Iran

[Updated] Israel and U.S. Launch Attack on Iran

Published on: February 28, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Stefano D'Urso Stefano D'Urso
David Cenciotti David Cenciotti
Israel U.S. attack Iran
Smoke rises from Tehran after the launch of the joint strikes by Israel and the U.S. on Feb. 28, 2026. (Image credit: Associated Press)

Israel has launched a daylight preemptive attack against multiple Iranian targets, with the U.S. now joining the operation. Here’s our constantly updated report.

Israel and the U.S. launched on Feb. 28, 2026, a new wave of strikes against Iran, in what Israel has called a “preemptive attack.” Details are still fragmentary, but it appears multiple targets across Iran, including the capital Tehran, were hit in broad daylight, and a first Iranian retaliation has already been launched.

Epic Fury / Roaring Lion

The U.S. Department of Defense announced in a post on social media that the U.S. operation has been named “Operation Epic Fury,” while Israel appears to have named its own operation “Roaring Lion.” According to reports, the attack appears to have started at around 8:10 am local time, with both U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu releasing statements shortly thereafter.

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Netanyahu says that “Israel and the United States embarked on an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.” The statement also hinted at regime change being a goal: “Our joint action will create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands. The time has come for all segments of the Iranian people – the Persians, the Kurds, the Azeris, the Baluchis, and the Ahwazis – to throw off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peaceful Iran.”

Trump similarly said that the “U.S. military began major combat operations in Iran,” with the objective to “defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.” Trump reiterated that “they can never have a nuclear weapon,” and “we can’t take it anymore.”

First Reports

Multiple government buildings appear to have been targeted in the initial strikes.

According to Iranian media, missiles also struck the area near the Iranian presidential palace and the compound of the Supreme Leader Khamenei. Reports say he might have been already evacuated before the launch of the attacks.

The U.S. airstrikes appear to have been complemented by attacks with Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from U.S. Navy warships. Multiple missiles were caught on video while reportedly flying at low altitude over Iraq and then over Iran’s capital Tehran.

A video appears to show an Iranian MiG-29 in flight over Tehran, however there are no reports of aerial confrontation with Israeli and U.S. aircraft.

Both Iraqi and Syrian airspaces appear to have been used by aircraft on their way in to strike Iranian targets. Boosters associated with the Israeli Blue Sparrow air launched ballistic missile were found in Iraq, while fighters were seen in flight over Syria.

Initial Retaliation

Within two hours from the beginning of the joint Israel-U.S. attack, Iran has launched a first retaliation.

The IDF posted on social media that a barrage of missiles was launched against Israel, with air defenses at work to intercept the threats.

Intercepts appear to have taken place also outside of the Israeli airspace, with debris also found in Syria.

Attacks appear to have targeted also U.S. bases in the region, with reports of interceptions and air defense activity over Abu Dhabi.

Smoke was also spotted rising from the U.S. 5th Fleet support center in Bahrain, after reports of explosions being heard. A missile was also videoed while impacting within the perimeter of the base.

New details

The IDF has disclosed some details about the operation, explaining that the operation was planned for several months. The decision to carry out the strike in plain daylight rather than at night allowed Israel to achieve a surprise.

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, said that the Italian base in Kuwait, where 300 Italian soldiers as well as the Eurofighter Typhoons are stationed, has been hit; none were harmed. The base hosts the IT NCC Air/TFA-K (Italian National Contingent Command Air/Task Force Air-Kuwait) and, in particular, the Task Group TYPHOON, which operates with four F-2000A jets as well as the Task Group ARABA FENICE, with an MQ-9A Reaper.

As the hours pass, further images of the attack and the Iranian retaliation are being released online.

Interestingly, the Israeli Air Force 1, IAF Boeing 767 also known as “The Wing of Zion”, has been circling off Israel since the Iranian retaliation attacks were launched.

Meanwhile, there are reports of Iranian missiles hitting Dubai, Kuwait and Bahrain.

British PM Starmer said the UK has joined the war on Iran.

Meanwhile, more details about the initial phase of the air war have emerged.

Considering the amount of air power deployed to the region and the size of Iran (hence, the number of potential targets) it looks like almost certain a second wave of US-Israeli air strikes will be carried out in the darkness of the night between Saturday Feb. 28 and Sunday Mar. 1, 2026.

There are reports of ballistic missiles launch from Iran.

And here are the images of the ballistic missiles being intercepted:

Some U.S. aerial refuelers are tracking online on FlightRadar24.com:

Update 19:00 UTC

As darkness falls over iran in this first day of hostilities, it appears that strikes are not over for both sides. Photos and videos emerging online show that a new wave of strikes might be in progress over Iran, while Iranian drones keep striking targets in Israel and the surrounding countries which host U.S. bases.

An Iranian attack has also reportedly struck the area near Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan, which hosts a large contingent of U.S. combat aircraft. It is unclear if the base sustained damage.

Multiple videos show that U.S. air defenses were indeed active, even if some of the Iranian drones and missiles were able to reach their targets. Among the systems being used are the Patriot systems which, together with THAAD, were deployed to the region to further reinforce the air defenses already present there.

According to some sources, Iranian defenses were also active and were able to shoot down some of the munitions launched by Israel and the U.S. since this morning. The airspace, however, seems to be rather permissive at the moment, with videos showing what appear to be MQ-9A Reaper drones over Iran, possibly being used to assess damage and locate further targets.

Meanwhile, multiple U.S. Air Force tanker aircraft appear to have departed from the U.S. and headed east. It is likely that these are either going to cross the Atlantic Ocean to join the operations in the Middle East or are being staged to support the movement of other assets across the ocean. It should be noted that there are around 36 fighter aircraft that arrived at RAF Lakenheath, UK, in the last few days, and are likely being prepared to continue they journey to the Middle East, requiring tanker support.

Since U.S. officials already stated to media that the strikes against Iran will last for days, new waves of attacks might continue tonight.

CENTCOM has released some interesting footage of the U.S. forces taking part in the raid.

Interestingly, the F-35C shown in the video was operating in “full stealth mode” (ie without any RCS enhancers).

One might believe F-35s always operate without devices that are installed to increase their Radar Cross Section and make them visible to radars. However, the use of luneburg lenses depends on several things (type of mission, area, threats etc). Not always is LO (Low Observability) required. For instance, when on Sept. 27, 2018, U.S. Marine Corps F-35B jets with U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, the “Wake Island Avengers”, of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, carried out their first air strike in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province launching from U.S. Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) on station in the Persian Gulf, the aircraft also carried RCS enhancers and the externally mounted GAU-22 25mm gun pod in addition to the weapons in the internal bays.

In other words, the type’s first combat mission ever was not in full stealth mode.

Khamenei killed in the airstrikes

After a series of unconfirmed reports, U.S. President confirms Khamenei has been killed in the joint strikes with Israel.

We continue our reporting here: U.S. Backs Israel’s Assessment That Khamenei Was Killed in Airstrike

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By Stefano D'Urso
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Stefano D'Urso is the Deputy Editor at The Aviationist, based in Lecce, Italy. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering. His areas of expertise include emerging aerospace and defense technologies, electronic warfare, unmanned and autonomous systems, loitering munitions, and the application of OSINT techniques to the analysis of military operations and contemporary conflicts.
By David Cenciotti
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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
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