The first reports of explosions in the Iranian capital Tehran came shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday, local time in Sweden. Israel announced it had launched a “preemptive strike.”
Just over an hour later, Iranian media reported that the attacks were nationwide. Iran and Israel closed their respective airspaces, and in Iran the mobile network was reportedly down.
At 8:30 a.m., President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States was engaged in a “major combat operation” aimed at militarily crushing Iran. He called on the Iranian people to overthrow the regime.
Shortly afterwards, there were reports of explosions in northern Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the purpose of the attack on Iran was to neutralize an “existential threat.”
The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen announced that it would resume its attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Shortly before 10 a.m., Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced that they had fired "the first wave" of drones and rockets at Israel. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait - all of which host US bases - said they had been attacked and that they had shot down missiles in their airspace.
The Israeli military said it had attacked hundreds of military targets. Iranians in or near military infrastructure were urged to evacuate.
A number of international airlines canceled flights and the EU announced that it was withdrawing all non-essential personnel from the Middle East, citing the “dangerous” situation.
According to the Iranian Red Crescent, around 200 people in Iran were killed and nearly 750 injured around the country in the American and Israeli attacks.
Late Saturday night, US President Donald Trump announced that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed. Mohammad Pakpour, leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, and Army Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi were also killed in the American and Israeli attacks.
On Sunday, Israel carried out more attacks on Iran. A powerful explosion shook the capital Tehran and, according to the Israeli military, struck government buildings and the "heart of the city."
On Sunday, new explosions were reported from several cities around the Persian Gulf - Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, as well as Doha in Qatar and Manama in Bahrain.
Iran continued its attacks on Israel, warning that “the most violent offensive” in the country’s military history was about to begin. At least six people were killed and about 20 were injured after an Iranian missile struck west of Jerusalem.
On Monday night, the Iran-backed Islamist movement Hezbollah launched rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel. Israel responded with a large number of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Israel attacked Iran and the capital Tehran again during the night.
