US and Israel launch ‘massive’ strikes on Iran as Trump calls for regime change

Edited by Fergus Ryan, Philip Georgiadis and Maxine Kelly in London, Orla Ryan in Hong KongSteff Chávez, James Shotter and Neri ZilberDonald Trump calls for the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow their governmentDonald Trump called on Iranians to overthrow their government as the US and Israel launched air strikes in what he described as a “massive and ongoing operation” against the Islamic regime on Saturday morning.Trump’s address from his Mar-a-Lago resort came as huge explosions rocked Tehran, with smoke rising on Pasteur Street, where the Iranian president’s office is located. Iranian media reported explosions in central, northern and eastern Tehran.“The United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests,” Trump said.“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,” he added.Addressing the people of Iran, he said: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added that the strikes would “create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands”.Shortly after the start of the assault, which the Pentagon has dubbed Operation Epic Fury, Israel said it had identified missiles launched from Iran towards its territory.The strikes follow weeks of tensions as Trump has sought to pressure Iran over its nuclear programme, ordering the largest American military build-up in the region since the Iraq war in 2003 and threatening to launch strikes on Iran if it did not agree to a deal.Trump said that after the US’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last June, “we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried.”He called on members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard to “lay down your weapons”. The president offered them “total immunity” or “face certain death”.A person briefed on the operation said that it was a combined US and Israeli strike and would be “more extensive” than previous Israeli attacks on Iran, and that the strikes had targeted government, military and intelligence targets.The person added that the operation was expected to last for a “few days” but that the duration of the fighting would also depend on how Iran responded.Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that “the state of Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Iran to remove threats to the state of Israel”. “As a result, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future.”Israel declared a state of emergency, shutting its airspace as well as most workplaces and businesses and imposing restrictions on gatherings across the country. It also sounded sirens to warn people to stay close to shelters as it expected an Iranian retaliation.Analysts said that the strikes raised the risk of rise in the oil price when trading reopened on Monday, particularly if Iran retaliated by attacking energy facilities in the Gulf or targets the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway vital to the global crude market.Ahmed Al Omran in RiyadhQatar’s defence ministry has told Al Jazeera that its Patriot air-defence system has intercepted an Iranian missile.Raya Jalabi in BeirutLebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his government “will not allow anyone to drag the country into adventures that threaten its security and unity,” seen as a warning to Hizbollah and other allied militant groups in Lebanon not to get involved in the conflict. In a statement released after Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran, Salam noted the “serious developments” in the region and called on “all Lebanese to act with wisdom and patriotism, placing Lebanon and the Lebanese people’s interests above any other consideration”.It comes amid mounting concerns that Hizbollah could come Tehran’s defence by striking Israel. Hizbollah chief Naim Qassem is due to deliver a pre-planned address on Saturday.A plume of smoke rises over Tehran after Israel attacked Iran on SaturdaySmoke seen from the streets in TehranMaxine Kelly in LondonReza Pahlavi, the son of a former Iranian Shah who has positioned himself as the country’s leader in waiting, has urged the military to “defend the people” and for the US to “exercise the utmost caution to preserve the lives of civilians”. Pahlavi, who for decades has lived in the US, posted a lengthy note on X addressing the Iranian military, the US and the Iranian people. He described the American operation as a “humanitarian intervention”, adding:“Even with the arrival of this aid, the final victory will still be forged by our hands. It is we, the people of Iran, who will finish the job in this final battle. The time to return to the streets is near.”He urged the military to join the people to help bring about a transition of government. “Otherwise, you will go down with Khamenei’s sinking ship and his regime.”And to Trump, Pahlavi said:“The people of Iran are your natural allies and those of the free world, and they will never forget your support in the most difficult period in contemporary Iranian history.”هم‌میهنان عزیزم،لحظاتی سرنوشت‌ساز پیشِ روی ماست.کمکی که رئیس‌جمهور ایالات متحده به مردم شجاع ایران وعده داده بود، اکنون رسیده است. این یک مداخله بشردوستانه است؛ و هدف آن، جمهوری اسلامی، دستگاه سرکوب و ماشین کشتار آن است؛ نه کشور و ملت بزرگ ایران.اما، با وجود رسیدن این کمک،… pic.twitter.com/kRiamgeCpSNeri Zilber in Tel AvivIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the goal of the joint military action with the US was to “put an end to the threat from the Ayatollah regime in Tehran.”Echoing Donald Trump’s call for regime change, Netanyahu said: “We will create conditions to allow the Iranian people to push off the yoke of this murderous regime.”“In full co-ordination with our friend President Trump, I say that anyone who puts down his weapon, including from within the regime forces, will ensure his security and his future,” he said. Netanyahu added that the operation will last “as long as necessary”. Mehul Srivastava in Istanbul Internet watchdog groups are reporting a sharp drop in Iran’s internet connectivity with the outside world, with Netblocks recording nearly a 50 per cent drop against normal levels.The Iranian government maintains a two-tiered internet infrastructure, one for ordinary Iranians, and the second for the government and other groups including journalists. During the recent protests, it shut off the entire internet immediately, and slowly restarted essential services.Large groups of activists had prepared for that eventually by smuggling in Starlink satellite modems made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and managed to broadcast images and videos of the brutal crackdown that followed the protests.It’s not immediately clear if this latest curb is a temporary security provision to prevent Israel eavesdropping or the beginning of a large blackout. Israel has previously used the cell phones of Iranian officials, their bodyguards and their staff to track their locations.James Shotter in JerusalemSirens heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as Israel launches strikes against IranIran has fired “an additional barrage of missiles” towards Israel, the Israeli military said. Israel’s air defences are “currently identifying and intercepting threats,” the military added. James Shotter in JerusalemThere have been no reports of casualties following the Iranian missile fire towards Israel, the country’s paramedics said. Raya Jalabi in Beirut and Neri Zilber in Tel Aviv Donald Trump referred to Tehran’s network of proxies in the region, saying during his video address that the US would ensure “they can no longer destabilise the region or the world and attack our forces”.There have been growing concerns that Iran’s so-called axis of resistance — including Hizbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Palestinian territories, the Houthis in Yemen and Shia militias in Iraq — could be drawn into a wider regional conflict at Tehran’s request. Hizbollah’s power has waned after a bruising full-scale war with Israel in 2024, that killed much of its leadership. Tel Aviv has recently intensified its strikes against the group, including a wave of air strikes on Saturday morning targeting what Israel claimed was Hizbollah infrastructure. “It’s highly likely that in any escalation with Iran, Hizbollah will get involved,” a person familiar with Israeli government thinking said.James Shotter in JerusalemIran has launched missiles towards Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said. “A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran towards the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said.

Ahmed Al Omran in JeddahKuwait has suspended all flights to and from Iran until further notice after Israel and the US launched air strikes. “Due to the current political and military situation in the region and the resulting total closure of Iranian airspace, it has been decided to suspend and cancel all flights from the State of Kuwait to Iran until further notice,” Kuwait’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement. It added that other flights could also be affected due to previous plans to use Iranian airspace.Iraq has also closed its airspace.Neri Zilber in Tel AvivThe Israeli strikes against Iran are focused on the country’s ballistic missile capabilities, according to a person familiar with the matter.Steff Chávez in WashingtonThe US embassy in Bahrain said it was implementing a shelter-in-place order for US personnel, and recommended that all Americans in the country do the same.Steve Bernard in LondonSome content could not load. Check your internet connection or browser settings.Steff Chávez in WashingtonDonald Trump urged Iran’s armed forces to lay down their weapons or “face certain death”, and called on the Iranian people to take down their government. Trump said in a video on social media on Saturday:“To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death. So lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death.”Trump then addresses the “proud people of Iran”, saying: “Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere.” He added: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.” He continued:“America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”Steff Chávez in WashingtonDonald Trump said the US’s campaign against Iran would be “massive” and promised to “raze their missile industry to the ground”.“It will be totally again obliterated,” he said in a video published on Truth Social on Saturday. “We’re going to annihilate their navy. We’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilise the region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs,” he added, echoing the language he used following the US’s strikes last June.The US strikes come after Washington amassed a huge military build-up in the region, with at least 18 warships and dozens of fighter jets.Trump said steps had been taken to minimise the risks to US personnel in the operation. He added:“The Iranian regime seeks to kill the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties, that often happens in war, but we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.”Steff Chávez in WashingtonDonald Donald Trump announces that the US and Israel has launched strikes on IranUS President Donald Trump sought to justify the attacks, saying Iran was warned “never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons”.In a video speech from his Mar-a-Lago resort, published early on Saturday morning, Trump said: “Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror and recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested. It has always been the policy of the United States in particular, my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon.”Trump added that after the US’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last June, “we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried.”FT reportersBig oil exporters in the Middle East have been rushing to export crude as part of their contingency plans for US strikes on Iran that could upend oil shipments from the Gulf. Saudi Arabia has shipped about 7mn barrels a day in February, its highest since 2023, while oil exports from the UAE are set to hit a record 3.5mn b/d, according to data company Kpler.Read more here.FT reportersThe strikes on Iran followed months of tensions between Tehran and the Trump administration, which has been threatening the regime since it crushed mass protests last month.The two sides have held three rounds of indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear programme. Washington has also raised concerns over Tehran’s ballistic missiles, which the Islamic republic has resisted including in the talks.On Friday, Trump said that no “final decision” had been made on potential military action but warned: “We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating. They cannot have nuclear weapons.”“I’d love not to use [military force] but sometimes you have to,” Trump added.FT reportersIsrael shut its airspace and imposed restrictions on gatherings across the country after carrying out air strikes on Iran early on Saturday.Sirens sounded through Israel warning people to stay close to shelters in the wake of the attack, which hit central areas of Tehran and followed weeks of tensions between the Islamic republic and the US.“A missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz warned in a statement that announced the strike.Tehran had threatened that it would retaliate, including by targeting Israel and US military bases in the Middle East, in the event that it was attacked.Comments have not been enabled for this article.