The United States and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran early Saturday, an operation the Trump administration dubbed “Epic Fury.”
“The United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests,” Trump said in the video message. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. … We are going to annihilate their navy.”
Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Saturday that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the attacks. Iran confirmed Khamenei had been killed later on Saturday.
Where as the Trump administration’s “Operation Midnight Hammer” strike against Iran last June was branded as an isolated, targeted attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, “Operation Epic Fury” appears to be the beginning of a sustained military campaign against the nation. The U.S. and Israel have already attacked several major cities including Tehran, where explosions were observed, CNN reports, with Israel’s attacks specifically targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran retaliated soon after with missile attacks against Israeli targets as well as U.S. military bases in several Arab countries, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
The president added, “The Iranian regime seeks to kill. 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.”
Trump also called on the Iranians to “take over your government” and that “the hour of your freedom is at hand.” Iranian have been protesting the government for several weeks, with the regime killing thousands in response. Trump has continued to encourage the nation’s citizens to rise up, promising that help from the United States would soon be on the way.
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“Stay safe, stay sheltered,” Trump said in announcing the military campaign on Friday. “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
Iran foreign minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media, “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and Trump’s war on Iran is wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate,” adding that Iran’s armed forces will “teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve.”
U.S. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticised Trump for failing “to seek Congressional authorisation prior to striking Iran,” as the president “must seek authorisation for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.” While Jeffries acknowledged that Iran is a bad actor and must be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, support of terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies,” Trump’s actions “has left American troops vulnerable to Iran’s retaliatory actions.”
Republicans have largely supported the campaign, but plenty of figures on the right, both inside and outside of Congress, are outraged, arguing that the new war on Iran flies in the face of Trump’s “America First” posturing, and his promises to end regime change wars in the Middle East.
From Rolling Stone US
