The first strikes on Iran, which follow weeks of tensions building between Washington and Tehran, are believed to have targeted the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, officials said the 86-year-old, who has not been seen in public for days, is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a secure location.
Iran said there would be a 'crushing response' with explosions rocking northern Israel shortly after 8am on Saturday morning. The Israeli military said it had identified ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards Israel, with defensive systems operating to 'intercept the threat'.
Blasts have also rocked Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi sparking fears the Middle East may now be on the brink of all out war. In Bahrain, officials confirmed that the headquarters of the US Navy's 5th Fleet had been targeted by a missile attack - with footage shared on social media showing a large plume of smoke rising into the sky.
Explosions have also been heard in the Syrian city of Damascus and in the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, apparently as a result of Israeli missile interceptions. President Trump announced today the United States had begun 'major combat operations' in Iran with explosions heard in five cities across the country.
In a video posted to Truth Social, he claimed Iran had continued to expand its nuclear programme and has plans to develop missiles to reach the US. The operation in the Middle East has been dubbed 'Epic Fury' by the US Department of Defence, which Trump has renamed the Department of War.
'We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground, it will be totally, again, obliterated,' Trump said in his announcement.
'We're going to annihilate their navy, we're going to ensure that the region's terrorist proxies can no longer destabilise the region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs as they are sometimes called, to gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans.
'And we will ensure that Iran does not attain a nuclear weapon – a very simple message: They will never have a nuclear weapon.' The UK Government said its priority is 'the safety of UK nationals' in the Middle East but that it is 'ready to protect our interests'. A Government spokesperson said: 'Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution.
'Our immediate priority is the safety of UK nationals in the region and we will provide them with consular assistance, available 24/7. 'As part of our longstanding commitments to the security of our allies in the Middle East, we have a range of defensive capabilities in the region, which we have recently bolstered. We stand ready to protect our interests. 'We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict.'
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