U.S., Israel launch attack on Iran, with Trump urging Iranians to ‘seize control’

The U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on Saturday, with President Donald Trump confirming what he described as “major combat operations.”

He also called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” and rise up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.

“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” Trump said in a video shared on Truth Social. “This will be probably your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it.”

Citing officials familiar with the unfolding situation, the Associated Press reported that Iran responded by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military installations in the region.

While there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage assessments from either side, Trump warned that there might be U.S. casualties. He said his administration has taken “every possible step” to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel across the region.

“Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties,” Trump said. “That often happens in war. But we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Trump’s call for change in Iran. He said the military operation — which he said has been dubbed “Operation Roaring Lion” — will create “the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.”

“For 47 years, the Ayatollahs’ regime has chanted ‘Death to Israel,’ ‘Death to America. It has spilled our blood, murdered many Americans, and massacred its own people,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

“This murderous terrorist regime must not be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity,” he added. “The time has come for all parts of the Iranian people — the Persians, Kurds, Azeris, Baloch, and Ahwazis — to cast off the yoke of tyranny and bring freedom and peace-loving values to Iran. I call on you, citizens of Israel, to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command.”

Some of the initial strikes appeared to hit areas near government buildings in Tehran, including locations close to offices used by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state media reported explosions and smoke rising from multiple areas of the capital, describing the attacks as occurring nationwide.

It was not immediately clear whether Khamenei, 86, was at any of the targeted locations at the time of the strikes.

A U.S. official and another person briefed on the operation said members of Iran’s leadership were among the intended targets. Officials did not confirm whether any senior figures were killed.

At least 57 people were reported killed at a girls’ school in southern Iran in the Israeli-U.S. strikes, and dozens others were wounded, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. The White House and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The strikes mark one of the most direct and expansive U.S. military actions against Iran in decades and the second time in eight months the Trump administration has used force against the Islamic Republic.

While both Trump and Netanyahu suggested the strikes could weaken Iran’s leadership, analysts caution that regime change would be extraordinarily complex and could trigger prolonged regional conflict.

Neither the U.S. nor Israel has publicly outlined a plan for what post-strike political leadership in Iran would look like.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.