US, Israel strike Iran, seeking to topple its leaders
As the United States and Israel attacked Iran, targeting its senior leaders and calling for the overthrow of its government, Iran responded with missiles fired at Israel and neighboring Gulf states.
President Donald Trump, who has made the biggest foreign policy gamble of his presidency by launching a war against an enemy with which Washington has been feuding for generations, said the strikes were aimed at ending a security threat and ensuring Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons.
He called on Iranian security forces to lay down their weapons and called on Iranians to overthrow their government once the bombing ends.
Tehran said the attacks, which started in the morning and hit targets in different parts of the country, were unprovoked and illegal.
Iran’s Al-Alam television reported that Religious Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had not been heard from until Saturday evening, would make a speech soon.
Explosions in cities across Iran caused widespread panic.
Residents rushed to collect children from school and escape areas that might be targeted.
“We are afraid, we are terrified. My children are shaking, we have nowhere to go, we will die here,” said Minou, a 32-year-old mother of two.
Iran responded by launching missiles at Israel and various Gulf Arab allies of the United States that host American bases.
Iran warned sailors that the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage through which about one-fifth of global oil consumption passes, was closed.
Investors were expecting a sharp rise in oil prices. Airlines canceled flights in the Middle East.
Tehran has promised a stronger response, with Ibrahim Jabbari, the top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, saying it had only used “junk missiles” so far and would soon unveil unforeseen weapons.
The UN Security Council was to meet in New York on Saturday.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
The Israeli military said its pilots hit hundreds of targets across Iran, including strategic defense systems already damaged in last year’s attacks.
It was stated that the three regions where the leaders met were hit at the same time and many high-ranking figures were killed.
Sources said that Iranian Defense Minister Amir Nasserzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour were killed in Israel’s attacks.
A source familiar with the matter said that the first wave of attacks, which the Pentagon called “Operation Epic Rage”, mainly targeted Iranian officials.
A girls’ primary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab was hit, killing 85 people, according to the local prosecutor quoted by state media. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
In a video message posted on social media, Trump touched on Washington’s decades-long dispute with Iran and attacks on Iran dating back to the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Islamic revolution that brought the clerics to power.
Trump said the goal was to “eliminate possible threats from the Iranian regime.”
He urged Iranians to stay sheltered because “bombs will fall everywhere.”
He added: “When we’re done, take over your government. It will be yours. This will probably be your only chance for generations.”
Oil markets are closely watching the conflict between Washington and Tehran to determine whether supply will be affected.
Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, predicted prices could rise as much as $10-$20 ($A14-A28) per barrel when markets open on Monday unless there are signs of easing tensions.
Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumps about four percent of global oil supply, with a much larger portion transported off its coast via the strait leading off the Gulf.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said all US bases and interests in the region were within Iran’s range and that Iran’s retaliation would continue “until the enemy is definitively defeated.”
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