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U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran
U.S. and Israeli forces launched a coordinated, large-scale series of strikes inside Iran that multiple outlets described as unprecedented in scope.
“U.S. and Israeli forces launched a major strike on Iran on the 28th of 2026, hitting targets in Tehran and other cities in an operation the Pentagon called "Operation Epic Fury."”
The Pentagon labeled the campaign 'Operation Epic Fury.'
Reporting said strikes hit Tehran and other cities, with explosions visible near the Supreme Leader's compound and in provinces across the country.
Coverage described the operation as joint U.S.-Israeli and as striking a broad set of military and nuclear-related sites, including IRGC and missile facilities.
Framing of military strikes
U.S. and Israeli leaders framed the strikes as preemptive actions against imminent threats.
They publicly escalated rhetoric.
President Donald Trump announced the operation in a public video and described the operations as "major combat operations," urging Iranians to rise up and warning of continued U.S. action.
Israeli officials likewise described their actions as preventive and put national emergency measures and air-defences on high alert.
Regional missile and drone strikes
Iran responded with large-scale missile and drone strikes.
“Iran called the strikes “unprovoked and illegal” and responded with an unprecedented, region‑wide wave of retaliatory attacks that struck Israel and countries hosting U.S. bases, producing blasts reported from Dubai to Doha; the full extent of damage and casualties remains unclear.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched retaliatory barrages across the region.
There were reports of incoming strikes and interceptions near U.S. bases and in states hosting American forces.
Regional air-defences were widely active.
Multiple Gulf states reported intercepting projectiles.
Outlets reported explosions and alarms from Dubai to Doha as the exchanges spread beyond Iran’s borders.
Contested casualty and strike reports
Reports of casualties and of hits on sensitive sites have been widespread but are contested and remain unverified in many cases.
Iranian state and semi-official outlets reported deadly strikes, including claims that a girls' school in Minab was hit with dozens killed.
Other outlets and officials warned those figures are developing and not independently confirmed.
There were contradictory claims about hits near the Supreme Leader's compound and unverified reports in some outlets that senior leaders had been killed.
Diplomatic and security fallout
The strikes produced immediate diplomatic alarm and risk assessments: European and regional capitals called for restraint and emergency meetings, analysts warned the campaign could entangle proxies and produce a prolonged conflict with no clear endgame, and economic and civil‑aviation disruptions were widespread.
“International leaders reacted: French President Emmanuel Macron warned the escalation threatens international peace and must stop; Russia called for an immediate halt to the attacks and a return to diplomacy; and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized “unilateral” military actions by the US and Israel while also condemning Iran’s behavior.”
Observers cautioned that the lack of a defined political exit strategy — and the possibility of sustained asymmetric retaliation by Iran’s networks and allied militias — raises the danger of an open‑ended regional war even as some governments urged renewed diplomacy.