Israel said it launched a preemptive operation with the United States against Iran, triggering immediate retaliation and a rapid shift to emergency footing across the region. The exchange marked a sharp escalation, with both sides framing the action as decisive and potentially prolonged.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel had launched a preemptive strike to remove threats to the state and declared a nationwide special state of emergency. The Israel Defense Forces said that beginning Saturday at 8:00 a.m., the country would move from full activity to essential activity only. Schools, public gatherings, and most workplaces were suspended except for critical services.
An Israeli official told N12 that preparations were underway for four days of intense joint strikes and said Tehran “will not look the same the day after.”
About 30 targets across Iran were struck, including the Iranian president’s residence and an intelligence headquarters, according to Israeli reports.
Iranian media said the Intelligence Ministry, Defense Ministry, the compound of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization in Tehran were targeted. Strikes were continuing in waves.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been moved to a secure location according to Reuters.
A U.S. official told Al Jazeera that Washington was carrying out joint strikes with Israel, while U.S. President Donald Trump said, “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be obliterated.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the United States had launched an operation to remove “the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran,” adding, “Together we will stand, together we will fight.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said there was “one people and one army,” signaling cross-party backing.
Israeli security sources told N12 that “the entire Iranian regime was a target,” including Khamenei, and that Iran had been “very surprised by the daytime strike.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the first wave of large-scale missile and drone attacks toward Israel had begun. Roughly 30 ballistic missiles were fired in the initial barrage, according to reports.
The IDF said additional missiles were launched and that the Aerial Defense Array was intercepting threats. Smoke was seen rising near Tel Aviv following a subsequent barrage.
Cruise missiles launched by Israel and the United States toward Iran were observed over Iraq while an Iranian MiG-29 was seen in the skies over Tehran.
A senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera that “everything is on the table,” including scenarios not previously considered.
Netanyahu urged Israelis to follow Home Front Command instructions during Operation “Roaring Lion.” He thanked Trump for “historic leadership” and called on Iranians of various ethnic communities to “cast off the yoke of tyranny.”
Reza Pahlavi said U.S. assistance had “now arrived” and described the action as humanitarian intervention targeting the Islamic Republic, urging Iranians to prepare to return to the streets, while Mossad’s Persian-language Telegram channel called on Iranians to share images of their “struggle against the regime.”
Israeli naval movements were also visible, with a submarine departing Haifa at high speed during live broadcasts.
Iran has also launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. Navy logistics facility in Bahrain.
The exchange underscored the scale and coordination of the initial strike cycle, with both sides signaling readiness for sustained operations.
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