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In a dramatic turn marking one of the most severe escalations in Middle East tensions in decades, the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iranian targets early Saturday morning. The operation, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by U.S. officials, targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centers, ballistic missile sites, air defense systems, nuclear-related facilities, and key regime infrastructure across provinces including Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Kermanshah, and Karaj. President Donald Trump described the strikes as necessary to eliminate “imminent threats” from Iran’s nuclear ambitions and proxy networks, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed them as a preemptive move to neutralize the “existential threat” posed by the Iranian regime.Reports from Israeli sources claimed the strikes may have killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, though Iranian state media countered that he was “safe and sound.” The attacks represent a shift from previous limited exchanges to what analysts describe as regime-change rhetoric, with Trump urging Iranians to “take over your government” and end decades of theocratic rule.
