US and Israel strike Iran; Trump says action gives Iranians chance to ‘topple their rulers’

The United States and Israel have launched a sweeping wave of military strikes against Iran, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East and triggering missile exchanges across the region, as President Donald Trump said the action could give Iranians an opportunity to “topple their rulers.”

Explosions were reported across multiple Iranian cities early Saturday, including in the southeastern port city of Chabahar, according to Iranian state media. Israeli officials said the strikes targeted senior Iranian leadership and military infrastructure, with one official claiming Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been among those targeted. A source said Khamenei had been moved to a secure location.

Israel believes it has killed several senior Iranian officials, according to a source briefed on the military’s operations, though Tehran has not confirmed those claims.

Iran retaliates across region

Iran responded with missile and drone strikes aimed at Israeli territory and U.S. bases in the region. The Israeli military said another wave of missiles had been launched toward Israel, while witnesses reported blasts over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as air defense systems intercepted incoming projectiles.

At least four people were killed in Syria’s southern city of Sweida when an Iranian missile struck a building, according to state news agency SANA. Missile debris was also reported in Quneitra and the Yarmouk Basin in Daraa province.

Explosions were heard in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Witnesses in Dubai reported at least three large blasts, and Reuters journalists in the city said windows shook from the impact. The UAE defense ministry said it had intercepted a new wave of missiles and later condemned the Iranian strikes as a serious threat to regional stability.

In Abu Dhabi, a very loud bang was heard, according to a Reuters witness. It remains unclear whether the sound was linked to missile interception or impact.

Civilian casualties mount in Iran

Iranian state media said the death toll from an Israeli strike on a girls’ primary school in Minab, southern Iran, had risen to 40. Earlier reports had put the number at 24. The attack has intensified anger inside Iran and raised fears of broader civilian casualties as the conflict deepens.

Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump posted an eight-minute video on his Truth Social account framing the operation as a decisive move against Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and its four-decade-long hostility toward the United States.

While Axios earlier reported Trump would address the nation Saturday morning, the White House said no formal address had been scheduled and no guidance had been issued.

According to a source familiar with the matter, congressional leaders known as the “Gang of Eight” were briefed by the administration.

Trump said the strikes would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and argued they could open the door for change within the country, saying Iranians now had a chance to “topple their rulers.”

The confrontation comes despite renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran earlier this week. Oman’s foreign minister said active mediation efforts had been undermined by the escalation.