The United States is kicking ass and taking numbers and President Trump is showing that he is the bravest president we’ve had in decades.
Away We Go
The joint U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran began with large-scale strikes on February 28, 2026, after months of escalating clashes, nuclear disputes, and proxy attacks across the region.
Key lead-up (late 2025–February 27, 2026)
- Throughout late 2025, Iran accelerated its nuclear program and regional militias intensified attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets in Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf, prompting repeated U.S. and Israeli warnings of “consequences.”
- In January–February 2026, Iranian‑linked groups carried out drone and rocket attacks that killed three U.S. soldiers, and Israel continued strikes on Iranian assets in Syria and Lebanon.
- By late February, U.S. and Israeli officials had coordinated a joint operation aimed at Iran’s leadership, command‑and‑control, and missile and nuclear infrastructure.
February 28, 2026: Opening strikes
- Around the morning of February 28 (local time), Israel launched an unprecedented wave of airstrikes on Tehran and other cities, beginning around 9:45 a.m. IRST, targeting top leadership and key military sites.
- In the same operation, U.S. Navy and Air Force assets struck Iranian command‑and‑control nodes, air defenses, missile and UAV sites, and radar and naval facilities.
- Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior security officials were reported killed in decapitation strikes on his residential compound, along with members of his family and staff.
Iranian retaliation on day one (February 28, 2026)
- Within hours, the IRGC announced large‑scale missile and drone launches toward Israel and U.S. bases, vowing retaliation with “no red lines.”
- Missile barrages using systems such as Emad and Ghadr targeted Israeli cities including Haifa, triggering nationwide shelter orders, and aimed at at least 14 U.S. bases across Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
- The initial exchanges caused casualties in Israel and across the region, with Iran signaling that attacks would continue until the U.S. and Israel were “definitively defeated.”
March 1, 2026: Intensification of strikes
- By early March 1, further U.S.–Israeli waves hit Iranian ballistic‑missile facilities, IRGC bases, naval assets, and communication hubs, as part of what was described as a multi‑day campaign.
- Iran expanded its retaliatory strikes to additional U.S. positions and continued missile and drone attacks against Israel, while urging regional allies and militias to join the fight.
- Smoke plumes and damage were reported in parts of Tehran and other major cities, with growing civilian and military casualties on the Iranian side.
March 2, 2026: Regional widening and “day three”
- By day three, Iran and allied militias launched missiles toward Israel and several Arab states, and an Iran‑aligned Iraqi militia claimed a drone strike on U.S. forces at Baghdad airport.
- Hezbollah fired missiles into northern Israel in what it called retaliation for Khamenei’s killing and ongoing Israeli operations, while Israeli forces struck targets in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, causing dozens of deaths and injuries.
- The U.S. reported using B‑2 bombers with 2,000‑pound munitions against Iran’s ballistic‑missile infrastructure, claiming multiple Iranian naval vessels sunk and a naval command center largely destroyed; Iran reported more than 200 dead since the campaign began.
Four U.S. troops have been killed.
One U.S. plane has been shot down by Kuwaiti air defense in what’s classified as a friendly fire incident. The pilot ejected safely and is alive.
Political framing and stated objectives
- President Donald Trump publicly framed the operation as removing “imminent threats” from the Iranian regime and signaled that strikes could continue for “four or five weeks,” tying them to the deaths of U.S. soldiers.
- Israeli and U.S. sources described primary objectives as: decapitating Iran’s leadership, degrading its missile and drone capabilities, constraining its nuclear program, and weakening its regional proxy network.
- Iranian officials declared they would not negotiate with Washington under fire and promised continued retaliation through direct attacks and allied militias across the Middle East.
The big guys that were killed involved:
Here is the same group of slain senior figures, separated by institution and with a brief note on their roles and why they mattered before the strikes.
Supreme Leader’s office
- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – Supreme Leader of Iran
- Institution: Supreme Leader’s office / ultimate authority over all branches of the state and armed forces.
- Role and significance: As Supreme Leader since 1989, Khamenei was the state’s highest decision‑maker on foreign policy, nuclear policy, and use of force, with direct authority over the IRGC, regular army, intelligence services, and key appointments. His death removes the central node of Iran’s political‑religious system and triggers a leadership‑transition process around the provisional council now managing his powers.
- Ali Shamkhani – Senior adviser, head of Defense Council
- Institution: Supreme Leader’s network and national security apparatus (Defense Council / high‑level strategic body).
- Role and significance: Former IRGC Navy and regular Navy commander, ex‑defense minister, and long‑time secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (2013–2023), he was, by 2026, secretary of the newly formed Defense Council and a close strategic adviser to Khamenei. That position put him at the center of Iran’s war planning, nuclear negotiations posture, and coordination of responses to Israel and the U.S.
IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)
- Major General Mohammad Pakpour – IRGC commander‑in‑chief
- Institution: IRGC high command.
- Role and significance: A veteran IRGC officer from the Iran–Iraq War era, Pakpour led IRGC Ground Forces from 2009 and was elevated to commander‑in‑chief of the entire IRGC in 2025 after Hossein Salami’s death. He oversaw Iran’s main force for missile, drone, and regional proxy warfare, playing a central role in counterterrorism operations and in shaping Iran’s asymmetric strategy against Israel, the U.S., and Gulf states.
Regular army / joint armed forces
- Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi – Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
- Institution: Regular army / joint armed forces command (Artesh plus IRGC coordination).
- Role and significance: A career Artesh officer who previously commanded the regular army, Mousavi was appointed in 2025 as chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, coordinating overall defense planning and readiness across all services. His job was to integrate IRGC and regular military capabilities, improve strategic planning, and manage Iran’s response posture to external threats; losing him alongside the IRGC chief and Supreme Leader is a major blow to Iran’s military command structure.
Security council / high‑level strategy bodies
- Ali Shamkhani – Supreme National Security Council veteran, Defense Council secretary
- Institution: Supreme National Security Council (past) and newly formed Defense Council (immediate pre‑war role).
- Role and significance: As SNSC secretary for a decade and then Defense Council secretary, Shamkhani was one of the few figures spanning the IRGC, regular military, and civilian leadership, often acting as a bridge between hard‑line and pragmatic factions. He was instrumental in war‑room coordination during previous crises, and his death removes a key architect of Iran’s strategic responses and back‑channel diplomacy.
Former regime president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is confirmed dead.
There is a rumor that newly appointed Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Arafi, has reportedly been killed in an airstrike, just hours after being given the role.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/give-a-timeline-of-the-attack-s3ckojlvS8OiWFG6.Rc5PQ
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/give-a-timeline-of-the-attack-s3ckojlvS8OiWFG6.Rc5PQ#2
The Response
From the Iranians in Los Angeles:
The Republican response was best summed up by Scott Jennings on CNN:
Jane Fonda was in Los Angeles, making a statement about this whole thing:
The Dems are in big trouble.
According to the New York Post:
President Trump’s decision to launch a war against Iran without congressional signoff has splintered lawmakers, largely along party lines, and supercharged the debate over war powers authority.
While most Republicans largely rallied around Trump’s decision to carry out the massive joint attack with Israel, Democrats quickly denounced the attack as an illegal “war of choice” and demanded Congress come back to Washington to take a vote on whether to authorize another Middle East invasion.
Democratic leaders have vowed to forge ahead with their plans to force a vote on a war powers resolution next week in the House that would block Trump from carrying out additional strikes.