U.S. & Israel Launch Major Strikes on Iran
The U.S. and Israel have jointly carried out coordinated airstrikes on Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran. Israel is calling the operation, dubbed "Epic Fury," a "preventive strike" against an "extremely serious" threat. In a video message, President Trump confirmed "major combat operations" and called on the Iranian people to "take over their government." The strikes have already sent oil prices surging amid fears of a wider conflict.
The current strikes follow decades of a simmering "shadow war" between Israel and Iran. This conflict has been waged through proxies across the Middle East, with Iran backing groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, while Israel has conducted airstrikes on Iranian-linked targets in Syria and is suspected in the assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. Israel has a history of launching pre-emptive attacks against perceived nuclear threats, a policy known as the "Begin Doctrine." This was established in 1981 when the Israeli Air Force destroyed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in a surprise airstrike dubbed "Operation Opera." This is not the first instance of a joint US-Israeli operation targeting Iran's capabilities. The two nations are widely believed to have jointly developed and deployed the Stuxnet computer worm, a sophisticated cyberweapon discovered in 2010. Stuxnet successfully sabotaged Iran's nuclear program by destroying nearly a fifth of its centrifuges at the Natanz facility. Washington and Israel have a long history of close military collaboration, including numerous joint exercises. One of the largest was "Juniper Oak" in January 2023, which involved roughly 6,400 U.S. troops and over 1,500 Israeli troops, alongside more than 140 aircraft, in a demonstration of military partnership. The United States has utilized economic pressure against Iran for decades, with the first sanctions imposed in 1979 after the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran. These sanctions have been expanded over the years in response to Iran's nuclear program and its support for regional militant groups. Direct confrontations have escalated recently. In 2024, Iran launched its first-ever direct missile and drone attack on Israel, which was largely intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition. This was followed by retaliatory Israeli strikes on Iranian air defense and missile sites, setting the stage for further escalation.
