The leaders of the United States and Israel declared the launch of a broad, coordinated military operation against the Iranian regime on Saturday morning, beginning with massive waves of airstrikes across several areas in the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the start of “major combat operations in Iran,” explaining that the objective “is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”
At the time of publication, there was no verified information available regarding the extent and the targets of the combined U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. Sounds of explosions and unverified footage of smoke plumes were reported from Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, and several other cities.
Internet access was almost completely blocked in Iran on Saturday morning, according to the Internet Observatory NetBlocks.
Trump’s comments echoed statements he made during the State of the Union address on Wednesday, where he stressed the threat that the ayatollah regime posed to American interests.
The president made clear that the destruction of the regime is a central objective of “Operation Epic Fury,” addressing “the great and proud people of Iran: The hour of your freedom is at hand.”
Trump advised Iranians to stay sheltered during the strikes, adding, “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This may be your only chance for generations… America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his own statement, thanked Trump “for his historic leadership,” stressing that “our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
In a notable departure from previous statements, Netanyahu explicitly mentioned several minorities in Iran, saying the time had come for them to “cast off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peace-seeking Iran,” including “Kurds, Azeris, Baloch, and Ahwazi,” as well as the Persians, who are the ethnic majority in the country.
“For 47 years, the Ayatollah regime has chanted ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America.’ It has shed our blood, murdered many Americans, and massacred its own people. This murderous terrorist regime must not be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity,” Netanyahu stressed.
Trump, for his part, noted the U.S. has always said that “this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon,” noting that the regime consistently refused a nuclear deal and “just wanted to practice evil.”
“Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and continue developing long-range missiles that can threaten our friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and potentially the American homeland itself. Just imagine how emboldened this regime would be if it ever possessed nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
The American president stressed the regime’s history of hostility toward the U.S., noting attacks on the U.S. embassy in 1979, the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, the USS Cole in 2000, and on American forces in Iraq, where the regime “killed and maimed hundreds of American service members.”
He added, “The regime’s proxies have continued launching countless attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East, as well as U.S. naval and commercial vessels in international shipping lanes. From Lebanon to Yemen, and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained, and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth in blood.”
“For these reasons, the United States military has undertaken a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests,” he stressed.
Trump declared that the U.S. military would “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,” which Israel had classified as a strategic threat on the level of the nuclear program.
“We are going to annihilate their navy. We will ensure that the regime’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world,” he continued.
Addressing members of the Iranian armed forces and police, Trump promising them “complete immunity” if they laid down their weapons. “Otherwise, you will face certain death.”
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