Operation Epic Fury: the United States enters the war

What started as an Israeli attack this morning turned within hours into a joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran. Trump confirmed it in a video posted on Truth Social: "major combat operations" are underway, with the stated goal of eliminating Iran's nuclear programme, destroying its missile capability, and, in so many words, changing the country's leadership. The Pentagon codenamed the operation Epic Fury. Israel calls it Roaring Lion.

The scale far exceeds the June 2025 war. The Israeli Air Force reported strikes on 500 military targets across central and western Iran using roughly 200 fighter jets. But the fundamental difference from June is not the number of targets but their nature: this time they went directly for the leadership. According to two US officials cited by NBC News, Israeli strikes specifically targeted Iranian political and military leaders, while the US concentrated on the ballistic missile programme and nuclear infrastructure.

Trump later claimed Khamenei is dead. Netanyahu said in a televised address that the strikes hit the Supreme Leader's compound and there are growing signs that "the tyrant is no longer alive." Four Israeli security officials confirmed to the Washington Post that Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on his Tehran residence. The Israeli military released a list of other senior officials killed, including IRGC commander General Mohammad Pakpour, Khamenei adviser Ali Shamkhani, and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh. Iran denies it. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei is alive "as far as I know" and that "almost all officials are safe and sound."

The strikes began at dawn on a Saturday, the first working day in Iran. Schools were open. Iranian media reported that a strike hit a girls' primary school in southern Iran, killing at least 85 students according to local prosecutors. Iran's Red Crescent reported over 200 dead and 747 wounded across 24 of the country's 31 provinces. Trump said the bombing will continue "uninterrupted throughout the week or as long as necessary." What was a twelve-day surgical operation in June is now being framed as an open-ended campaign with regime change objectives. That is something else entirely.