The U.S. and Israel Are Attacking Iran to Overthrow the Regime—Strikes Have Hit Khamenei’s Residence and the Entire Military Leadership

According to them, the United States and Israel have effectively launched a large-scale joint military operation aimed at destabilizing Iran’s ruling regime, which has been in power since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “The objective is to create all the conditions necessary for the collapse of the Iranian regime, but how events unfold will depend on the extent to which the Iranian people rise up,” an Israeli official said.

Israeli sources say the operation targets Iran’s entire top leadership—political and military, past, present, and potential. They say strikes hit Khamenei’s residence and a government complex. Those listed as targets reportedly include President Masoud Pezeshkian, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi, Khamenei’s chief security adviser Ali Shamkhani, as well as former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

A senior U.S. official said that American strikes are focused on Iran’s missile program and launch facilities, while Israel, in parallel, is targeting both key figures within the regime and sites linked to missile capabilities.

Israeli officials acknowledge that they do not yet have a full picture of which members of Iran’s leadership were killed, noting that assessing the consequences will take several more hours. Iranian authorities, for their part, told Reuters that several senior officials were targeted in the attacks.

In a video statement released on Saturday morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “Our joint actions will create conditions in which the brave Iranian people can take their destiny into their own hands.” He added that “the time has come for all the peoples of Iran—Persians, Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Baluchis, and Ahwazis—to cast off the yoke of tyranny and secure a free and peaceful Iran.”

In a separate video address, President Donald Trump urged Iran’s residents to remain in their homes during the bombardment. “When we are finished, take power from your government—it will be yours. This is likely your only chance for many generations,” he said, calling on Iranians to rise up. “Now is the time to take control of your destiny and open the way to a prosperous and great future that is already close. This is the moment to act. Do not miss it.”