Israeli military forces carried out a preemptive strike against Iran on Saturday, according to official statements from Tel Aviv, escalating tensions across the Middle East and casting doubt on ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve Iran’s nuclear program dispute.
According to The New York Times, which cited a U.S. official, American forces were also conducting strikes against Iranian targets. Reuters learned from a source that Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been moved from Tehran to a protected location for safety.
Saturday’s military action follows a previous 12-day aerial conflict between Israel and Iran that occurred in June, and comes after repeated threats from both U.S. and Israeli officials warning of further strikes if Tehran continued advancing its nuclear and missile development programs.
“The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
According to an Israeli defense official, military planners had been developing this operation for several months while working closely with Washington, with the timing finalized weeks before execution.
Iranian media outlets reported hearing explosions in Tehran on Saturday, while warning sirens activated throughout Israel at approximately 08:15 local time as military officials issued proactive alerts to ready citizens for potential incoming missile attacks.
Israeli authorities ordered the shutdown of educational institutions and most workplaces, excluding critical services, while implementing a complete ban on public airspace operations. Civilian air traffic was suspended, and airport officials urged citizens to avoid all airport facilities.
Diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran had resumed in February as both nations sought to address the longstanding nuclear dispute through negotiations rather than military action, hoping to prevent regional destabilization.
However, Israeli leadership maintained that any American agreement with Iran must require the complete elimination of Tehran’s nuclear facilities, going beyond simply halting uranium enrichment, while also pushing Washington to address Iran’s missile capabilities in the diplomatic discussions.
Iranian officials indicated willingness to consider limitations on their nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief, but rejected connecting missile program restrictions to nuclear negotiations.
Tehran has also declared its intention to defend against any military aggression.
Iranian leadership warned regional nations hosting American military personnel that they would target U.S. installations if Washington proceeded with strikes against Iran.
During June’s conflict, American forces joined Israeli operations targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, representing the most significant direct U.S. military engagement against the Islamic Republic to date.
Iran responded to those June attacks by firing missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid air base located in Qatar, which serves as America’s largest Middle Eastern military installation.
International leaders have expressed concern that Iran’s missile development program poses risks to regional security and could potentially deliver nuclear warheads if fully developed, though Tehran maintains it is not pursuing nuclear weapons capability.
