Israel and the United States are continuing their second day of air operations against Iran, after strikes were launched on 28 February 2026 at 9:30 am local time. Hits were recorded in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah, while the Iranian regime responded with a massive missile and drone offensive.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had carried out six waves of retaliatory strikes, claiming 27 US military locations across the region had been hit, including Tel Nof Air Base and military headquarters in Tel Aviv. "The armed forces of the Islamic Republic will not allow air raid sirens to fall silent," the Guard's statement read.

The conflict is spreading beyond Israel and Iran's borders: US naval facilities in Bahrain were targeted, and Qatar announced it had neutralised incoming projectiles. Loud strikes were heard in Dubai, while residential buildings were hit in Manama, Bahrain. Several countries have closed their airspace and international airlines are rerouting flights.

The operation, named "Rising Lion" by its Israeli official designation, was presented as a "pre-emptive strike" targeting Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the operation by stating that Iran posed "a threat to Israel's very survival." President Trump described the strikes as "massive and ongoing," aimed at eliminating immediate threats and preventing Iranian nuclear armament.

The escalation came eight months after the direct clash between Israel and Iran in June 2025, and immediately following the collapse of nuclear negotiations in Geneva. The UN and regional actors are calling for restraint, warning that a wider conflict would have "devastating consequences."