- President Trump said the US began major combat operations against Iran following Israeli strikes
- Trump stated the US aims to eliminate threats from the Iranian regime and destroy its missiles
- Israeli Defense Minister declared a state of emergency
President Donald Trump on Saturday said that US had begun a major combat operation against Iran, after Israel said it had launched "preventive strikes" against Tehran.
Trump's statement came after a report stated that US had participated in Israel's attack on Iran and carried out strikes.
In a video posted on Truth Social, Trump said "our objective is to eliminate threats from Iran regime" and that the country was "not going to put up with Iran's actions any longer".
"We sought repeatedly to make a deal with Iran. Iran rejected every opportunity to renounce nuclear aims...We're going to destroy Iran's missiles," he said. "We may have casualties, that often happens in a war," he added.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a state of emergency as he announced the strike on Iran, and said the country expects to come under drone and missile attack in retaliation. The country's airspace was also shut.
Israel Defense Forces, in a post on X, said that sirens were sounded all throughout Israel, with an advance instruction alert directly to cellular devices to stay within proximity to protected spaces.
India issued advisory for Indian nationals in Israel after the strikes, asking people to avoid non-essential travel. It said that the embassy remains closely engaged with authorities and will keep issuing updates when necessary.
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