Updated February 28, 2026 at 11:31 AM EST
WASHINGTON, D.C., TEL AVIV, Israel, and AMMAN, Jordan — The U.S. and Israel launched a wave of airstrikes Saturday against Iran as part of a major military campaign intended to topple the Islamic regime, according to President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The attack began after sunrise in Iran, with huge explosions ringing out in the capital Tehran. Videos showed large plumes of thick smoke.
Iran's Foreign Ministry called the attack a "gross violation" of its national sovereignty. A statement said the airstrikes hit both military and civilian targets.
"They have hit many targets around me and we hear fighter jets and missiles exploding," said a resident in western Tehran reached by phone before communications were cut in Iran. "People were panicking and trying to get to their homes. Children are running out of school."
Iran responded with missile launches of its own, spreading the conflict to the wider region. Air raid sirens wailed in Israel as it came under attack. Several countries in the Gulf also reported Iranian strikes, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. The Jordanian government, which hosts major U.S. military bases, reported it downed two Iranian missiles on its territory
"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people," President Trump said in an 8-minute video posted on Truth Social.
The joint U.S.-Israeli attack, called "Epic Fury" by the Pentagon, came after weeks of escalating tensions and a major U.S. military buildup in the region. The U.S. and Iran tried to negotiate a deal to limit Iran's nuclear program, holding the most recent round of talks on Thursday in Geneva. But Trump said those efforts had failed.
In the run-up to the military strike, analysts speculated on whether Trump might choose a brief, limited attack — as he's done in many other cases over the past year — or if he would opt for a more expansive operation. The initial impression — and the president's own words — pointed to a large-scale, open-ended bombardment.
"We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated," Trump said, adding, "We're going to annihilate their navy."
The president claims Iran was rebuilding its nuclear program ahead of the attack — Trump had often said the program was obliterated in the U.S. and Israeli attacks last June.
Trump also told the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to surrender: "Lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death."
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitored Iran's program for years, as well as other nuclear experts, have said there's no evidence that Iran has resumed the enrichment of uranium, the centerpiece of the program.
Prior to launching the attack, Trump said he preferred a negotiated deal, but would also welcome regime change. Otherwise, he offered little insight into his ultimate goal in Iran.
But in his video, he made clear that he wants Iran's Shiite Muslim leadership, which has ruled for 47 years, to fall.
Speaking directly to the Iranian people, he told them to take shelter for now, while bombing is taking place. Then, he added, "When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations."
However, the Iranian security forces brutally suppressed mass street protests last month. Human rights groups have put the number killed at 7,000 or more. Trump has put the death toll at 32,000 without citing his source.
There's no sign the U.S. will send ground troops into Iran, and military analysts say it will be extremely difficult to topple the government with air power alone.
Therefore, it's impossible to say whether Iran's leadership might be vulnerable to a domestic uprising, or if would be able to crush protests as it did earlier this year.
Meanwhile, in Israel the military said in a statement that its fighter jets were striking "dozens of military targets" in Iran with "full synchronization and coordination" between the Israeli and U.S. militaries following months of joint planning.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said the goal of the joint U.S.-Israeli attack is to "remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran."
"Our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands," Netanyahu said in a video.
A person briefed on the operation told NPR it was expected to last a few days, with Israel's military focusing on targeting Iran's missile program.
Israel has closed its airspace to all passenger flights, and civil defense protocols have been activated. Regional military forces remain on high alert.
A 48-hour state of emergency was declared nationwide. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel, with authorities warning civilians to enter bomb shelters.
Trails of smoke streaked the sky above Tel Aviv as Israeli interception systems fired at incoming missiles. A hospital in central Israel began moving operations to an underground fortified compound.
In the Gulf, several countries offered details on Iranian attacks.
Bahrain's government said an Iranian airstrike hit the U.S. naval base that is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
The United Arab Emirates, another U.S. ally, said it intercepted Iranian missiles. It said shrapnel from one of the missiles killed a national of an unspecified Asian country in Abu Dhabi.
In Jordan, several explosions believed to be missiles being intercepted were heard along with the sound of fighter jets. The Jordanian military said its forces had shot down two ballistic missiles.
Rebecca Rosman reported from Paris. Aya Batrawy contributed reporting from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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