US and Israel launch joint attack on Iran as Trump urges regime change | Iran

Israel and the United States launched a war on Iran, with Donald Trump declaring the start of “major combat operations” and calling on Iranians to revolt against their government.

The US president’s comments came just after explosions were heard in central Tehran. One attack apparently took place near the office of religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. An Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was preparing for “overwhelming retaliation”.

Explosions shook northern Israel on Saturday as the country tried to block missiles from Iran in retaliation. The country had previously declared a state of emergency, warning civilians to stay near air raid shelters in anticipation of Iran responding to drone and missile attacks.

Explosions were also heard in Bahrain, the home of the US fleet in the Middle East.

Iran and Israel closed their airspace to civilian flights.

The attack on Iran came just hours after Trump said he was “not happy” with recent negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

The United States had established a large military presence in the region in recent weeks, including two aircraft carrier strike groups, in preparation for the attack.

Both the United States and Israel called for regime change in Iran and called for a popular uprising following Saturday’s attacks.

Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” in the video he published on the Truth Social platform. He offered the Iranian army “immunity” if they surrendered, “certain death” if they did not surrender, and told Iranians that “the hour of your freedom is near” and called on them to rise up and “take over your government.”

Israel directly addressed the Iranians in a post published in Persian on a private Telegram channel.

“Our Iranian brothers, you are not alone!” The post called on Iranians to upload photos and videos of anti-regime protests. “Together we will return Iran to its glorious days.”

Trump and the Israeli military described their strike as a preemptive strike against Iranian threats.

Iranian state television reported that president Massoud Pezeshkian was “unharmed and safe”, while Fars news agency reported that seven “missile collisions” were reported in the Keshvardoost and Pasteur districts of Tehran.

The strikes come weeks after Iranian authorities killed thousands of people while suppressing mass protests, according to rights groups.