Tehran, Iran. Iran launched missiles toward Israel on Saturday, Israel’s military said, as the Pentagon revealed U.S. strikes against Iran had been named “Operation Epic Fury.”
Security and leadership developments
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location, a source told Reuters.
Israeli and U.S. statements on the attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the joint U.S.-Israeli attack “will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.” He added: “The time has come for all sections of the people in Iran … to remove the yoke of tyranny from (the regime) and bring a free and peace-loving Iran,” in a statement.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel.”
An Israeli defence official said the operation had been planned for months in coordination with Washington, and that the launch date was decided weeks ago.
Timing and context
The attack was launched during Ramadan and comes ahead of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins on Monday.
Developments in Tehran and Israel
Explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian media reported. Sirens sounded across Israel around 08:15 local time in what the military described as a proactive alert ahead of a possible incoming missile strike.
Schools and workplaces were ordered closed, with exceptions for essential sectors, and civilian flights were banned from Israeli airspace. The airports authority asked the public not to travel to any of the country’s airports.
Recent escalation and earlier retaliation
The assault follows a 12-day air war between Israel and Iran in June, when the United States joined an Israeli military campaign targeting Iranian nuclear installations.
Tehran retaliated at the time by launching missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military installation in the Middle East.
How do you expect the latest exchanges between Iran and Israel to affect security measures in the region?
