{"id":13171,"date":"2026-02-28T08:46:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/u-s-and-israel-launch-a-major-attack-on-iran-trump-urges-iranians-to-take-over\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T19:30:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:30:44","slug":"u-s-and-israel-launch-a-major-attack-on-iran-trump-urges-iranians-to-take-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/u-s-and-israel-launch-a-major-attack-on-iran-trump-urges-iranians-to-take-over\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. and Israel launch a major attack on Iran. Trump urges Iranians to ‘take over’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"People
People watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2013 The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran<\/a> on Saturday, and President Donald Trump<\/a> called on the Iranian public to \u201cseize control of your destiny\u201d by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.<\/p>\n

Some of the first strikes<\/a> on Iran appeared to hit areas around the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>. Smoke could be seen rising from the capital as part of strikes that Iranian media said occurred nationwide. It wasn\u2019t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was in his offices when the attack occurred.<\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive \u201cas far as I know,\u201d and called the attack \u201cunprovoked, illegal and absolutely illegitimate.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a video announcing the \u201cmajor combat operations,\u201d Trump told Iranians that \u201cwhen we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that goal, saying, \u201cOur joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

The strikes during the holy fasting month of Ramadan opened a stunning new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran and marked the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has used military force against the Islamic Republic. They also came weeks after a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuela\u2019s president, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The targets included members of Iran’s leadership, according to a U.S. official and another person briefed on the attacks who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation. There was no immediate information on whether top officials had been killed.<\/p>\n

Even if Iran’s top leaders were to be killed, regime change is not guaranteed and neither the U.S. nor Israel have articulated a vision for what new leadership would look like.<\/p>\n

Democrats decried that Trump had taken action without congressional authorization. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, said that though Iran is a \u201cbad actor,\u201d the president must nonetheless \u201cseek authorization for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.N. Security Council said it would meet Saturday afternoon. In a letter to the council, Araghchi said Iran will retaliate by all means necessary and \u201call bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile forces in the region shall be regarded as legitimate military objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising tensions<\/strong><\/div>\n

Tensions have soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region. Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iran\u2019s nuclear program at a moment when the country is struggling at home<\/a> with growing dissent<\/a> following nationwide protests<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The immediate trigger for Saturday\u2019s strikes appears to be the unsuccessful latest round of nuclear talks. But they also reflect the dramatic changes across the region that have left Iran\u2019s leadership in its weakest position since the Islamic Revolution nearly half a century ago.<\/p>\n

Israeli and American strikes last June greatly weakened Iran\u2019s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear program. A regionwide war, sparked by Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has left Iran\u2019s network of proxies across the Middle East greatly weakened. U.S. sanctions and global isolation, meanwhile, have decimated Iran\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

Iran responded to the latest strikes as it had been threatening to do for months, including by launching missiles and drones targeting Israel as well as strikes targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. \u201cThe time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault,\u201d Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.<\/p>\n

At least 57 people were reported killed at a girls\u2019 school in southern Iran in the Israeli-U.S. strikes, and dozens others were wounded, according to Iran\u2019s state-run IRNA news agency. The White House and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Flights across the Middle East were disrupted and air defense fire thudded over Dubai, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the capital of the UAE killed one person, state media said.<\/p>\n

Attack was coordinated between Israel and U.<\/strong>S.<\/div>\n

The U.S. military has for weeks amassed forces in the region, even as U.S. and Iranian envoys held talks in Switzerland and Oman aimed at finding a diplomatic solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cActive and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined,\u201d Oman\u2019s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said on X. Al-Busaidi, a key mediator in the talks, traveled to Washington on Friday to meet with Vice President JD Vance.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this,\u201d al-Busaidi said. \u201cAnd I pray for the innocents who will suffer. I urge the United States not to get sucked in further.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel said the operation has been planned for months with the U.S.<\/p>\n

Trump, in seeking to justify the military action, claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program despite asserting last year the program had been \u201cobliterated\u201d by an earlier round of strikes. He acknowledged Saturday that there could be American casualties, saying \u201cthat often happens in war.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a notable call from a U.S. leader who swept into office on an \u201cAmerica First\u201d platform and vowed to keep out of \u201cforever wars\u201d that had bogged down his recent predecessors.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s statement listed grievances beyond the nuclear program, stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from an American ally in the Middle East into a fierce foe.<\/p>\n

The U.S. president said he was aiming to \u201cannihilate\u201d the Iranian navy and destroy regional proxies supported by Tehran.<\/p>\n

He also called on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to lay down arms, pledging members would be given immunity, while warning they would face \u201ccertain death\u201d if they didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Trump had threatened military action, but held off, following Iran’s recent crackdown on protests spurred by economic grievances. The protests evolved into a nationwide, anti-government push against the ruling clerics.<\/p>\n

The Human Rights Activists News Agency says it confirmed more than 7,000 deaths<\/a> in the crackdown and that it is investigating thousands more. The government has acknowledged more than 3,000 killed, though it has undercounted or not reported fatalities from past unrest.<\/p>\n

Iran has said it hasn\u2019t enriched since June<\/a>, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed during a 12-day war then. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press have shown new activity at two of those sites<\/a>, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.<\/p>\n

Iran currently has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile program, limiting their range to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). That puts all the Mideast and some of Eastern Europe in their range.<\/p>\n

Iran said it hoped to avert a war, but maintained its right to enrich uranium. Its leaders did not want to discuss other issues, such as its long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

The strikes could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran is able to make the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A third of total worldwide oil exports transported by sea passed through the strait in 2025.<\/p>\n

Strikes hit targets across Iran<\/strong><\/div>\n

Iranian media reported strikes nationwide. Roads to Khamenei’s compound in downtown Tehran had been shut down by authorities as other blasts rang out across the capital.<\/p>\n

Khamenei has not made a public appearance in recent days and wasn’t immediately seen after. During the 12-day war in June, he was believed to have been taken to a secure location away from his Tehran compound.<\/p>\n

Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran\u2019s military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information on the attack.<\/p>\n

Iran retaliates<\/strong><\/div>\n

Hours after the strikes, Iran\u2019s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a \u201cfirst wave\u201d of drones and missiles targeting Israel. There was no immediate word on any damage or casualties.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia said in an announcement on state-run media that Iran had targeted its capital and its eastern region in an attack that was repelled.<\/p>\n

Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the U.S. Navy\u2019s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to U.S. Army Central. Explosions could also be heard in Qatar.<\/p>\n

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials who poke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.<\/p>\n

U.S. embassies or consulates in Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Israel posted on social media that they told staffers to shelter in place and recommended all Americans \u201cdo the same until further notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Toropin and Madhani reported from Washington and Boak from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

This story has been corrected to show that IRNA reported 40 people were killed in the school strike, without specifying students.<\/p>\n

\"Smoke
Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(AP Photo)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Civilians
Civilians staying in a shelter after alarms announced that Israel had launched an attack on Iran, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Oded Balilty)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"People
People rush to take shelter as warning sirens sound following missile fired toward Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ohad Zwigenberg)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A woman holds a picture of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a demonstration in support of the government and against U.S. and Israeli strikes in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo)dur-i-syn DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2013 The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and President Donald Trump called on the Iranian public to \u201cseize control of your destiny\u201d by rising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,1147],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-13171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-war"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13171"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18844,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13171\/revisions\/18844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13171"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=13171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}