US-Israel strikes on Iran: US base in Bahrain hit, explosions reported in Abu Dhabi | Top Updates

Iran’s state news agency IRNA said President Masoud Pezeshkian was “alive” and in “good health,” amid the escalating tensions

• US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, escalating tensions
• Explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah
• Iran vows retaliation as airspace closures spread across region

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The United States on Saturday participated in Israeli strikes against Iran, as explosions were reported in Tehran following a major air offensive by Israel. Along with Tehran, explosions were also heard in Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah.

Earlier, Israeli defence ministry announced a "preemptive strike" against Iran on Saturday as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat.

"The State of Israel has launched a preemptive strike against Iran. Defence Minister Israel Katz has declared a special and immediate state of emergency throughout the country," read a statement from his ministry.

Here are the top updates:

• Explosions were reported in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and Qatar’s air defence systems intercepted a missile hours after Israel and the United States carried out joint strikes on Iran, pushing the Middle East into fresh military tensions.
• Iran conducted missile attacks on a US base in Bahrain, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported. Bahrain is a key US ally in the Persian Gulf, and the permanent host of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama.

• The United States has named its strikes on Iran as 'Operation Fury'.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel and the United States had launched an operation against Iran to “remove the existential threat,” intensifying rhetoric as coordinated strikes continued.

In a video statement released shortly after the joint action began, Netanyahu directly addressed Israeli citizens and framed the campaign as a decisive step against Tehran’s leadership.

“My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, a short while ago Israel and the United States launched an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran,” Netanyahu said.

He described Iran’s government as a “murderous regime” that must not be allowed to gain nuclear arms, reiterating Israel’s long-standing position that Tehran’s nuclear ambitions represent a direct danger to its survival and regional stability.

• Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vows to remove the Islamic Republic regime, and empower the Iranian people. Netanyahu said Israel and the United States have launched a joint operation aimed at eliminating what he described as the Islamic Republic’s existential threat.

He stated that the campaign is intended to dismantle the regime’s power structure and create the conditions for the Iranian people to determine their own future.

• Israeli army says missiles launched from Iran were identified heading towards Israel, prompting sirens in several areas of the country.

“The public is requested to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command,” it said. “At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat.”

“The defense is not hermetic, and therefore it is essential that the public continue to adhere to the Home Front Command’s guidelines. The public is requested to continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command.”

Sirens were sounded in several areas across the country following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel.

At this time, the IAF is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 28, 2026

• Israel announced that the name of its new operation against Iran would be called “Roaring Lion,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office. This name follows the operation in the 12-day war in June that Israel dubbed “Rising Lion.”

• Israel closed its airspace on Saturday morning after the country carried out strikes on Iran. Iraq has also closed its airspace following the US-Israel joint military operation.

• Iran on Saturday closed its airspace until further notice, following multiple blasts in the capital Tehran and elsewhere, the civil aviation agency said. "The airspace of the entire country is closed until further notice," announced the spokesman of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation, quoted by Tasnim news agency.

• Missiles were launched in the area where the residence of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is located in Tehran.

• “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” US President Donald Trump says.“Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world,” he said in the eight-minute-long message.

• “For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries,” he said.
• Iran is preparing to retaliate following the joint strikes conducted by Israel and the United States on Saturday, according to state-affiliated media. “Iran is preparing for revenge and a crushing response to the Zionist regime,” said Tasnim, a semi-official news agency linked to Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

This heightened military action comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts and stalled nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program and missile development. President Donald Trump has maintained that military options remain on the table if diplomacy fails.

Iran, which has also issued warnings that any strike would breach its sovereignty and prompt decisive retaliation, has experienced repeated pressure over its nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile capabilities. Western and regional forces have raised concerns that Tehran’s programs could pose broader security risks.