Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
United States Launches Strikes on Iran Amid Escalating Conflict
United States Launches Strikes on Iran Amid Escalating Conflict
On the morning of Feb. 28, the U.S. conducted a coordinated series of strikes targeting sites across the Islamic Republic of Iran. This operation, executed in a joint effort with Israel, comes amidst escalated tension between the countries and establishes the deepening military relationship between the U.S. and Israel. The strikes involved a myriad of missile and air attacks across multiple cities, reportedly targeting Iranian military infrastructure and other areas deemed “high threat” as outlined in what U.S. officials are calling “Operation Epic Fury”.
“The President had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the United States, and he made a determination to launch ‘Operation Epic Fury’ based on all those reasons,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Leavitt’s claim that the initiation of a new military campaign was based on a “feeling” from President Donald Trump has sparked widespread speculation and concern among the general public, especially as it comes amid Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s previous indication that the United States was pressured at Israel’s urging.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio said.
Furthermore, the locations targeted by the strikes have also drawn significant scrutiny, particularly after reports developed that an Iranian elementary school was among the sites bombed in the attack. The Shajareh Tayybeh School, a girls’ school, reported a death toll of 175 people – most of them girls between ages seven and twelve – with an additional 95 people wounded.
Initially, the President claimed Iran was responsible for the strike and denied U.S. accountability.
“Based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” Trump said.
However, as of Mar. 11, an ongoing military investigation has determined the United States is, in fact, responsible for the bombing of the girls’ school. Reportedly, it was a result of a targeting mistake and an adjacent Iranian base that the school building was previously a part of. The report claims that officers in the U.S. Central Command used outdated data from the Defense Intelligence Agency when drafting target coordinates, causing the catastrophic targeting mistake.
Investigators have yet to uncover how the outdated data was transmitted to American Central Command and whether the Defense Intelligence Agency had access to the most current information.
As the conflict continues, Iran has conducted a wave of attacks and missiles against Israeli population centers and U.S. forces all over the Arabian Gulf, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Amid rising conflict and casualties, the countries involved are navigating complex political and humanitarian fallout from all sides.
On the morning of Feb. 28, the U.S. conducted a coordinated series of strikes targeting sites across the Islamic Republic of Iran. This operation, executed in a joint effort with Israel, comes amidst escalated tension between the countries and establishes the deepening military relationship between the U.S. and Israel. The strikes involved a myriad of missile and air attacks across multiple cities, reportedly targeting Iranian military infrastructure and other areas deemed “high threat” as outlined in what U.S. officials are calling “Operation Epic Fury”.
“The President had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the United States, and he made a determination to launch ‘Operation Epic Fury’ based on all those reasons,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Leavitt’s claim that the initiation of a new military campaign was based on a “feeling” from President Donald Trump has sparked widespread speculation and concern among the general public, especially as it comes amid Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s previous indication that the United States was pressured at Israel’s urging.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio said.
Furthermore, the locations targeted by the strikes have also drawn significant scrutiny, particularly after reports developed that an Iranian elementary school was among the sites bombed in the attack. The Shajareh Tayybeh School, a girls’ school, reported a death toll of 175 people – most of them girls between ages seven and twelve – with an additional 95 people wounded.
Initially, the President claimed Iran was responsible for the strike and denied U.S. accountability.
“Based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” Trump said.
However, as of Mar. 11, an ongoing military investigation has determined the United States is, in fact, responsible for the bombing of the girls’ school. Reportedly, it was a result of a targeting mistake and an adjacent Iranian base that the school building was previously a part of. The report claims that officers in the U.S. Central Command used outdated data from the Defense Intelligence Agency when drafting target coordinates, causing the catastrophic targeting mistake.
Investigators have yet to uncover how the outdated data was transmitted to American Central Command and whether the Defense Intelligence Agency had access to the most current information.
As the conflict continues, Iran has conducted a wave of attacks and missiles against Israeli population centers and U.S. forces all over the Arabian Gulf, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Amid rising conflict and casualties, the countries involved are navigating complex political and humanitarian fallout from all sides.