Israel launches attack on Iran as blasts reported in Tehran

Dan Williams and Arsalan Shahla, Bloomberg News on Feb 28, 2026

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Israel said on Saturday that it launched “preventive” airstrikes on targets in Iran, a move that will spark fears of a wider conflict in the oil-rich region.

The Associated Press, as well Israel’s Kan, said the U.S. was participating in the attack, citing people they didn’t identify. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem or the Israel Defense Forces on any U.S. involvement. Several large explosions were reported in the Iranian capital Tehran and the AP said one strike took place near the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

The attack came two days after delegations from the Islamic Republic and U/S. met in Switzerland for a third round of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear activities. While Iran sounded upbeat about the trajectory of the talks, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he wasn’t happy with how they were unfolding.

The U.S. has in recent weeks amassed its largest military buildup in decades in the Middle East, with Trump indicating more ambitious goals than the limited strikes he ordered against Iran’s atomic installations last year.

In addition to demanding that Iran give up its nuclear program, he vowed to support protesters who have faced deadly crackdowns from the Iranian government in recent months. U.S. officials also called on Tehran to curtail its support for proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah, as well as its missile program, which they describe as a critical threat to Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a state of emergency as he announced Saturday’s strikes, and said the country expects to come under retaliatory drone and missile attacks. Sirens sounded throughout the country, according to the IDF. Israelis were instructed to stay near shelters, and the country’s airspace was closed to civilian traffic. The military also issued guidelines that included prohibitions on non-essential activity such as education and social gatherings.

Iran closed its airspace in the wake of the attacks, with semi-official media reporting blasts at an airport largely used for domestic flights.

Tehran has repeatedly vowed to respond to any attacks from the U.S. or Israel, but it wasn’t immediately clear how intense any retaliation would be. When Trump sent bombers to hit Iran’s nuclear installations last June, Tehran limited its response to the U.S. in a signal it wanted to avoid escalation.