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(UPDATES) Operation Epic Fury: U.S., Israel Launch Joint Strikes on Iran

(UPDATES) Operation Epic Fury: U.S., Israel Launch Joint Strikes on Iran

President Trump: “A short time ago the U.S. military began major combat operations in Iran.”

Posted by Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 03:31am

After weeks of stalled diplomatic negotiations, the U.S. and Israel on Saturday morning carried out airstrikes on regime targets across Iran. “Iranian state media has reported explosions in central Tehran, and news agency video showed plumes of smoke over the capital,” NBC News reported.

The operation, being referred to as “Epic Fury” and “Roaring Lion” by various media outlets, struck military and regime sites in Tehran and other cities.

Khamenei’s palace destroyed in strikes, IRGC chief and defense minister eliminated

One of the key objectives of the operation appears to be the elimination of the Iranian regime leadership.

“The United States and Israel launched an attack Saturday on Iran, with the first apparent strike happening near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,” the Associated Press reported. “Iranian media reported strikes nationwide, and smoke could be seen rising from the capital.”

While the Iranian dictator, Ayatullah Khamenei, likely survived the first wave of strikes, his palace was destroyed. “Channel 12, quoting unnamed Israeli sources, says the palace of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been completely destroyed,” The Times of Israel reported. “It also says all of Iran’s key leaders were targeted in the strikes so far today.”

In a major blow to the regime, IRGC’s chief Mohammad Pakpour, who heads the Iranian armed forces, was eliminated in the strikes. “The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, was killed in Saturday morning’s strikes that marked the opening wave of coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes, according to Israeli officials,” Israel’s Ynetnews confirmed. “Pakpour had been appointed to the position after his predecessor, Hossein Salami, was killed by Israel in the opening strike of last year’s 12-day war.”

Regime’s defense minister was also reported killed in strike. “Iran’s Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh… believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks, two sources familiar with Israel’s military operations and one regional source said,” Reuters reported.

Iranians were seen celebrating the strikes on regime targets.

The Israeli Defense Forces, in a statement, disclosed the details of the operation:

The IDF is continuing to strike a wide range of targets in Western Iran.

As part of “Operation Roaring Lion”, the IDF struck, with the direction of IDF intelligence, hundreds of Iranian military targets, including missile launchers in western Iran.

Alongside the IAF’s strikes in Iran, the Aerial Defense Array is currently identifying and intercepting threats fired from Iran toward the State of Israel.

Trump to IRGC, Iran’s military: ‘Lay down weapons’ or ‘face certain death’

President Donald Trump confirmed launching “major combat operations” in Iran. “A short time ago the U.S. military began major combat operations in Iran,” he said in a video posted on X. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”

President Trump told Iran’s Islamic Guard (IRGC) and armed forces to lay down weapons and urged the Iranian people to oust the tyrannical Islamic regime. “To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity. Or in the alternative, face certain death,” the president said.

“When we are finished, take over your government,” he urged the Iranian people.

“May God bless the brave men and women of America’s armed forces. May God bless the United States of America,” the president said, concluding his speech.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday morning announced that Israel and the United States are conducting a joint military operation against Tehran, hitting the regime’s nuclear and long-range missile capabilities. Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had disclosed launching a “pre-emptive” strike on Iran.

Israel’s Ynetnews reported:

“My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, a short time ago Israel and the United States embarked on a joint campaign,” Netanyahu said in a televised address. “We will not sit idly by when the shadow of annihilation hovers over us.”

Netanyahu accused Iran of calling for the destruction of Israel and the United States for nearly five decades, spreading terrorism across the Middle East and investing heavily in developing nuclear weapons and tens of thousands of missiles intended, in its words, to “wipe Israel off the map.”

He said Iran had armed terrorist proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Judea and Samaria, and warned that in recent months Tehran had sought to rebuild and conceal nuclear and missile infrastructure underground to shield it from attack.

“If we do not stop them now, they will become immune,” he said. “The risk of not acting is immeasurably greater.”

Netanyahu argued that failure to strike would result in “a nuclear Iran, an Iran with tens of thousands of ballistic missiles, an Iran that seeks to destroy us and would be immune to our counteractions.”

Ahead of the strikes, the Iranian dictator may have taken shelter in a ‘secure location’ outside Tehran. The Jerusalem Post reported that “Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a ‘secure location’.”

Khamenei is expected to make a speech later today. “Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will speak within minutes, Iran’s Al-Alam TV reported, hours after U.S., Israeli strikes targeted top Iranian leaders on Saturday,” Reuters reported.

AP: Iran attacks U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain

Iran reportedly fired missiles at Bahrain, with blasts reported around the port cities. The Gulf Arab kingdom is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. Other U.S. military bases also came under fire from Iranian missiles. According to the AP News, Iran “began apparently targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, as explosions could be heard.”

The U.S. had evacuated some of the bases, anticipating Iranian strikes.

The Sky News (UK) reports.

According to the Bahraini state news agency BNA, the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet centre was “subjected to a missile attack” this morning.

The US Fifth Fleet manages operations in the Middle East, including the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

Bahrain’s interior ministry said on X that alarm sirens have been activated, and urged citizens and residents to shelter.

Air raid sirens, blasts heard over Jerusalem

There are reports of Iranian missiles breaching Israeli airspace on Saturday morning, amid sounds of blasts and air raid sirens in Jerusalem. Israeli air defense systems were intercepting Iranian missiles over their airspace. “Missiles intercepted in Jerusalem after joint Israel-US attack on Iran,” the Associated Press reported.

The French news agency AFP noted:

AFP journalists heard several blasts over Jerusalem following air raid sirens in the city, after the Israeli military said it had detected multiple barrages of missiles launched from Iran.

“An additional barrage of missiles was launched towards the State of Israel. The public is requested to continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command. The public is requested to stay in protected spaces until official notice,” the military said in a statement.

The IDF, on Saturday morning, confirmed that “Search and Rescue forces are operating in several locations across the country where reports of fallen projectiles were received.” Air raid sirens were heard throughout the morning.

By Saturday evening, the Jerusalem Post estimated that “Over 200 missiles were launched toward Israel as the joint Israel-US campaign continued to strike targets across the Islamic regime.”

“At least one person is seriously wounded by the Iranian ballistic missile impact in Tel Aviv,” The Times of Israel reported. Another missile impacted in central Israel, but no injured were reported.

Saturday afternoon, Prime Minister Netanyahu talked to President Trump by phone.

Iran launches strikes on six Arab states

Rattled by the strikes, the Iranian regime launched a missile strike on at least six neighboring Arab states, namely Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Saudi Arabia was among the first Arab governments to condemn Iranian aggression. “In an official statement, the Ministry denounced what it called a “flagrant” infringement of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, expressing full solidarity with the countries and support for any measures they may take,” the Saudi media outlets Arab News reported. “The Kingdom warned of the serious consequences of continued violations of state autonomy and breaches of international law, stressing that such actions threaten regional security and stability.”

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Comments


 
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 18
DSHornet | February 28, 2026 at 3:49 am

It’s happening.

Fox reports that the first target was the home compound of Ayatollah Khameni which makes sense symbolically if not tactically.
.


     
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    GWB in reply to DSHornet. | February 28, 2026 at 9:20 am

    You want to wake him up to watch all the other kabooms.


     
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    moonmoth in reply to DSHornet. | February 28, 2026 at 9:24 am

    Another sneak attack during negotiations. And just hours after Oman’s foreign minister said that progress was being made.

    How quintessentially Israeli.


     
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     6
    Concise in reply to DSHornet. | February 28, 2026 at 12:27 pm

    They did not bomb Iran. They waited for Iran’s entire leadership to sit down in the same room and then they bombed Iran.

    Months of intelligence. Thousands of hours of surveillance and signal intercepts. One variable: the moment the Supreme Leader, the President, and senior military command gathered in a single location at the same time.

    That moment was 8:15 this morning. Daylight. Every previous Israeli strike on Iran came at night. June 2025 launched in darkness. October 2024 after midnight. Iran’s entire air defense doctrine is built around the assumption that Israel attacks in the dark. Israel attacked in broad daylight because the target was not infrastructure. The target was a meeting….

    Israel traded one morning of precision strikes for the permanent destruction of Iran’s command cohesion.

    That is not a battle. That is checkmate disguised as a first move.

    https://x.com/shanaka86/status/2027725563251847510


     
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    diver64 in reply to DSHornet. | March 1, 2026 at 6:32 am

    It was a success. Khamenei is dead. Unfortunately that will not be enough to topple the government. There are a whole cadre of people in the leadership structure that must be removed and the Republican Guard must be dismantled.


 
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 15
Mauiobserver | February 28, 2026 at 4:11 am

I sincerely hope that anti regime forces in the Iranian military take this opportunity to overthrow the Ayatollah and his government.

It is probably unrealistic to expect a new government in Iran to be as pro-western as it was under the Shah but one can hope.


     
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    GWB in reply to Mauiobserver. | February 28, 2026 at 9:22 am

    I’ll take “pro-western” as anything to the right(?) of “funding most of the terror around the world” coupled with “not apocalyptic fanatics who want to blow up the world.”


     
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    Dimsdale in reply to Mauiobserver. | February 28, 2026 at 10:01 am

    Like the leftists in our country, for whom anyone not rabidly Marxist is “center right,” it is hard to imagine anything that won’t be an improvement.

    I look forward to the burkha burnings….


     
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    Concise in reply to Mauiobserver. | February 28, 2026 at 10:38 am

    Long chaotic and protracted struggle and involvement is not President Trump’s style. I suspect he envisions a relatively quick resolution and that there are already plans for a new power structure in Iran.


 
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MoeHowardwasright | February 28, 2026 at 6:51 am

Someone at the Pentagon must have read the advice I gave in a comment on this site. A decapatation strike against the mullahs, irgcc and the security apparatus. Also the naval bases have been targeted. Can’t do a small boat suicide swarm if the boats are flaming wreckage. Can’t launch anti-ship Silkworms if their launchers are destroyed. If the mullahs think a bunker in the hinterland is going to protect them, I would refer them to last year’s MOAB demonstrations. The targeted strikes are to give them a chance to flee to Russia or China. My guess is that neither of those two countries want anything to do with them.


 
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CommoChief | February 28, 2026 at 7:38 am

Hitting the Iranian leadership, the military infrastructure/assets the missile production and nuke program in an effort to limit the Iranian regime ability to make mischief in the region and potentially set conditions allowing for the Iranian public to choose alternative government seems reasonable given the context since ’79. It will take a sustained campaign to get it done.


 
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 11
Conservative Beaner | February 28, 2026 at 8:03 am

This has been a long time coming. Not only because of their desire for nuclear weapons but also for the Hostage Crisis and the dead Marines in Lebanon.


 
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 14
isfoss | February 28, 2026 at 8:35 am

May God bless our military, the Israelis, the Iranian people, and all those who join in the fight to take down a terrorist country.


 
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 1
Hodge | February 28, 2026 at 9:01 am

Sigh. Of course I welcome this. And yet, I find myself remembering our adventures in Afghanistan (“The graveyard of Empires”) and Iraq, and an old song has started running through my brain:

“There’s no way out of here, when you come in you’re in for good
There was no promise made, the part you’ve played, the chance you took
There are no boundaries set on the time and yet you waste it still

So it slips through your hands like grains of sand, you watch it go
There’s no time to be lost, you’ll pay the cost, so get it right
There’s no way out of here, when you come in you’re in for good

And never was there an answer, there an answer
Not without listening, without seeing

There are no answers here, when you look out you don’t see in
There was no promise made, the part you’ve played, the chance you took
There’s no way out of here, when you come in you’re in for good

There’s no way out of here, when you come in you’re in for good)
(There are no answers here, when you look out you don’t see in)
(There’s no way out of here, when you come in you’re in for good)

(There’s no way out of here, when you come in you’re in for good)
(There’s no way out of here…)

By
David Gilmore.


     
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    CommoChief in reply to Hodge. | February 28, 2026 at 10:03 am

    Yep. We should all be absolutely opposed to any neocon/globalist fever dreams of the USA serving as world police or military adventurism. Slapping down a terrorist regime which has for 50+ years targeted US Citizens and US personnel in a brutally devastating manner with ordinance not boots on the ground to limit or hopefully eliminate the regime is fine….but there’s no appetite for ‘nation building’ on the back end. The policy of the USA should be, when necessary, to use military force to utterly destroy our adversaries, period the end. If they can’t rebuild or reform their gov’t on their own in the aftermath of devastation …tough cookies.


       
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      healthguyfsu in reply to CommoChief. | February 28, 2026 at 12:09 pm

      I hope that a big difference is the Iranian appetite for independence. There are a significant number actually cheering on the USA here. If they could only bring themselves to cheer for Israel too.


         
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        henrybowman in reply to healthguyfsu. | February 28, 2026 at 12:38 pm

        “When we are finished, take over your government,” he urged the Iranian people.”

        Yeah, that has so rarely ever worked.
        You can’t make someone else free.
        If they don’t do the work themselves, they don’t know how to keep it from reoccurring.


           
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          gonzotx in reply to henrybowman. | February 28, 2026 at 1:59 pm

          They have been trying, but like China the regime just rolls over them with tanks
          On this case torture, stoning, hanging

          The people of Iran have no arms and no one was going to help them help themselves but Trump


           
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          Sanddog in reply to henrybowman. | February 28, 2026 at 3:48 pm

          Even the Colonists had help in throwing off the British. We just need to give them enough of an advantage that they can take care of business.


       
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      FOAF in reply to CommoChief. | February 28, 2026 at 5:07 pm

      While I don’t want to get overly optimistic just yet, if it’s true that not only the Iranian military leadership but Khameini himself have been, uh, “taken care of” this could go more quickly than some would have thought. As much as I hate the mullahs I knew this was going to be a tough job. But if anyone was up for it, it was going to be Trump.


     
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    destroycommunism in reply to Hodge. | February 28, 2026 at 10:23 am

    when you play to tie..yeah

    either dont go in at all or go in to win

    instead of going in to wipe out their cash crops of opium
    just set the whole country ablaze if the goal is to win

    blmplo did that to their small “country” in mn and won

    blmplo 911 scumm did that to nyc in that small area of nyc and won


     
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    SC Reader in reply to Hodge. | February 28, 2026 at 12:34 pm

    And now Pakistan is attacking Afghanistan. Pakistan treats its women and minorities better than the Taliban==a low bar I know. Therefore, I will be hoping the Pakistanis give the Taliban something to think about.


     
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    gonzotx in reply to Hodge. | February 28, 2026 at 1:57 pm

    Trump told the Poole of Iran to take charge of their government

    Maybe you missed that


     
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     1
    mailman in reply to Hodge. | February 28, 2026 at 2:35 pm

    One of the things in Irans favour is that the majority of Iranians identify as Persians and not Muslims.

    Unlike Syria, Iran is a largely homogeneous Persian people with none of the competing extremist Muslim factions that infect their neighbours and who all seem committed to out crazying their competing Muslim factions.


 
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texansamurai | February 28, 2026 at 9:07 am

what ever government comes out of all this it could not be worse than the mullah’s regime–for human rights, for regional/world security, for freedom

that this is a joint effort with israel should speak volumes to the world–the time for talking/negotiating/reasoning has come to an end–this is a reckoning for the middle east–may it succeed and fulfill all the expectations of the enslaved people in iran–in concert with the israelis, we act in a just cause


     
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    jharp in reply to texansamurai. | February 28, 2026 at 1:47 pm

    “what ever government comes out of all this it could not be worse than the mullah’s regime–for human rights, for regional/world security, for freedom”

    Exactly how do you know of this?

    Thanks in advance.


       
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      mailman in reply to jharp. | February 28, 2026 at 2:37 pm

      Because the Persian people, who are the oppressed majority, do not have a history of persecuting women and gays and religious minorities the ruling Muslims do.


 
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rduke007 | February 28, 2026 at 9:43 am

Death to Iran (Current regime) 🙂


 
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destroycommunism | February 28, 2026 at 9:58 am

Ayotollahs Obama and fjb reeling in pain for their mobrohooded gangs


 
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destroycommunism | February 28, 2026 at 10:28 am

keeping america and the world safe from the irans of the world is paramount

except when it comes to whats happening inside this country

that has to be dealt with in the here and now b/c we always import the (mostly) bad people in these quests

Who let the *dogs* in would be a worthy cause to fight ..against harder

maga


 
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oldschooltwentysix | February 28, 2026 at 12:56 pm

Trump’s statement was very strong. Predictable that the usuals hide behind claims of morality when they don’t care about anything besides Trump. Like “Death to America” means nothing. It was so much better to pursue the Obama approach, right? Or is it better to take advantage when the opportunity presents? Imagine if Iran proves a paper tiger and new leadership emerges. How terrible to stand with the oppressed. All because of you know who!


 
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 1
Andy | February 28, 2026 at 1:16 pm

The US had been mired in war with Iraq since 2003 when Trump took office. The JV team (as Obama called ISIS) was ruling the day. Within 6-9 months Trump had that situation turned around.

Since then… have we been hearing anyone in Iraq shout “Death to ____” ? No. But that was ALL Saddam had done until he was finally hung.

If this hit is like Venezuela, the world is in a far better place with a minimal expenditure of blood and treasure.. In fact this was probably done at a cost of 20-30 Somali Learing Centers. It’s a bad day to be on the side of the devil because the serious leaders have take the stage.

This is not good for China nor Russia. This is good news for Europe because Russia’s chokehold on energy in the region just got hot grease dumped on it.


 
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 3
Andy | February 28, 2026 at 1:18 pm

Can we get our pallets of cash back now?


 
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 1
ztakddot | February 28, 2026 at 1:37 pm

Offer a large bounty for Khamenei’s head on a platter.

And don’t stop with Khamenei. Take out the entire Mullah leadership.


 
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 3
mailman | February 28, 2026 at 2:52 pm

So here’s the thing. Iran has spent hundreds of billions of dollars supporting terrorism all around the world to both the detriment of the Iranian people AND those impacted by Iranian terrorism!

So now, if the Iranian people do take power back that potentially means an end to the predominant funder of international terrorism, a good thing.

Could also mean Iranian oil eventually making its way on to the international energy markets.

That could mean Iranian people benefiting from the profits of those sales. Their lives improving and their Government investing in the betterment of its people.

We could potentially be on the verge of a MAJOR change in world politics and also safety (via reduced terrorism funding) and a major outbreak of peace. And to think, that’s all because of Trump.

Time will tell.


 
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ztakddot | February 28, 2026 at 3:00 pm

Hey while we’re at it is it possible a few dozen tomahawks could find their way of course and visit Somalia? Asking for a friend.


 
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 5
schmuul | February 28, 2026 at 3:14 pm

He is dead ! That horrific vile murderer is finally dead. Long live the Iranian people may they seize this moment to fight like hell for their freedom! G-D willing they will succeed.

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