Name: What we know about the joint US-Israel attack on Iran | BBC News | BBC News
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The United States and Israel have launched airstrikes across Iran.

President Trump says the US And Israel have launched what he called major combat operations.

Trump says the objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.

He says Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and he accuses the republic of trying to rebuild its nuclear program.

The President has also said there may be American casualties as a result of this operation, which has been dubbed epic fury by the Pentagon.

Bahrain says the US Base there has come under attack.

Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia have also had missiles fired into their countries.

We're getting reports of one person killed in the United Arab Emirates and four people in Syria from missile debris.

In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the attack is to remove an existential threat to his country.

We've been hearing air raid sirens and explosions across Israeli cities.

Israel's Defense Minister has declared a special and permanent state of emergency.

All schools are shut and access to holy sites have also been shut.

Today, Israeli Defense forces say dozens of missiles are being fired into the country.

Meanwhile, in Iran, the strikes are across multiple locations.

Media reports say blasts have been heard in Esfahan, Karaj, Kermanshah, Ghom and the port city of Bushehr.

Mehrabad Airport just outside Tehran has come under attack.

We're getting pictures of large scale bombing in Tehran as well.

Iranian media, as we've reported, say up to 40 people have been killed at a primary school in the south of the country.

An official has told the Reuters news agency that Tehran's retaliation and response will be crushing.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials say Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and and Iran's President Pezeshkian have been targeted.

Seven missiles have hit the presidential palace and there have been strikes around the Supreme Leader's compound.

While the attack follows weeks of tension in the region with US Forces massing around Iran, Joe Inwood now reports on the latest developments so far.

After weeks of build up, weeks of threats, this morning the US And Israel left no room for doubt.

Footage is still emerging amidst an Internet blackout.

But it's clear that a vast air campaign is being carried out right across the country.

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.

We are going to destroy their missiles and raise their missile industry to the ground.

Well, Iran's ballistic missiles will be top of any list.

An attempt to blunt their ability to respond.

Iran's Navy, seen here on exercise last week, will also be seen as a soft target.

The key question, will they kill the President Masoud Bescheskian or the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?

Iran promised to respond with crushing force.

Within an hour of the strikes, air raid sirens could be heard over Israel.

The country's Iron Dome missile defense is already in action.

The Prime Minister warned his people there would be a price to pay.

But the risk of doing nothing is greater because if we do not act, we will get a nuclear Iran and Iran with tens of thousands of ballistic missiles.

Some of those ballistic missiles have already been fired in response.

The US has a vast military footprint across the Middle east and already impacts have been seen at the US Naval base in Bahrain, headquarters of the fifth Fleet.

The last time Iran struck, it was telegraphed in advance and largely performative.

There have also been reports of drones being intercepted over Iraq.

Knowing exactly what is happening inside Iran is difficult at this point with most communications down.

According to the information obtained from these two corrupt regimes, their operations in Tehran and other cities will continue.

Therefore, as much as possible, while maintaining calm, travel to other cities to stay safe from the evils of these two regimes.

In January, when widespread street protests gripped the country, President Trump promised help was on its way before taking no immediate action.

In today's speech, he said that help had finally arrived.

When we are finished, take over your government.

For generations, 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.

Iran now faces the biggest military build up in the Middle east for more than 20 years and a US administration which has explicitly called for its destruction.

It seems likely this conflict will escalate in dangerous and unpredictable ways.

Speak to our North America correspondent Helena Humphrey who is in Washington for us.

Helena, just bring us up to date with reaction from Washington so far?

Mariam, as you would expect as lawmakers and of course, the American public, wake up to the news of these strikes.

Let me just run you through what some of the lawmakers have had to say, starting off with Lindsey Graham.

But essentially his message which he's posted on X, is that he believes that this is an opportunity to reshape the Middle East.

He says that he expects this campaign to be a violent one, but

ultimately he expects it to be successful.

You can compare and contrast that with what we've heard from another Republican, a Congressman Thomas Massie, who is a critic of Donald Trump.

And he has called this an act of war unauthorized by Congress.

Certainly there had not been a congressional vote on any of these strikes.

Just some other reaction to bring you now, Ro Khanna.

He is a Democratic lawmaker and he has called for a vote.

On Monday, he said that lawmakers are must come to Washington.

They must put their names on the records with regards to where they stand on these strikes.

And then we've also heard from the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, that is Mark Warner.

And essentially what his message has been in a statement is he says that we have heard claims of urgency of American intelligence before, clearly referencing previous wars, Iraq, for example, being one of them, and

saying that the president must answer questions with regards to the objective here, basically saying if President Trump can come out and put a video on his social media platform, an eight minute video in which he has warned that there could be American casualties, that justification needs to be there.

Now, certainly we know that Donald Trump has spoken not just about a failure of a nuclear deal, but

he has also spoken about ending what he calls a campaign of bloodshed against Americans.

But in terms of that objective, he also spoke to the Iranian people, didn't he?

He said, you know, stay inside for the time being, but

when it is safe to do so, come out, rise up, topple the Iranian regime.

And I think, you know, the greater backdrop to all of this is what we had seen in recent weeks when we had seen that brutal crackdown on protesters in Iran and Donald Trump had said to them help is on the way, prompting many people to ask in recent weeks, well, where is that help?

Donald Trump clearly there speaking to the Iranians as well, saying this will be your opportunity.

Of course, what comes of that will be a question that we will see unfold in the days ahead.