U.S. and Israel Launch Joint Military Campaign to Eliminate Iran's Missile Arsenal

U.S. and Israel Commence Coordinated Strikes on Iran

On February 28, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the start of a joint military campaign with Israel targeting Iran, with the stated objective of destroying the country's missile capabilities. This marks a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between Washington and Tehran. Trump declared,

"The Iranian regime is a brutal group of very tough, horrible people. Its actions threaten the United States, our troops, our bases abroad, and our allies around the world."

"The United States will destroy Iran's missiles and level Tehran's missile industry to the ground."

An anonymous U.S. official confirmed to Al Jazeera that the subsequent series of strikes on targets within Iran were coordinated at the highest levels of both governments. In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the imposition of an immediate nationwide state of emergency and stated that preemptive strikes against Iran had begun.

Regional Tensions Escalate

Security measures have been heightened across Israel, with sirens sounding in cities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDAF) are concurrently conducting a large-scale aerial operation against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Trump emphasized the campaign's defensive nature, saying,

"Our goal is to protect the American people by eliminating the direct threat posed by the Iranian regime."

This joint U.S.-Israeli operation represents a dangerous new phase in the conflict, potentially leading to a wider regional escalation. The scale of the military action and Israel's declaration of a state of emergency underscore the severity of the threat both nations perceive from Iran's activities. These developments could have profound implications not only for the Middle East but for global geopolitics, potentially drawing in other actors and triggering an international response.