Israel and the United States Attack Iran; Ayatollah Ali Has Been Secured
Israel has announced that it has conducted a preliminary strike against Iran on Saturday local time. During the attack, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was not in Tehran and was relocated to a safer location.
“The State of Israel has launched a preliminary strike on Iran to eliminate the threat to Israel,” said Israeli Defence Minister Katz, according to Reuters on Saturday (28 February 2026).
The military operation had been planned for several months, Israeli defence officials revealed. The plan was also coordinated with the United States, including the decision on the date of the strike.
The New York Times, citing US officials, reported that the strike on Iran was ongoing.
Iranian media reported explosions heard in Tehran. Meanwhile, sirens sounded across Israel at 08:15 local time as a warning of possible missile attacks.
Israeli military authorities also announced the closure of schools and workplaces, except for essential sectors. The use of public airspace was also prohibited, with Israel closing its airspace to civilian flights and airport authorities requesting that the public not travel to any airports there.
In February, the United States and Iran had resumed negotiations to resolve disputes spanning several decades, including preventing the threat of military confrontation. However, Israel insisted that any bilateral agreement must also include the dismantling of nuclear infrastructure in Tehran, not merely the cessation of enrichment processes.
Israel also attempted to lobby Washington to include limitations on Iran’s missile programme in their negotiations. President Donald Trump acknowledged US military involvement in the large-scale combat operation in Iran, accusing Iran of attempting to rebuild its nuclear programme.
In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump told the Islamic Revolutionary Guard to lay down their weapons. “You will be treated fairly with full immunity or you will face certain death,” Trump said, according to the Guardian on Saturday (28 February 2026).
Trump accused Iran of developing long-range missiles that threaten the United States and other nations, stating: “The United States will destroy their missile industry to the ground and annihilate their navy.”
By the time this report was filed, mobile phone and internet connections in Iran had been completely cut off. Missile strikes were directed at the cities of Tehran and Isfahan.