The United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iranian territory in the early hours of Saturday, with residents and journalists reporting explosions in Tehran and multiple other cities.
In an eight-minute video posted on Truth Social early on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that U.S. forces had initiated "major combat operations" in Iran. Israel also confirmed that it was striking Iranian targets.
Reports citing the New York Times placed the start of the Israeli operation at 08:10 a.m. local time. Multiple media outlets reported that more than 30 targets across Iran were hit. Those targets reportedly included the country’s intelligence headquarters, the defense ministry, and the nuclear energy department, and Iran’s presidential palace was also reported to be under attack.
A Tehran resident and a local journalist said that landline telephone service in the city was down, with only mobile phones receiving intermittent reception, according to the same reporting. Other cities named as coming under attack included Isfahan and Qom.
Video footage shared on social media by Iranians showed a number of rockets traversing the country’s airspace. The strikes follow weeks of an increased U.S. military presence in the region. The New York Times also reported that the strikes began after President Trump became disappointed with negotiations that had been ongoing for several weeks.
In his recorded message, President Trump described Iran’s regime as "a vicious group of very hard, terrible people" and said that "its menacing activities directly endanger the United States" and U.S. troops. He called on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Armed Forces and police to surrender their weapons in exchange for what he termed "complete immunity."
Addressing the Iranian populace directly in the video, the president urged citizens to "take over your government" once the military action concludes, saying, "This will be probably your only chance for generations." He added, "For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want, so let’s see how you respond."
Information remains limited in several areas. Media reports were cited for the timing and the list of targets struck. Local communications disruptions were reported by a resident and a journalist in Tehran. Visual material circulating on social platforms showed rockets in flight, and broader context about the decision to strike was linked in reports to a period of negotiations and a recent buildup of U.S. forces in the region.