The launch of what the Pentagon called “Operation Epic Fury” on Saturday plunged the Middle East into a new and unpredictable conflict. The U.S. and Israeli militaries struck sites across Iran, triggering retaliatory Iranian attacks against Israel and nearby Gulf Arab countries. Ahead of the strikes, Trump received multiple briefings from officials including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, U.S. General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Israel had launched an attack on Iran Saturday morning. Daniel Shapiro, a former senior Pentagon official for Middle East issues, said that despite the U.S. and Israeli strikes, Tehran would still be capable of causing some pain.

Source: Huffington Post February 28, 2026 15:29 UTC