Netanyahu: Joint Strikes Aim to Remove ‘Existential Threat’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country and the United States have launched strikes on Iran “to remove the existential threat" posed by its "terror regime” and to “create the conditions” for Iranians to change their destiny.
“My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, a short while ago Israel and the United States launched an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terror regime in Iran,” he said in an X post in Hebrew, thanking “our great friend, President Donald Trump, for his historic leadership.”
“This murderous terror regime must not be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity,” he said, according the The Times of Israel, urging Israelis: “Together we will stand, together we will fight, and together we will ensure the future of Israel.”
Websites Of Iranian News Outlets ‘Hacked’.
Reports from Iran indicate that the websites of a number of Iranian news media outlets have been hacked following the start of the Israeli and American attacks.
The IRNA state news agency confirmed the hacking of its website on its Telegram channel.
According to an image posted on social media from the hacked IRNA page, this headline appears alongside a photo of a bombed location: "Terrible hours for the security forces of the ayatollahs' regime: the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps) and the Basij (paramilitary force) have suffered a crippling blow."
Reports add that the websites of several Iranian domestic news outlets, including ISNA, Rokna, and Tabnak, have also been hacked.
IDF Says Missiles Launched From Iran As Air Defenses Move To Intercept
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) say they have "identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel."
"Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the IDF said in a post on X. "In the past few minutes, the Home Front Command has sent a precautionary directive directly to mobile phones in the relevant areas."
In a subsequent X post, the IDF said Israel's air defenses are "currently identifying and intercepting threats."
Air Defenses 'Activated' In Tehran
Iranian news agencies have reported on their Telegram channels that air defenses have been activated in Tehran.
According to these reports, air defenses have been activated to counter "hostile targets" in the center and some other parts of the Iranian capital.
Trump Urges Iranians to 'Take Over Your Government' After Strikes
US President Donald Trump has told Iranians they will soon be free to take over their government in an address following strikes on the country.
“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.
He confirmed US involvement in the strikes citing “imminent threats” and the need to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“To the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand.”
"When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations," he added.
Here's a video US President Donald Trump shared on social media announcing "major combat operations" in Iran.
Trump Announces 'Major Combat Operations' In Iran As Plumes Of Smoke Rise Above Tehran
- By RFE/RL
US President Donald Trump said Washington had begun “major combat operations” against Iran, hours after Israel announced it had carried out what it described as a “preemptive strike” on February 28.
In a video statement posted on social media, Trump said his objective was “to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”
"I do not make this statement lightly. The Iranian regime seeks to kill," Trump said in the video.
"The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties 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."
Iranian media reported explosions in several cities, including Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Qom, Lorestan, and Chabahar.
Video and photo images showed at least one large plume of smoke billowing over the capital.
“The State of Israel launched a preemptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier.
Trump accused Tehran of attempting to rebuild its nuclear program after the United States bombed key facilities during a 12-day war between Iran and Israel last June. He said the United States also aimed to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and “annihilate” its navy.
“The hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump added, in an apparent message to the Iranian public.
Trump had previously vowed that “help is on the way” during the deadly January protests against Iran’s clerical establishment, in which thousands were reported killed. Tehran suppressed the unrest and accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating it.
The latest strikes mark a dramatic escalation in Middle East tensions and further diminish hopes for a diplomatic resolution between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program.
Explosions were first reported in central Tehran, with images and videos circulating on social media showing thick plumes of smoke rising above the capital.
The Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said “several missiles” struck Daneshgah (University) and Jomhuri (Republic) streets. Iran’s state broadcaster, IRINN, confirmed what it described as joint “US-Israeli aggression in Tehran,” airing social media footage of smoke billowing from downtown areas.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. Tasnim news agency, which is close to the IRGC, said Iran’s airspace had been closed.
Sirens sounded across Israel following the strike, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) instructed residents to remain near protected areas, describing the alert as a precaution against possible retaliatory missile fire.
After 36 days following the Iranian protests and subsequent regime crackdown, we are pausing the live blog for now. But if the situation changes -- domestically in Iran or internationally -- we will be back.
Iran Security Chief Heading To Oman After US Talks
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council -- the top state body that coordinates defense, intelligence and foreign policy decisions -- will travel with a delegation to the Omani capital, Muscat, on February 10.
A senior conservative politician who has long held key national security roles, Larijani is expected to discuss “the latest regional and international developments and bilateral cooperation at various levels” with Omani officials, Iranian media reported.
The trip comes after the first round of the latest negotiations between Iran and the United States was held on February 6 in Muscat, though domestic media reports about Larijani’s visit made no reference to those talks.
US President Donald Trump has said these bilateral discussions would resume in the middle of this week, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the timing and date would be determined after further consultations in Washington and Tehran and through Omani mediation.
'Severe Sexual Violence' Used Against Protest Detainees, Says Rights Group
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights says Iranian authorities subjected detainees arrested during recent protests to systematic "coercion, threats of death and execution, and severe sexual and psychological abuse."
Based on interviews with former detainees from different cities and facilities, Hengaw reports that female interrogators were deliberately used to humiliate and abuse young male detainees, while women described what the group called "severe sexual violence." Hengaw also said some detainees faced threats of execution and mock hangings.
Many said they were beaten, threatened with death, and forced to record written and video confessions in summary court proceedings without lawyers or due process.
Some were held in military sites or private houses rather than formal prisons.
Hengaw said detainees were often released only after posting heavy bail, with cases still pending.
The group, a Norway-based Kurdish human rights organization that documents arrests and abuses in Iran through on-the-ground networks, says more than 40,000 people have been detained since the protests began and warns that torture is being used systematically and with impunity.
RFE/RL's Radio Farda has not been able to independently verify these accounts, though other rights advocates have similarly reported unusually harsh treatment of protesters both on the streets and in detention.