US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced a major attack against Iran, vowing to “annihilate” its navy and missile sites and telling Iranians their “hour of freedom” had come from the Islamic Republic.
In a video address after the United States and Israel started bombing Iran, Trump made clear that the goal was sweeping -- the toppling of the Islamic Republic in charge since the 1979 revolution.
"We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally -- again -- obliterated. We're going to annihilate their navy," Trump said in the address he posted to his Truth Social platform.“To the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” he said.
"Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take."Trump urged Iranian forces to surrender, including the elite Revolutionary Guards that are tasked with safeguarding the cleric-run government.
“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,” Trump said.
The attack was widely expected after Trump ordered the biggest military deployment to the Middle East in years.
US strikes on Iran underway: US Official
Iranian official: Tehran is preparing for a response, and it will be a "crushing" one.
The Iraqi transport ministry said on Saturday it closed national airspace after Israel launched what its defense minister said was a pre-emptive attack against Iran, the state news agency said.
An agency confirmed the closure of Iranian airspace and reported that mobile phone lines were down in parts of eastern and western Tehran, and internet connectivity was weak in some areas.
EXPLOSIONS HEARD IN ISFAHAN, QOM, KARAJ, AND KERMANSHAH - FARS NEWS AGENCY
Israel’s PM Netanyahu said the attacks on Iran aimed to remove an "existential threat," adding that the "joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands."
Large security deployment in Tehran, blocked roads around Khamenei's residence.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is “safe and sound”, state media reported on Saturday, following US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.“President Masoud Pezeshkian is safe and sound and has no problems,” the IRNA news agency reported, alongside the Mehr and ISNA agencies.
Air raid sirens sound across Israel as the Israeli army announces school closures, instructs residents to work from home, and bans public gatherings.
Israel said it launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran on Saturday, pushing the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dimming hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West. The attack, coming after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air war in June, follows repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
"The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel," Defence Minister Israel Katz said. Explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian media reported.
Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights on Saturday, the airport's authority said, on Saturday after Israel launched what the defense minister said was a pre-emptive attack against Iran. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a secure location, an official told Reuters on Saturday.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
