Timeline: How joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran unfolded as warfare breaks out in Middle East | EUROtoday

The US and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday in what US president Donald Trump mentioned was an expansive operation to destroy the nation’s navy capabilities and get rid of the specter of it making a nuclear weapon.

Iran’s overseas ministry mentioned it could defend its homeland because the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps initiated counterattacks, launching drones and missiles at Israel. Further strikes have been launched at US navy installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and Qatar.

The strikes comply with weeks of stress from Trump on Tehran to make a deal to constrain its nuclear programme. In the lead-up to the strikes, Washington constructed up a big fleet of warships close to Iran.

The plane service USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in January to bolster the variety of warships within the area. The world’s largest plane service, the USS Gerald R Fordand 4 accompanying destroyers have been additionally dispatched from the Caribbean.

At least 165 individuals have been reported killed at a ladies’ faculty in southern Iran within the Israeli-US strikes, based on Iran’s state-run IRNA information company. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile assault on the capital of the UAE killed one particular person, state media mentioned.

Ayatollah’s compound was one of many first targets

Israel introduced it had launched an assault on Iran shortly after explosions have been heard in Tehran on Saturday morning. One of the primary strikes hit close to the places of work of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It wasn’t instantly clear the place Khamenei was on the time, as he hadn’t been seen for days.

Iranian overseas minister Abbas Araghchi informed NBC News that Khamenei and president Masoud Pezeshkian have been alive “as far as I know” – although President Trump later mentioned the Ayatollah had died within the assaults. This was then confirmed by Iran state media afterward.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz mentioned the assaults had been carried out “to remove threats”. Sirens have been heard throughout Israel to warn the general public about attainable incoming missile strikes.

Iran strikes again at Israel and US bases

Later on Saturday, Bahrain mentioned a missile assault focused the US Navy’s fifth Fleet headquarters within the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, dwelling to US Army Central. Explosions is also heard in Qatar, the place Al Udeid Air Base hosts 1000’s of service members.

Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace, and sirens sounded in Jordan.

An condominium constructing in northern Israel was broken and shrapnel fell in a number of websites, based on media and police. But Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani mentioned there had been no vital hits in Israel and rescue providers mentioned there have been no accidents reported from missile barrages throughout the nation.

Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, in the meantime, have vowed to renew assaults on Red Sea transport routes and on Israel, based on two senior Houthi officers who spoke on situation of anonymity.

Trump tells Iranians to topple their authorities

It took over an hour for Trump to make an official announcement on the US involvement in what he termed “major combat operations”.

In an eight-minute video on social media, Trump indicated the US was putting for causes far past the nuclear programme, itemizing grievances stretching again to the start of the Islamic Republic following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from certainly one of America’s closest allies within the Middle East right into a fierce foe.

Trump informed Iranians to take cowl however urged them to later stand up and topple the Islamic management.

“When we are finished, take over your government,” Trump mentioned. “It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”

Fighting grounds flights and disrupts business air journey

The preventing has disrupted air journey within the area.

Israel and the UAE, dwelling to each the long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, closed their airspace Saturday. Qatar Airways Group mentioned it has briefly cancelled flights to and from Doha as a result of Qatari airspace additionally was closed.

Planes en path to Israel have been rerouted to different airports.

Virgin Atlantic cancelled its flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Dubai and mentioned it could keep away from flying over Iraq, that means flights to and from India, the Maldives, Dubai and Riyadh might take barely longer. Virgin Atlantic mentioned all flights would carry applicable gasoline in case they should reroute on quick discover.

Turkish Airlines mentioned on X that flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan will probably be suspended till Monday and flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman will probably be suspended on Saturday.

Dutch airline KLM beforehand mentioned it was suspending Tel Aviv flights beginning Sunday.

War widens to incorporate Tehran-backed militias

Iran and Iranian-backed militias have fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, reportedly hitting the American embassy compound in Kuwait, whereas Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran because the warfare within the Middle East expanded on Monday.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society mentioned the US-Israeli airstrike marketing campaign has killed 555 individuals to this point in Iran to this point.

As the American and Israeli airstrikes continued, high Iranian safety official Ali Larijani vowed on X that “we will not negotiate with the United States”.

Blasts have been reported in Jerusalem, Dubai, Abu Dhabi in UAE, Doha in Qatar, and Manama in Bahrain because the battle entered its third day.

US embassy ‘hit in Kuwait’ as American demise toll rises

Smoke was seen rising from the neighborhood of the US embassy in Kuwait, based on witnesses, and the US consulate urged Americans to “not come to the embassy”.

Three American troops have been killed and 5 are critically injured, the US navy mentioned, confirming its first casualties within the battle.

President Trump has recommended the battle with Iran might go on for the following 4 weeks after the US president earlier mentioned that operations are “ahead of schedule”.

UK provides US permission to make use of RAF bases

Meanwhile, on the finish of the weekend, Sir Keir Starmer dramatically modified his thoughts over giving the Americans permission to make use of RAF bases in Cyprus to deal with the rising menace from Iran.

In a late assertion on Sunday night, the prime minister insisted he was giving permission for the “limited specific defensive purpose” of defending UK and US allies throughout the Middle East as Iran continues to lash out.

It follows defence secretary John Healey revealing that two Iranian missiles have been aimed within the course of Cyprus the place the UK has bases.

Mr Trump later mentioned he was disenchanted within the delay over the choice from Sir Keir.

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah change hearth

Meanwhile, Israel launched a wave of missile and drone assaults on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut in Lebanon on Monday and ordered evacuations.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has warned that Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem is now a “target for elimination”.

It comes after the group fired at Israel in retaliation for killing Iran’s supreme chief.