President Donald Trump and the Israeli Defense Minister have confirmed the launch of a “massive and ongoing operation” against Iran, with Israel declaring an “immediate state of emergency throughout the entire country.”
“A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran,” President Trump said in a video statement. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
“The United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests,” he warned. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raise their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs, as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans.”
“It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to put up with it any longer,” Trump stressed.
“They will never have a nuclear weapon,” the President underscored. “This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces. I built and rebuilt our military in my first administration, and there is no military on earth even close to its power, strength, or sophistication. My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region. Even so—and I do not make this statement lightly—the Iranian regime seeks to kill, the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war, but we’re doing this, not for now, we’re doing this for the future. It is a noble mission. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran.”
“We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm’s way, and we trust that with His help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail,” he stated.
“To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces, and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death,” Trump announced.
“Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” the President emphasized. “Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
Footage emerging shows smoke and explosions across Iran, with the Daily Mail reporting that the initial ‘Blitz’ on Tehran took place “near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.”
The IDF issued a proactive directive, calling Israelis to remain in close proximity to bomb shelters bracing for Iranian retaliation. Shortly after, the Iranian regime fired its first wave of ballistic missiles toward Israel, causing sirens to blare across the country.
Immediately following the US-Israeli strikes, Israel’s Transportation Ministry announced the closure of its airspace “until further notice.”
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Friday advised non-essential personnel and the family members of diplomats wanting to leave the country to do so “sooner rather than later.”
“Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC,” Huckabee stated, “but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of the country. There is no need to panic, but for those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”
The development follows an increasing American military presence in the Middle East. On Friday, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived in Haifa, Israel. Additionally, according to the Times of Israel, “American F-22 stealth fighter jets were deployed at an Israeli Air Force base in southern Israel on Tuesday, as part of the United States’s massive buildup of military forces in the Middle East. Their arrival in Israel is another step in the amassing of American aircraft in the region as tensions between Iran and the US threaten to erupt into war.”
This Is A Developing Story…
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