US and Israel launch strikes against Iran: Live Updates

President Donald Trump has confirmed “major combat operations” are underway to eliminate Tehran’s nuclear program and bring about a change in its government

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, with President Donald Trump confirming that “major combat operations” are underway.

In a video posted on Truth Social, Trump vowed to decimate Iran’s military, eliminate its nuclear program, and bring about a change in its government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a video statement that a “joint operation” had been launched against what he described as the “existential threat” posed by Iran. He said the US-Israeli military action could “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the US and Israel had struck military and civilian targets, “blatantly violating” the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that, in response to aggression by a “hostile and criminal enemy,” it has launched the first wave of extensive missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets. Explosions have reportedly been heard in Israeli cities, and the Israeli military said it had detected ballistic missiles launched from Iran, describing them as the first wave of retaliation.

Large explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and residents reported seeing smoke rising from a district that houses the presidential palace and the Supreme National Security Council, according to local accounts.

The strikes came after indirect nuclear talks in Geneva between Tehran and Washington ended inconclusively on Friday and amid a massive US military build-up in the region.

28 February 2026
10:21 GMT
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has struck the American Naval Base in Bahrain with missiles, reports Iranian media agency Fars.
Smoke was seen rising from the Juffair area of Bahrain, where the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is headquartered - as seen in the video
10:03 GMT
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement calling Saturday’s strikes a “criminal military aggression” by the US and Israel, saying they took place while Iran was “in the midst of a diplomatic process.”
The ministry said “now is the time to defend the homeland and confront the military aggression of the enemy” and called on UN member states to condemn what it described as an act of aggression and a violation of the UN Charter.
09:55 GMT
US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have been targeted by Iranian missile strikes, Mehr News has reported.
Iran’s armed forces general staff said any military base of a country providing assistance to Israel would become a target for strikes by the Islamic Republic.
09:33 GMT
The United Arab Emirates has announced a 'temporary and partial' closure of the country's airspace.
Explosions have been heard in Bahrain, APA reports, citing Al Arabiya TV.
It is also reported that Qatar has closed its airspace.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Qatar issued an alert ordering Americans to shelter-in-place due to an imminent missile threat.
BREAKING: 🇧🇭🇮🇷Chaos in Bahrain as people scramble to safety after Iranian missile strikes pic.twitter.com/wtF4DFBnz9
— FrontlineX (@FLXIntel) February 28, 2026
09:29 GMT
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has denounced the latest strikes. The deputy chairman of the Security Council highlighted that all of the recent negotiations with Iran are merely a cover operation, noting that no one really doubted this and that there was little genuine desire to reach any agreements.
09:17 GMT
Sirens heard in Jerusalem
© RT
09:12 GMT
Unconfirmed media reports suggest that at least one Iranian missile exploded in Bahrain, which hosts a major US naval base in Manama. Footage circulating on social media shows what appears to be plumes of smoke over the facility.
Iran’s attack on Bahrain. pic.twitter.com/NF6hqZvgTz
— Usman Khan (@UsmanKhanTanol7) February 28, 2026
Earlier in the day, the US Embassy said it was “implementing a shelter-in-place for all personnel” while recommending all American citizens “do the same until further notice.”
09:09 GMT
In the wake of the strikes, Israeli intelligence has launched a propaganda campaign targeting the people of Iran, urging them to share photos and videos of “resistance against the regime.”
09:09 GMT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the latest military operation is aimed to achieve regime change in Iran. In his first video statement regarding the US-Israel strikes on the Islamic Republic, he reiterated demands that Iran curb its nuclear program.
09:08 GMT
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that, in response to aggression by a “hostile and criminal enemy” against the Islamic Republic of Iran, it has launched the first wave of extensive missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets.

28 February 2026
07:35 GMT
Farhad Ibrahimov, a lecturer at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow and a specialist on Iran and the Middle East, says Israel’s strikes on Iran were similar to the June 12-13 attack last year.
On the eve of those events, US President Donald Trump announced a new round of negotiations with Tehran, and the following day Israel struck Iran, he posted on his Telegram channel. “The same thing is happening today,” Ibrahimov, a regular RT contributor, added.
Israel carried out what it described as a “pre-emptive strike” on Tehran and a number of other Iranian cities, fully aware that Iran would respond, he posted. “And if Iran responds, the Americans will step in and the negotiations will be over.”
07:36 GMT
Tehran is preparing retaliatory measures and its response will be devastating, an Iranian official told Reuters.
07:37 GMT
The current attack on Iran will be far larger in scale than US strikes on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities in June last year, American officials told the New York Times.
The strikes were reported to have come after US President Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
07:42 GMT
US forces have begun a military operation against Iran, President Trump confirmed in a video posted on Truth Social. He said the aim of the operation was to protect the American people by eliminating what he described as the “threat” posed by the Iranian government.
He said the “major combat operation” against Iran was aimed at its nuclear and missile programs and added that Tehran would never obtain a nuclear weapon.
The White House and Trump administration, via Donald Trump, have just released a video saying they have attacked Iran and "defend the American people and eliminating the Iranian regime...a vicious group of very hard, terrible people". pic.twitter.com/bpEZOXQ69m
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) February 28, 2026
08:01 GMT
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was not harmed in the US and Israeli attack, Mehr news agency reported, citing a source.

Israel is preparing for four days of strikes in the initial phase of the operation against the Islamic Republic, Channel 12 reported.
08:08 GMT
At least five explosions were heard in Tehran and were also reported in other cities – including Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Karaj – Iranian news agencies have reported.
The military operation has been named “Roar of the Lion” for the Israeli phase and “Shield of Judah” for the joint operation with Washington.
© RT
08:16 GMT
An air raid alert has been declared in Israel, with launches detected from Iran, authorities said.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has urged his people to remain steadfast “in the coming days” following the start of the operation against Tehran.
© Social media
08:18 GMT
According to RT sources, the IDF is focusing its strikes on taking out missiles.
A source familiar with the matter also said a security meeting is currently taking place chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
08:27 GMT
‘Thick black smoke RISING’ over Tehran after Israeli strikes, RT correspondent Saman Kojouri reports
‘I’m hearing ANOTHER EXPLOSION right now’ as Iran warns of a ‘decisive response’
08:30 GMT
The US has begun evacuating personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar following the attack on Iran, Reuters has reported, citing a source.
The facility is the largest American military installation in the Middle East, hosting about 10,000 service members. In June 2025, the base was targeted by an Iranian missile strike in response to a US and Israeli attack against nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic.