Tehran/Israel: In a dramatic escalation, the United States and Israel unleashed coordinated airstrikes across Iran on Saturday, pounding military sites, government symbols, and nuclear facilities while US President Donald Trump issued a direct call to the Iranian people: "Seize control of your destiny" from the Islamic regime that has gripped the nation since 1979.

Thick plumes of smoke billowed over Tehran as some of the initial blasts targeted areas near Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's downtown offices. Iranian state media reported explosions nationwide, including a devastating hit on a girls' school in southern Minab, Hormozgan province, killing 40 students and wounding 45 more, according to IRNA. It remains unclear if the 86-year-old Khamenei, who has stayed out of sight recently, was present; roads to his compound were sealed off amid the chaos.

Trump announced the "major combat operations" in a stark video message, framing the assault as liberation: "When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take—this may be your only chance for generations." He lamented decades of unheeded pleas for US aid against the regime, which he accused of 47 years of "Death to America" chants, bloodshed, and proxy wars.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aligned with the vision, stating the joint operation would "create conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands."

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Coordinated assault planned for months

Israeli officials described the barrage as a "broad, coordinated, and joint operation" long in the making between US and Israeli militaries. Targets spanned Iran's navy, Revolutionary Guard bases, intelligence hubs, and symbols of clerical rule. Trump justified the strikes beyond nukes, vowing to "annihilate" Tehran's naval forces and dismantle its regional proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. He urged Guard members to surrender for immunity, warning of "certain death" otherwise.

This marks the Trump administration's second military foray into Iran in eight months, following June's 12-day war that damaged key enrichment sites at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Satellite imagery analyzed by the Associated Press shows fresh activity at two sites, hinting at recovery efforts despite IAEA inspectors' barred access. Iran claims it halted enrichment post-strikes but maintains a 2,000-km missile range cap—enough to threaten the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. Washington eyes Tehran's space program as a covert ICBM pathway.

Trump's pivot stuns observers, given his "America First" pledge to shun "forever wars." He acknowledged potential US casualties—"that often happens in war"—while listing grievances from the 1979 Revolution, which flipped Iran from US ally to archfoe. The timing follows Trump's January raid capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on drug charges and comes amid Iran's domestic turmoil: Protests over economic woes have claimed over 7,000 lives per rights groups, with the regime admitting 3,000.

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Tehran's furious counterpunch

Iran wasted no time retaliating. The Revolutionary Guard fired a "first wave" of drones and missiles at Israel, triggering nationwide alerts as intercepts lit the skies. Strikes hit US bases in Bahrain (5th Fleet HQ), Kuwait (US Army Central), and Qatar, with explosions echoing through the Gulf. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile killed one in the UAE capital, state media reported.

The UAE and Iraq shuttered airspace; sirens wailed in Jordan. An Israeli drone struck Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah HQ in Iraq, killing two and wounding three—though Israel denied involvement. Yemen's Houthis pledged Red Sea shipping attacks and strikes on Israel. Iran's Foreign Ministry defiantly posted on X: "The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy's assault."

US embassies in Qatar, UAE, and Israel ordered staff to shelter; Americans were urged to follow suit.

Echoes of broader tensions and market perils

The assault caps weeks of buildup, with US warships flooding the region as Trump demanded curbs on Iran's nukes and missiles. Tehran insists on uranium enrichment rights for "peaceful" energy, rejecting talks on proxies or long-range arms.