The U.S. and Israel struck Iran on Saturday. President Donald Trump said the Iranian public should “take over" their government. The first strikes appeared to target Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

US President Donald Trump says "major combat operations" are under way, and calls for Iranians to rise up and "take over your government".

The US and Israel struck Iran, officials confirmed. The US had built up a large military footprint in and around the Middle East in recent weeks.

The joint strikes plunged the Middle East into a new conflict that Donald Trump said would end a security threat to the U.S. and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers.

Long queues formed at gas stations and many ⁠Iranians ⁠began heading out of cities in search of ⁠safety, witnesses said, as an attack by the United States and Israel on Iran spread fear and panic ​throughout the country.

The United States and Israel launched

U.S. military forces, aided by Israel, launched “ major combat operations ” against Iran on Saturday morning, Feb. 28, with the goal of halting the country’s military and nuclear weapons program and ending its regime,

"All negotiations ⁠with Iran are ⁠a ​cover operation. No one doubted it. No one really ​wanted to ⁠negotiate anything." "The question is who has more patience to wait for the inglorious end of their enemy.