Israel’s Defence Minister Says his Country has Attacked Iran

AP

Smoke rises on the skyline after ab explosion in Tehran, 28 February 2026.

Israel launched a daylight attack Saturday on Iran’s capital, with a cloud of smoke rising from the city’s downtown. The apparent strike happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old Khamenei had been in his offices at the time. He hasn’t been seen publicly in days as tensions with the United States have grown. But the attack comes as the United States has assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the attack as being done “to remove threats.” He did not immediately elaborate.

In Tehran, witnesses heard the blast. Iranian state television later reported on the explosion, without offering a cause.

Sirens sounded across Israel at the same time. The Israeli military said that it had issued a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed disappointment on Friday about U.S. negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and warned that "sometimes you have to use force," amid a massive military presence in the region that could presage strikes on the Islamic Republic.

President Trump has increased diplomatic and military pressure on Iran in the weeks since an Iranian crackdown on protesters, attempting to force the country's rulers to forswear nuclear weapons and other activities Washington sees as destabilising.

"They don't want to say the key words, 'We're not going to have a nuclear weapon,'" President Trump said on Friday before an event in Corpus Christi, Texas. "So I'm not happy with the negotiation."

Iran denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and wants any accord to include the lifting of U.S. sanctions against it.

Source: The Associated Press, Reuters



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