The United States and Israel on Saturday launched strikes on Iran after weeks of threats from President Trump, who called for regime change in Tehran and warned of American casualties in a video posted online shortly after the attacks began.
“A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran,” Trump said in a video posted to Truth Social at 2:30 a.m. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.”
The president urged members of Iran’s military to lay down their arms and called on Iranians to topple the hardline regime that has controlled the country since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
“Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take; this will be probably your only chance for generations,” Trump said. “America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny.”
American embassies in Israel and Qatar issued shelter-in-place orders for U.S. citizens in those countries.
Israel launched “preemptive” attacks against Iran and declared a state of emergency throughout the country, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.
The Israeli Air Force just after 3 a.m. EST said it had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel.
The targets of the U.S. and Israeli strikes were not immediately clear, however, Tehran residents reportedly witnessed smoke rising from the area where major government buildings, including the presidential palace and National Security Council, are located.
The U.S. Central Command declined to comment. The Hill has reached out to the Pentagon.
Multiple outlets reported that the U.S. operations, being called Operation Epic Fury, are expected to be far wider in scope and duration than the bombing carried out over the summer on Iran’s key nuclear facilities.
The attacks come just over a day after talks in Geneva wrapped up between U.S. and Iranian negotiators, mediated by Oman.
Trump said on Friday that he was not happy about how the negotiations went, though he told reporters he remained undecided on strikes.
Oman’s foreign minister told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Friday that Iran has agreed to “zero stockpiling” of nuclear material in the talks, which he described as a breakthrough.
For weeks, Trump has been publicly weighing military action. Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine has reportedly warned of the risks of strikes, while hawks including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have pushed for military action with the goal of regime change.
Reports emerged earlier this week that Trump was leaning toward limited strikes, at least at first, in the hope of extracting concessions from Iran.
The U.S. military has built up an enormous presence near Iran in recent weeks, dispatching F-35s, F-22s, refueling aircraft, positioning air defense systems and positioning two aircraft strikes groups in the region.
Trump in the video posted Saturday morning reiterated his claims that Iran was seeking to rebuild its nuclear program and develop missiles that could reach America.
“This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States armed forces,” he said.
“My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region,” he added. “Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, 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.”
Updated: 2:56 a.m. EST
