Reactions as US, Israel’s joint attacks trigger Iran’s retaliation targeting Tel Aviv, US military bases

*Reactions as Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Israel, US military bases in Middle East

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that, in response to aggression by a “hostile and criminal enemy,” it has launched the first wave of extensive missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets.

The US and Israel have launched an attack on Iran on Saturday February 28, 2026, with President Donald Trump confirming that “major combat operations” are underway.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the US and Israel had struck military and civilian targets, “blatantly violating” the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

In a statement on Saturday morning Moscow condemned what it called a “premeditated and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent member state of the UN.”

The US-Israeli strike triggered wave of responses across the Middle East. Explosions have been reported in multiple countries in the Gulf, as well as Lebanon and he Houthi armed group based in Yemen has announced it will begin targeting shipping.

In a video posted on Truth Social, Trump vowed to decimate Iran’s military, eliminate its nuclear program, and bring about a change in its government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a video statement that a “joint operation” had been launched against what he described as the “existential threat” posed by Iran. He said the US-Israeli military action could “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that, in response to aggression by a “hostile and criminal enemy,” it has launched the first wave of extensive missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets.

Explosions have reportedly been heard in Israeli cities, and the Israeli military said it had detected ballistic missiles launched from Iran, describing them as the first wave of retaliation.

Large explosions have been heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and residents have reported seeing smoke rising from a district that houses the presidential palace and the Supreme National Security Council, according to local accounts.

The strikes came after indirect nuclear talks in Geneva between Tehran and Washington ended inconclusively on Friday and amid a massive US military build-up in the region.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has indicated that both sides are to blame for the conflict. Madrid, he said, denounces “unilateral military action by the United States and Israel,” saying that it “represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order.”

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“We likewise reject the actions of the Iranian regime and the Revolutionary Guard. We cannot afford another prolonged and devastating war in the Middle East.”

Israel has banned ⁠public gatherings, shut schools ⁠and workplaces and moved hospital patients to underground facilities. The police have also asked people to forego non-essential travel to allow security and emergency vehicles to move freely.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared a ⁠state of emergency across the country, warning the public of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Saudi Arabia has condemned Iranian attacks on US military bases across the region in the “strongest terms” while warning Tehran of “consequences” should it continue its actions which it said violate international law.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has described the Middle East escalation as “perilous,” but noted that Iran’s “ballistic missile and nuclear programs, along with support for terror groups, pose a serious threat to global security.”

At least 35 ballistic missiles have been launched from Iran to Israel, according to the preliminary military assessment cited by the Times of Israel.

CNN reported, citing sources, that the Israeli attack was aimed at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed forces Chief of Staff Sayyid Abdolrahim Mousavi, the secretary of Iran’s Defense Council, Ali Shamkhani, and the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, Ali Larijani.

According to IRNA news agency, an Israeli strike on a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, killed five people, with some reporting suggesting the death toll could be much higher.

The UAE has joined the condemnation of what it described as “brazen Iranian rocket attacks” targeting the nation and its neighbors.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry has issued a “strong condemnation of the targeting of Qatari territory with Iranian ballistic missiles,” describing it as “a flagrant violation of its national sovereignty.”