israel's Mossad said it launched a “super secure and special” channel on the social messaging application Telegram.
“Together we will return Iran to its glorious days”, the Mossad message said, referring to calls for regime change in Iran following weeks of deadly protests.
Israeli and US intelligence agencies have been increasing their attempts to engage with Iranians on the ground in recent days. The CIA posted a call on Tuesday for Iranians to share information with the agency.
Iranian politician Ebrahim Azizi suggested that Iran would retaliate. “We warned you! Now you have started down a path which end is no longer in your control,” he wrote on X.
Hours before the attack on Iran, Israel's army said it launched a wave of strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas of south Lebanon. The strikes are not uncommon, with thousands of Israeli breaches of the ceasefire recorded since the agreement came into effect in November 2024.
The Israeli military warned Hezbollah against intervening in the conflict with Iran, saying such a move would be a “grave mistake”. Hezbollah condemned what it described as “treacherous” US and Israeli strikes on Iran, but stopped short of suggesting it would intervene militarily on behalf of Iran.
