Breaking
TEHRAN, IRAN – JUNE 16: Smoke rises after a reported Israeli strike on a building used by Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, part of Iran’s state TV broadcaster, on June 16, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Over recent days, Iran has been hit by a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting military and nuclear sites, as well as top military officials, prompting Iran to launch a counterattack. (Photo by Stringer/Getty Images)
By C. Douglas Golden February 28, 2026 at 12:15am
Israel launched a daylight strike against Iran with United States involvement, The Associated Press reports.
The strike comes days after U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva ended without a deal, in part because of Iran’s refusal to agree to terms on nuclear production or its ballistic missile programs.
The AP reported that the strikes hit downtown Tehran just after 10 a.m. Saturday local time.
One explosion was reported near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, although it’s unknown whether or not he was present at the time of the attack.
Israel is confirmed to have launched “preemptive strikes” this morning against Iran. pic.twitter.com/KAMo8oldTe
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 28, 2026
The wire service said that “according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military operations,” the United States was involved with the strikes.
However, it was unclear what the level of American involvement was.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the attack was carried out “to remove threats,” although he did not immediately elaborate on what those threats were, either.
Israeli officials issued a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”
The United States has built up military assets in the region in response to Tehran’s crackdown on dissent. It previously struck targets associated with Iran’s nuclear program last summer, effectively putting a halt to uranium enrichment.
No casualty or target information was yet available as of 2 a.m. Eastern Time. The U.S. military declined to comment.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he’s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he’s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture
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