Israel and the United States launch a joint attack against Iran

BarcelonaEight months after the twelve-day war, early Saturday morning Israel and the United States launched another joint attack against Iran. The Israeli Defense Ministry was the first to confirm it, calling it a "preemptive strike" aimed at "eliminating threats" against the country. US President Donald Trump spoke of a "major military operation" to ensure that Iran "does not acquire a nuclear weapon." "Our goal is to defend the American people by eliminating the imminent threats from the Iranian regime," he said in a video shared on social media.

The attack began at 8:10 a.m. local time, according to Israeli government officials, who alerted the population to a possible Iranian response. "A missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future," the Defense Ministry said in a statement, announcing that a state of emergency had been declared nationwide. Shortly afterward, the ministry reported that Iran was carrying out several attacks against Israel and that air defenses had been activated.

In a statement, the Revolutionary Guard, Iran's elite military body responsible for foreign operations, said it had launched a first wave of missiles and drones against Israel in response to the joint attack with the United States. A senior regime official told Al Jazeera that all Israeli and US assets in the region are "legitimate targets."

The extent of the damage to Iran is currently unknown, but missile attacks have been reported in several locations across the country. In Tehran, there were explosions in the city center, and several ministries were targeted, an Iranian official told Reuters. The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that seven missiles struck near the presidential palace. However, according to Reuters, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not in the capital because he has been moved to a secure location. Additionally, explosions were heard in Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, Tabriz, and Kermanshah, according to Iranian media.

An Israeli official explained to Reuters that the operation had been planned for months and the launch date was decided weeks ago. Just yesterday, Donald Trump said he had not yet decided whether to order the attack.He insisted he did not want to use military force, but added, "Sometimes, it is necessary." Israel has dubbed the operation Lion's Roar. According to media outlets such as CNN and Reuters, the US has planned several days of attacks in Iran.

"We will destroy their missiles, we will totally destroy their missile industry, we will annihilate their navy, to make sure that the terrorist allies in the region are no longer able to destabilize the region and the world," Trump asserted in his speech.

Negotiations and military deployment

The attack comes after US and Iranian delegations, mediated by Oman, met in Geneva on Thursday to a third round of negotiations Regarding Iran's nuclear program, Washington insists that Iran must completely halt its uranium enrichment program and limit the range of its missiles, while Tehran maintains its right to develop nuclear energy for civilian purposes and asserts that it is not seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. Following the meetings, the Omani Foreign Minister and his Iranian counterpart spoke of "progress." However, the next day, the US embassy in Israel urged its citizens to leave the country immediately on Friday, foreshadowing a possible attack in the following hours, which ultimately occurred.

Yesterday, Friday, theUSS Gerald R. FordThe US aircraft carrier, the largest in the United States, is amid the largest US military deployment in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In his speech, Trump asserted that the US has tried to negotiate with Iran, but that the regime only seeks to "do harm." "They have tried to rebuild their nuclear program and continue developing their long-range missiles, which can now threaten our good friends and allies in Europe, and our troops abroad, and very soon the United States," he stated. In addition to halting its nuclear program, Washington has also pressured Tehran to limit the range of its missiles, while Iranian negotiators have refused to include this issue in the negotiations.

Calls to overthrow the regime

After confirming the attack, the US president also encouraged Iranian citizens to "take control of the government" once the military action was over. "For years, they have asked for US help but haven't received it. No president was willing to do what I have done tonight. Now you have a president who gives you what you want; we'll see how you respond," he said, calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic regime.

Benjamin Netanyahu, in a message to the nation, asserted that the joint attacks with the United States against Iran would allow Iranians to topple the regime and establish a "free and peace-seeking" Iran. "For 47 years, the regime of the ayatollahs has chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America.' It has shed our blood, killed many Americans, and massacred its own people. Now we cannot allow this murderous regime to acquire the atomic bomb." And he has called on the people of Iran to throw off "the weight of tyranny."

It remains unclear whether Trump's goal is truly regime change in Tehran or, as he did in Venezuela, to force it to accept his terms. For now, he has urged the Revolutionary Guard to lay down its arms: "It will be treated fairly with full immunity. Or it will face certain death."