US and Israel launch a major attack on Iran and Trump urges Iranians to
'take over your government'
[February 28, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, JOSH BOAK and AAMER
MADHANI
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. and Israel launched a major
attack on Iran on Saturday, with President Donald Trump calling on the
Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” and rise up against
the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.
Some of the first strikes appeared to hit areas around the offices of
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iranian media reported
strikes nationwide, and smoke could be seen rising from the capital.
“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 in a video announcing “major combat operations” were underway. “For
many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that sweeping goal.
“Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian
people to take their fate into their own hands,” Netanyahu said.
The strikes opened a stunning new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran
and marked the second time in eight months that the Trump administration
has used military force against the Islamic Republic. They came after
tensions soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the
region, and Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear
program at a moment when the country is struggling at home with growing
dissent following nationwide protests.
Iran responded to the attacks as it had been threatening to do for
months — first launching a wave of missiles and drones targeting Israel.
It followed with strikes targeting U.S. military installations in
Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on
the capital of the United Arab Emirates killed one person, state media
said. The UAE and Iraq shut down their airspace.
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.”
Airstrikes killed five students at a girls’ school, the first confirmed
fatalities in Iran in the operation, according to the state-run IRNA
news agency. It reported the strike happened in the southern Iranian
city of Minab, where Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has a base.
'Major combat operations’
Trump, in justifying the military action, claimed that Iran has
continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles
to reach the U.S.
He also acknowledged that there could be American casualties, saying
“that often happens in war.”
It was a notable call on Americans to brace themselves from a U.S.
leader who swept into office on an “America First” platform and vowed to
keep out of “forever wars” that had bogged down his recent predecessors.
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.
The U.S. president said he was aiming to “annihilate” the Iranian navy
and destroy regional proxies supported by Tehran.
He also called on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to lay down its arms,
pledging that members would be given immunity, while warning they would
face “certain death” if they didn’t.
“They’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions,
and we can’t take it anymore,” Trump said.
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Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran,
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(AP Photo)
Iran has said it hasn’t enriched since June, but it has blocked
international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed
during a 12-day war then. Satellite photos analyzed by The
Associated Press have shown new activity at two of those sites,
suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material
there.
Iran currently has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile
program, limiting their range to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).
That puts all the Mideast and some of eastern Europe in their range.
There is no public evidence of Iran seeking to have intercontinental
ballistic missiles, though Washington has criticized its space
program as potentially allowing it to one day.
Iran had hoped to avert a war, but maintains it has the right to
enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, like its
long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas
and Hezbollah.
Strikes hit targets across Iran
Iranian media reported strikes nationwide. Roads to Khamenei's
compound in downtown Tehran had been shut down by authorities as
other blasts rang out across the capital.
In Tehran, witnesses heard the first blast by Khamenei’s office.
Iranian state television later reported on the explosion, without
offering a cause.
More explosions struck Iran’s capital after Israel said it was
attacking the country.
Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran’s military, symbols of
government and intelligence targets, according to an official
briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to
discuss nonpublic information on the attack.
Iran retaliates
Hours after the strikes, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard
said it launched a “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting
Israel, where a nationwide warning was issued as the military said
it was working to intercept incoming Iranian missiles.
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 be 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.
U.S. embassies or consulates in Qatar, United Arab Emirates and
Israel posted on social media that they told staffers to shelter in
place and recommended all Americans “do the same until further
notice.”
___
Toropin and Madhani reported from Washington and Boak from West Palm
Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman and Sam
Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Farnoush Amiri
in New York contributed to this report.
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