Spread the love

DUBAI, UAE, Feb 28: The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran on Saturday, and U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” — an extraordinary appeal that suggested the allies could be seeking to end the country’s theocracy after decades of tensions.

The first strikes of the attack appeared to target the compound home to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was there at the time. Smoke could be seen rising from the Iranian capital.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries,” Trump said in a video posted on social media that sought to justify the attacks. He urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but then: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”

The attack quickly expanded beyond Iran. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it responded by launching a “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel, where a nationwide warning was issued as the military said it brought down Iranian fire.

Meanwhile, Bahrain said that a missile attack targeted the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to U.S. Army Central. Explosions could also be heard in Qatar.

Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace, and sirens sounded in Jordan.

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, meanwhile, vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement from the Houthi leadership.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a defiant statement, saying that the country “will not hesitate” in its response. In a statement posted on X, the ministry said: “The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault.”

Tensions have soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region, and Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program. He saw an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests.

On Saturday, Trump said in the video that the U.S. had begun “major combat operations in Iran.” Trump claimed that Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach U.S. He acknowledged that there could be American casualties following Iran strikes, saying “that often happens in war.”

But Trump’s statement indicated the U.S. was striking for reasons far beyond the nuclear program, listing grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East into a fierce foe.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel — which considers Iran its archenemy — said the joint attack was to “remove an existential threat posed” by Iran. (AP)

People’s News Monitoring Service