Leave Tehran: Iran sends text alerts urging residents to evacuate amid US–Israel strikes
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Leave Tehran: Iran sends text alerts urging residents to evacuate amid US–Israel strikes")
Smoke billows following the pre-emptive strike from Israel and the United States, in Tehran on Saturday. Photograph: (ANI)
The US–Israel strikes and Iranian counterstrikes triggered fears of the conflict spiralling into a regional war as several countries in West Asia came under attack.
Iranian authorities on Saturday (Feb 28) asked residents to evacuate the capital Tehran via text messages after the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on multiple targets across the Islamic Republic following the failure of recent nuclear talks in Oman and Switzerland. The military strikes, named Operation Roaring Lion by Israel and Operation Epic Fury by the United States, hit over 30 sites across Iran, including government buildings in Tehran and suspected nuclear facilities.
“In view of the joint operations launched by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran and other major cities, if possible and while remaining calm, head towards other cities,” said the text message received by residents, AFP reported.
In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) initiated Operation True Promise 4, targeting Israel and American bases across West Asia. Tehran launched missiles toward the US Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the largest US military installation in the Middle East — as well as other sites in the UAE, Kuwait and Syria.
US President Donald Trump, in a video message on Truth Social, confirmed “major combat operations in Iran,” describing the strikes as targeting Iran’s missile arsenal and navy:
“I do not make this statement lightly. The Iranian regime seeks to kill… We are going to annihilate their navy and destroy their missiles.”
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The US–Israel strikes and Iranian counterstrikes triggered fears of the conflict spiralling into a regional war as several countries in West Asia came under attack. Missile exchanges between the two sides continued, leading to widespread airspace closures and flight disruptions across the region.
Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour are believed to have been killed in the Israeli attacks, according to two sources familiar with Israel’s military operations and one regional source cited by Reuters.
The assault marks the most serious military escalation between the US, Israel and Iran since June 2025, when the US and Israel jointly launched Operation Midnight Hammer.
During that operation, the IDF carried out a major offensive against sensitive Iranian nuclear sites, followed by seven US B-2 stealth bombers flying from Missouri to strike three major nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
