February 28th, 2026 - Live Updates: U.S. and Israel Hit Iran as Trump Urges Regime Change

The United States and Israel launched a major assault on Iran on Saturday, striking targets in at least nine cities and raising fears of a wider regional war. President Trump said the campaign aimed to destroy Iran’s nuclear program and cripple its military, and he framed it as pressure Iran could have avoided by accepting U.S. terms in earlier talks.

In Tehran, powerful blasts began in the morning, and witnesses described panic and confusion as residents tried to find safety, retrieve children from school, contact relatives, or leave the city. Israel’s military said the opening strikes included an attempt to hit a meeting of senior Iranian officials, underscoring how high-stakes and direct the operation was.

Satellite images showed heavy damage and smoke at a high-security compound tied to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though the leadership’s status was initially unclear. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, later said that both Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were alive “as far as I know,” while Iran accused Washington of acting in Israel’s interests rather than America’s.

President Trump had hinted for weeks that he might order limited strikes to force a deal, but instead he approved a broader attack that analysts warned could be harder to contain. In a video message, he said the U.S. would also target Iran’s missile industry and navy, signaling a wider military objective than just nuclear sites.

Iran responded with waves of ballistic missiles fired at Israel, setting off air-raid sirens and intercepts as Israeli defenses tried to knock them down. The retaliation also spread across the region: Gulf countries that host U.S. bases reported attacks, and officials said falling debris caused damage and at least one death in the United Arab Emirates.

With missiles flying and world leaders urging restraint, the big concern became what comes next: a short, intense exchange or a drawn-out conflict without a clear end. President Trump suggested the strikes could spark internal upheaval against Iran’s rulers, while Iran vowed it would retaliate further and warned that U.S. forces and facilities in the region could be treated as legitimate targets in self-defense.

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster) - Congruous (adj, KAHNG-groo-us) - Something described as congruous is in agreement, harmony, or correspondence with something else. Congruous can also describe something that is appropriate for a particular circumstance or requirement, or a thing that is marked or enhanced by harmonious agreement among its constituent elements.

Example: Their professional achievements were congruous with their academic abilities.