The US and Israel attack Iran. Missiles target Tel Aviv and the US base in Bahrain.
Raids in several cities. The capital Tehran was also hit. Dozens of Revolutionary Guards members were killed and injured. Trump: "The regime will not have the atomic bomb; the people's time for freedom is near."Black smoke rises in Tehran after the attack (ANSA-EPA)
The US and Israel have launched a "preemptive strike" against Iran.
Among the targets of the operation—prepared (and threatened) for months and dubbed "Epic Fury" by the Pentagon—is the capital Tehran, where explosions and plumes of black smoke have been reported. The cities of Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah are also targeted.
The strikes, the New York Times writes, are aimed at destroying Iran's military . Beyond its nuclear sites, Tehran is believed to have 2,000 ballistic missiles spread across the country.
It is understood that the attacks were also launched by warjets taking off from bases in the Middle East or from aircraft carriers.
According to initial reports, heavy losses have been recorded among local security forces, with dozens of deaths and injuries among the ranks of the Revolutionary Guards , including some key figures.
Bahrain is also under attack, with Arab media reporting that the US Navy's Fifth Fleet base in the Juffair area was hit. An explosion was reported in Abu Dhabi. Airspace over the Gulf has been closed.
The Jewish state was declared an emergency by the Islamic Republic's counterattack. Tehran's response—heralded as "devastating"—was swift, with missiles and drones aimed at the Jewish state intercepted by its defense systems.
"We have launched a major operation in Iran . The goal is to defend Americans by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," US President Donald Trump said in a video released to announce the attack. "They will never have the atomic bomb," the Washington leader reiterated.
"To the members of the Revolutionary Guards, the armed forces, and the police, I say: lay down your weapons and you will be treated fairly with total immunity or face certain death," Trump continued, also sending a message "to the great and proud Iranian people: the hour of freedom is near. Stay safe, do not leave your homes, it is very dangerous out there. There are bombs falling everywhere."
"The attacks against Iran by Israel and the United States represent renewed aggression, to which Tehran's armed forces will respond with full force," the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated. The statement emphasized that the attacks were carried out while Washington and Tehran were "engaged in a diplomatic process." "Just as we were ready to negotiate, we are also more than ready to defend Iran at any time," the statement said.
"I am following the developments of the situation in constant contact with the Italian embassies in Tehran and Tel Aviv," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote in X. "Priority: the safety of our fellow citizens. The Crisis Unit is at work at the Farnesina," the minister added.
Following the attacks, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called a telephone meeting with Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.
- UPDATE IN PROGRESS –
(Unioneonline/lf)