The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Saturday the start of “a large combat operation” directed against the main institutions of Iran, with the objective of “protecting the American people by eliminating the threat posed by the Iranian regime”.
The semi-official Iranian agency Fars reported at least three explosions in Tehran, capital of the country. Other state media, such as the IRNA agency, pointed out —citing correspondents on the ground— that the city center was covered by dense columns of smoke.
The first announcement was made by Israel's Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, who communicated early Saturday the execution of a "preemptive strike to neutralize threats against the State of Israel." Subsequently, he declared a "special state of emergency" throughout the national territory, according to a statement released by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
The Israel Defense Forces activated alarms throughout the country and recommended the population remain close to air-raid shelters given a possible Iranian retaliation. “As a consequence, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected in the short term,” states the official note.
