Israel and the USA have launched a new war against Iran with widespread attacks.
The Islamic Republic responded with counterattacks on Israel and US military bases in several Gulf states. Israel announced the start of a “preemptive strike” that morning. Shortly afterwards, US President Donald Trump confirmed attacks by the US military in a video message.
These were aimed at destroying the country’s military clout and preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Trump called on the Iranians to take leadership of the country. “When we’re done, take over your government.”
Explosions panicked people in the capital Tehran, but attacks were also reported in other places in the country. In response, Iran fired rockets towards Israel, where people remained in shelters and there were repeated rocket alarms. The country wants to call up around 70,000 reservists for the new war with Iran.
Iran also attacked US military bases in Gulf states allied with the United States. The United Arab Emirates, where a person was killed by rocket debris in Abu Dhabi, spoke of a “dangerous escalation” and a “cowardly act”.
Attacks follow negotiations
On Thursday, the USA and Iran negotiated indirectly over the country’s controversial nuclear program. Trump had given Tehran an ultimatum until the beginning of March to reach an agreement – and also threatened military action if no agreement was reached. Now the attacks began in February.
Washington and Tehran had already negotiated the nuclear program last year before Israel attacked Iran. The USA joined the airstrikes and bombed central nuclear facilities. Iran’s air force then fired ballistic missiles at Israel.
Trump: Iran just wanted to do evil
Trump called on the Iranian people to seek protection. “Bombs will fall everywhere.” He accused the country’s leadership of blocking a deal on the nuclear program. Trump said she rejected every opportunity to give up nuclear ambitions. “They just wanted to do bad things.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also justified the new attacks with the nuclear threat from Iran – and not just to his country. “The murderous terrorist regime must not be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons that would allow it to threaten all of humanity,” Netanyahu said in a video message.
An Israeli military representative said about the reasons for the attack that the Iranian leadership had recently massively accelerated the production of ballistic missiles and at the same time was secretly working on its nuclear program. At the same time, it is funding proxies like Hezbollah with hundreds of millions of dollars to threaten Israel. Waiting further was therefore not an option, as the threat would otherwise have grown both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Iran called on the United Nations and the international community to condemn the attacks and take action. The security of the region and the world are facing an unprecedented threat, said a statement from the Foreign Ministry, which also reaffirmed Iran’s willingness to negotiate. “We have once again entered into negotiations to demonstrate to (…) the world the integrity of the Iranian people,” it said.
Iranian state media also reported explosions on the outskirts of the city of Isfahan. Southeast of Isfahan lies an important nuclear center that was bombed last year. It is unclear whether nuclear facilities were bombed again like last year.
Deaths reported in Iran
According to local authorities, there were deaths in an attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran. Dozens of students were killed and many were injured, state radio reported. Around 170 students are said to have been in the school at the time of the rocket attack.
According to Iranian reports, important statesmen are said to be alive. In addition to President Massoud Peseschkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf and the Secretary General of the Security Council, Ali Larijani, are also in good health. There were initially no reports about the whereabouts of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In the metropolis of Tehran, long queues formed at gas stations after the attacks by Israel and the USA. Crowds tried to leave the capital, eyewitnesses said. Many shops were closed. In the north of the lively metropolis there was an eerie silence.
However, very little news reached the outside world from Iran. The internet was massively restricted again.
Rocket alert in many parts of Israel
In many parts of Israel and the West Bank there were repeated air alerts about incoming rockets and projectiles. Sirens wailed in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Negev Desert, the Ynet news site reported. Air alerts were also reported from northern Israel.
After the Iranian counterattacks began, media reported isolated impacts. The police removed shrapnel in Jerusalem and in the city of Beit Shemesh, the Magen David Adom rescue service also wrote on Platform X. A building in the city of Tirat Carmel, south of Haifa, was damaged. In the north, a man was injured by the pressure wave from an explosion. According to the rescue service, people were also injured on the way to shelters and were treated for anxiety.
Federal government discusses new escalation
The federal government is discussing the new escalation in the Middle East. The crisis team was convened at the Foreign Office. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said they had been informed in advance about Israel’s attacks on Iran in the morning. Chancellor Friedrich Merz wanted to travel to the USA on Monday and meet Trump there on Tuesday. It is unclear whether it will stay that way.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the development as “extremely worrying”. “We call on all parties to exercise the greatest possible restraint, protect civilians and respect international law,” she wrote on X.
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TEL AVIV/TEHRAN/WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX)
