US and Israel Launch Joint Military Attack on Iran, Explosions Rock Tehran
Multiple strikes hit Iranian capital and other provinces as US official confirms coordinated operation; Iran vows "crushing retaliation."
The United States and Israel have launched a joint military attack on Iran, with explosions reported across Tehran and other provinces, multiple news agencies confirmed on Saturday.
According to Iran’s Fars news agency, several missiles struck University Street and the Jomhouri area in central Tehran. Smoke was seen rising from multiple locations in the capital. Iranian media also reported attacks in Tehran’s northern Seyyed Khandan area and in the western Ilam province.
A US official told Al Jazeera that the attacks were carried out as a joint operation between Israel and the United States, involving both air and sea forces. The US has assembled a significant fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region in recent weeks.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the operation, stating that the attacks aim at “eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.” Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes were launched to “remove threats to the State of Israel.”
One of the areas targeted in Tehran was near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the Associated Press. Reuters reported that Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been moved to a secure location.
An Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran is preparing for “crushing retaliation.”
Cellphone communications have been disrupted in several areas of the capital, with no calls possible at present, Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported from Tehran.
In response, sirens sounded in Israel and a state of emergency was declared. The Israeli military issued a “proactive alert” warning of possible missiles launched toward Israel. Israel’s airspace has been closed to all civilian flights.
The US Embassy in Qatar implemented a shelter-in-place order for all personnel, advising US citizens to do the same. Iraq’s transport ministry also closed its national airspace.
According to an Israeli defense official cited by Reuters, the attacks had been planned for months, with the launch date decided weeks ago—even as the US and Iran were engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, suggested the attack may have been designed to derail those negotiations.
Source: Al Jazeera
