Dubai, UAE. The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and President Donald Trump urged Iranians to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the country since 1979. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and US military bases across the region.

Some of the first strikes appeared to hit areas near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Smoke rose over the capital as Iranian media reported attacks nationwide. It was not immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was present at the time.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later told NBC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were alive “as far as I know.”

In a video announcing the “major combat operations,” Trump told Iranians that “when we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that message, saying, “Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.”

The strikes during the holy month of Ramadan mark a dramatic escalation in US involvement in Iran and the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has used military force against the Islamic Republic.

According to a US official and another person briefed on the operation, targets included members of Iran’s leadership. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military action. There was no immediate confirmation that any senior officials had been killed.

Even if top leaders were eliminated, regime change is far from certain, and neither Washington nor Jerusalem has outlined a plan for what would follow.

Democrats criticized Trump for acting without congressional authorization. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, said that although Iran is a “bad actor,” the president must “seek authorization for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.”

Rising Tensions

Tensions have surged in recent weeks as US warships deployed to the region. Trump has sought a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program at a time when the country faces growing domestic dissent following nationwide protests.

The immediate trigger for Saturday’s strikes appeared to be the collapse of the latest round of nuclear talks. The confrontation also reflects broader regional shifts that have left Iran in one of its most vulnerable positions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Israeli and US strikes last June significantly degraded Iran’s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear facilities. A wider regional conflict triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel has also weakened Iran’s network of allied armed groups across the Middle East. Meanwhile, US sanctions and international isolation have battered Iran’s economy.

Iran responded to the latest strikes by launching missiles and drones at Israel and targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. “The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on X.

At least 57 people were reported killed at a girls’ school in southern Iran in the joint strikes, with dozens more wounded, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. The White House and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Flights across the Middle East were disrupted as the conflict widened, and air defense fire echoed over Dubai, the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile strike on the UAE capital killed one person, state media reported.