Trump confirms US operation in Iran, tells IRGC to lay down arms • Blasts heard in Tehran – Khamenei moved to ‘secure location’ • Security official: Op. planned for months, timing set weeks ago.
https://player.jpost.com/public/player.html?player=jpost&media=4020859&url=https://www.jpost.com/Smoke rises in Tehran as Israel launches a strike on Iran, February 28, 2026 (VIA WALLA/SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
BySHIR PERETS, JAMES GENN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
FEBRUARY 28, 2026 08:21Updated: FEBRUARY 28, 2026 10:34
Israel and the United States launched an attack on Iran on Saturday morning, with Iranian state media reporting explosions heard in Tehran, Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Karaj.
A security source confirmed to Walla that the United States is involved in the strikes. A US official also told Reuters American strikes in Iran were “underway,” adding that strikes against Iran are being carried out by air and sea.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement, saying that the aim of the operation was to remove the Ayatollah’s regime from power. Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi also issued a similar statement, while also calling on Iranian military and police officers to aid anti-regime activity and depose the Islamic Regime.
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Israel went into a state of emergency Saturday morning as the IDF sent a national warning to all citizens to stay near protected spaces.
“This is a proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the State of Israel,” the IDF said.
Iranian officials said Tehran is preparing for a retaliatory attack. “Tehran is preparing for retaliation; the response will be crushing,” the officials said, according to Reuters. Sirens later sounded across northern Israel at approximately 10 a.m. and across central Israel at approximately 10:30 a.m., as Iranian missile launches were detected.
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Mossad launched a Farsi-language Telegram channel for Iranians to follow news updates on Saturday morning, calling out to “Our Iranian brothers and sisters,” saying that “you are not alone.”
“We have launched a super secure and special Telegram channel for you [and] together we will return Iran to its glorious days,” Mossad wrote.
Khamenei moved to ‘safe location’
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a “secure location,” an Iranian official confirmed to Reuters.
Iranian media reported strikes targeting the IRGC’s intelligence headquarters, as well as explosions in central Tehran. The country has closed its airspace in response to the strikes.
An Israeli security official told Reuters that the operation was planned for months and its timing was set several weeks ago.
Sources in the defense establishment stated one of the objectives of the strikes will be to “remove threats to the Israeli home front, with an emphasis on missile launchers and unmanned aerial vehicle bases.”
The US Embassy in Qatar implemented shelter-in-place for all personnel, recommending that all of its citizens to do the same until further notice.
This is a developing story.
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