Bahrain says the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet has been targeted by a missile attack.

 

Bahrain says the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet has been targeted by a missile attack.

Meanwhile, The United Arab Emirates on Saturday closed its airspace as Israel and the United States conducted strikes on Iran. https://t.co/wqnEZUFOM3

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2026

The Associated Press (@AP

) post from February 28, 2026 reports a major escalation in the Middle East:Key details from the post:Bahrain has stated that the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet (located in Manama, Bahrain) was targeted by a missile attack.

No further immediate details were provided by Bahraini authorities about casualties, damage, or the source of the missiles.

Simultaneously, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) closed its airspace due to ongoing Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran.

This appears to be part of a rapidly developing conflict:The U.S. and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran earlier that day (February 28, 2026), with reports of strikes near high-level Iranian leadership sites and nationwide targets.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced a "first wave" of drones and missiles in response, primarily aimed at Israel.

U.S. President Donald Trump described the operations as "major combat operations in Iran" in a social media video, citing Iran's nuclear and missile programs as justification, and called on Iranians to overthrow their government.

Related developments mentioned in coverage and replies:Iranian state media claimed attacks on multiple U.S. bases across the region.

Some reports (including from regional sources) mention possible strikes or explosions near other U.S. facilities in the Gulf (e.g., in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi), though these remain unconfirmed in the main AP reporting.

U.S. naval ships at the 5th Fleet base reportedly moved to open sea as a precaution.

This marks a serious widening of the conflict, with direct hits claimed on a major U.S. military installation in the Gulf — raising risks of further retaliation, disruptions to oil shipping routes, and broader regional involvement.The situation is fast-moving, so official U.S. military statements (from CENTCOM or the Pentagon) and casualty/damage assessments are still pending in the immediate aftermath. For live updates, the linked AP live blog is tracking developments: https://apnews.com/live/live-updates-israel-iran-february-28-2026

  Live updates: Trump announces 'major combat operations' in Iran

By JON GAMBRELL

Smoke was seen rising in Tehran on Saturday after the U.S. and Israel said it launched an attack on Iran. The first apparent strike happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The United States and Israel launched an attack Saturday on Iran, with the first apparent strike happening near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian media reported strikes nationwide, and smoke could be seen rising from the capital.

President Donald Trump said in a video posted on social media that the U.S. had begun “major combat operations in Iran.” He claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S.

Ahead of the strikes, Trump has built up the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East in decades and repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to reach a deal to constrain its nuclear program and, earlier, to halt its bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.

You're watching breaking news unfold in real time.

AP's network of journalists works around the clock and from nearly 100 countries to gather facts, verify information and send updates to editors who compile them into the blog you're following now. 

12 sec ago

Iran strikes Israel and US targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar

Iran responded as it had been threatening to do for months — it first launched a wave of missiles and drones targeting Israel. Then, later, it began apparently targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, as explosions could be heard.

5 min ago

Explosions heard in Qatar

Explosions could be heard in Qatar on Saturday as Iran launched a counterattack over the joint United States-Israel campaign targeting the Islamic Republic. There was no immediate word if there was any damage.

11 min ago

Warning alerts go off on mobile phones in Qatar

The Qatar warning urged people to seek shelter.

17 min ago

Sirens and explosions heard in Kuwait

Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait on Saturday, home to U.S. Army Central.

There was no immediate word on any damage from the blasts.

19 min ago

WATCH: Missiles intercepted in Jerusalem after joint Israel-US attack on Iran

Missiles intercepted in Jerusalem after joint Israel-US attack on Iran.

20 min ago

UAE closes airspace

The United Arab Emirates closes its airspace as Israel and U.S. conduct strikes on Iran.

The disruption will have a major effect on global air travel as the country is home to both the long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad.

22 min ago

Israel says attack on Iran was coordinated with US months ahead

Israel said the attack against Iran was a “broad, coordinated, and joint operation against the regime” that had been planned for months between the Israeli and U.S. military.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded message released Saturday morning that Israel plans the current operation to be “much more powerful” than the bruising 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in June.

Meanwhile, streets were mostly empty as a series of sirens continued. Israel’s main news programs shifted their broadcasts to bomb shelters as well.

24 min ago

US-Israeli strikes on Iran imply ‘shaping actions’

The strikes by Israel and the U.S. on Iran suggest “shaping actions” designed to degrade air defenses typical of a wider military campaign, said a Dutch intelligence firm.

“The broader pattern suggests preparatory shaping actions,” said Eric Schouten, CEO of Dyami security intelligence firm in the Netherlands. “This appears less like a symbolic strike and more like the opening phase of a coordinated campaign designed to establish air superiority and operational freedom of movement.”

“Neutralizing radar systems, surface-to-air missile batteries, and command nodes would create more permissive conditions for sustained air operations over Iranian territory.”

The tempo of strikes will likely increase with nightfall, he said, noting reports of explosions at the Asaluyeh naval facility and the port of Chabahar in Iran that indicate Israel and U.S. interest in damaging maritime capabilities, too

26 min ago

Headquarters of US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain attacked

Bahrain says the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet has been targeted by a missile attack.

It offered no other immediate information about the attack.

Mohamed Abdel-Al, an Egyptian teacher working in Bahrain, said he heard sirens and sounds of explosions in the capital, Manama. He said he and dozens others were sheltering in a mosque.

35 min ago

US struck Iran from air and sea

The U.S. strikes took place from both air and sea, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations.

35 min ago

‘They cannot have nuclear weapons’

Trump began to voice a degree of frustration and impatience Friday over the lack of satisfactory progress in negotiations to stop Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, after having stayed relatively cryptic on his plans earlier in the week.

“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday for Texas. “They cannot have nuclear weapons.”

The president also said before the attack that there was a risk of a prolonged conflict with Iran.

But he declined to telegraph his intentions when asked about a possible strike, saying to reporters: “I’d rather not tell you.”

36 min ago

Explosions heard in skies over Syria and Lebanon

Associated Press reporters in Damascus and in the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon heard sounds of explosions Saturday, apparently as a result of Israeli air defenses intercepting Iranian missiles.

45 min ago

US embassies in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Israel warn personnel to take shelter

U.S. embassies or consulates in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Israel posted on social media that they told staffers to shelter in place and recommended all Americans “do the same until further notice.”

47 min ago

Iran launches ‘first wave’ of drones and missiles against Israel

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says it has launched its “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel, suggesting it planned further attacks.

50 min ago

Pentagon dubs Iran attacks ‘Operation Epic Fury’

The Pentagon has named the U.S. combat operations over Iran as “Operation Epic Fury.”

The formal title, announced via a social media post, formalizes the campaign as a major U.S. military operation.

The Trump administration similarly formalized last year’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as “Operation Midnight Hammer” and his strike to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year as “Operation Absolute Resolve.”

Meanwhile, Israel dubbed its mission “Operation Lion’s Roar.”

60 min ago

Houthis to resume attacks

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have decided to resume missile and drone attacks on shipping routes and on Israel in support of Iran. That’s according to two senior Houthi officials, who spoke in condition of anonymity because there is no official announcement from the Houthi leadership.

One of the officials said the rebels’ first attack could come as soon as “tonight.”

The rebels have ceased their attacks on the shipping route as part of a deal with the Trump administration that also halted U.S. strikes against the Houthis. They also stopped their attacks against Israel after an October ceasefire that halted major fighting in Gaza.

ÖÖ 11:33 GMT+3

Iranian state TV airs footage of damage

Iranian state television aired footage of heavily damaged buildings in Tehran, with rescuers digging through the rubble, looking for survivors.

ÖÖ 11:30 GMT+3

Netanyahu says attacks will let Iranians ‘take their fate into their own hands’

“Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,” Netanyahu said of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign on Iran.

ÖÖ 11:27 GMT+3

Largest US military presence in Mideast in decades

Ahead of the strikes, President Donald Trump built up the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East in decades.

The arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers at the end of January bolstered the number of warships in the region.

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and four accompanying destroyers were later dispatched from the Caribbean Sea to head to the Middle East and are now in the Mediterranean Sea.

The carriers and other ships have added more than 10,000 additional U.S. troops to the region. The military also has a variety of other troops in the region, notably at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts thousands of service members.

Hundreds of fighter jets and other support aircraft necessary for launching a major attack on Iran have also been sent to the region.

ÖÖ 11:25 GMT+3

Israeli prime minister says attack is to remove Iranian threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday the joint attack with the U.S. was to ‘remove an existential threat posed’ by Iran.

Netanyahu said in a statement that the attacks were aimed at ending “the threat of the Iranian ayatollah’s regime.”

He said Israel was striking sites belonging to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its all-volunteer Basij force, as well as ballistic missile sites.

ÖÖ 11:23 GMT+3

Iran’s missile capability and nuclear program

Iran currently has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile program, limiting their range to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).

That puts all the Middle East and some of eastern Europe in their range. There is no public evidence of Iran seeking to have intercontinental ballistic missiles, though Washington has criticized its space program as potentially allowing it to one day.

Iran has also said it no longer enriches uranium, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed during the 12-day war in June.

Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press have shown new activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.

ÖÖ 11:18 GMT+3

Sirens sound in Jordan

Sirens also sounded in Jordan as explosions were heard in northern Israel.

ÖÖ 11:15 GMT+3

Explosions heard in northern Israel

Explosions heard in northern Israel as the country works to intercept incoming Iranian missiles.

There was no immediate word on any damage or casualties from the ongoing attack.

ÖÖ 11:13 GMT+3

Israel issues a nationwide warning

Israel issued a nationwide warning Saturday after Iran reportedly launched missiles targeting the country.

The Israeli military said air defense systems would be activated to defend the country.

ÖÖ 11:11 GMT+3

Trump calls talks with Iran unproductive

Trump said that Iran had wanted to strike an agreement to avoid the conflict, but talks had been unproductive and the president’s patience had been exhausted by the back and forth.

“They just wanted to practice evil,” Trump said. “They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.”

He said that after the June attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, “we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons. And we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried.”

Trump added that Iran “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.”

He also stressed that the strikes would dismantle Iran’s ability to launch terror attacks and stop its development of ballistic missiles. He did not outline how aerial bombardment could accomplish those aims.

ÖÖ 11:09 GMT+3

Israel enforces nationwide restrictions

The Israeli military’s Home Front Command has imposed nationwide restrictions as Israel and the US launched an attack on Iran.

The army said the new guidelines, effective immediately, include a ban on gatherings and on all educational and work activities, except for essential work sectors.

ÖÖ 11:07 GMT+3

Trump acknowledges attacks on Iran may lead to US casualties.

“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties,” he said in a video posted to social media early Saturday morning.

“That often happens in war,” he added.

In the video, he wore a white baseball cap with the letters USA, a navy suit and a white shirt with no necktie.

There appeared to be a dark blue curtain behind him as the president announced the war in a video from Mar-a-Lago, his home and club in Palm Beach, Florida.

ÖÖ 11:05 GMT+3

Connection blackout in Iran

Mobile phone internet service was cut after the first bombings, so Iranians broadly did not see Trump’s call. However, some still have access to satellite dishes and foreign television networks.

There was no immediate sign of protests or unrest in Tehran after the attacks.

Security forces were out in the streets, blocking roads in downtown Tehran.

ÖÖ 11:03 GMT+3

Lebanese premier calls on his people to put country’s interests first

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on fellow Lebanese to put the interest of their country above all amid “the dangerous developments” in the region.

Salam wrote in a post on X that his government will not tolerate anyone involving Lebanon “in adventures that threaten its security and unity.”

The premier was referring to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group without naming it, in response to the attacks on Tehran earlier Saturday.

ÖÖ 11:00 GMT+3

Trump addresses Iranians

“When we are finished, take over your government,” Trump said. “It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight.”

The U.S. president added: “Now is the time to seize control of your destiny.”

ÖÖ 10:55 GMT+3

Trump: ‘The hour of your freedom is at hand’

Trump told the Iranian people in a video on Truth Social: ‘The hour of your freedom is at hand.”

He also stressed that Iran funded terrorist proxies that have “soaked the Earth with blood and guts.”

“It’s been mass terror and we’re not going to put up with it any longer,” he said.

ÖÖ 10:50 GMT+3

Trump calls the attacks on Iran ‘a noble mission’

He called on Iranian officials to “lay down your arms” or “you will face certain death,” and encouraged the Iranian people to “take over your government — it will be yours to take.”

ÖÖ 10:49 GMT+3

Trump claims Iran continues to develop its nuclear program

Trump claimed on Truth Social Saturday that Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S.

He also told the Iranian people that ‘now is the time to seize control of your destiny.’

ÖÖ 10:46 GMT+3

First Israeli strike hits near Khamenei’s offices

The first apparent strike happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It also wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old Iranian leader was there at the time.

ÖÖ 10:36 GMT+3

Trump says US begins ‘major combat operations in Iran’

The U.S. began “major combat operations in Iran,” President Donald Trump said in a video on Truth Social.

He said the objective is to defend the U.S. by “eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”

ÖÖ 10:35 GMT+3

Israel’s Health Ministry instructs hospitals in Israel to launch emergency procedures

Several hospitals moved their essential departments to underground parking lots that can be converted to serve patients during emergency situations.

ÖÖ 10:33 GMT+3

Iraq closes its airspace

Iraq’s Ministry of Transport said Saturday the country’s airspace has been closed following airstrikes on neighboring Iran.

The ministry’s spokesman, Mitham al-Safi, told state-run Iraqi News Agency that “the closure was preceded by the evacuation of all air traffic from Iraqi airspace.”

ÖÖ 10:32 GMT+3

US lawmaker reaction to Iran strikes

In what appears to be one of the first reactions from U.S. lawmakers to the strikes on Iran, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, described them as “acts of war unauthorized by Congress” in a social media post just minutes after the news of the attack broke

ÖÖ 10:31 GMT+3

The United States is participating in the Israeli strikes against Iran, AP sources say

The United States is participating in the strikes, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military operations. It was not immediately clear the full extent of U.S. involvement.

ÖÖ 10:29 GMT+3

Huckabee warns US citizens in Israel to stay near shelters

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on social media that U.S. Embassy staff, families and American citizens should “stay near shelters & take immediate action at the sound of alerts or sirens.”

ÖÖ 10:16 GMT+3

Explosions heard in Tehran

Two residents reported hearing the sounds of strikes echoing across the capital. A resident in the area of Mehrabad airport reported the sounds of “two heavy explosions” shaking windows just over half an hour ago. In central Tehran near Vanak, another resident reported the sounds of “blasts and war” coming at almost the same moment.

ÖÖ 10:13 GMT+3

Israel Airports Authority says Israel’s airspace is completely closed

Planes that were en route to land in Israel are now being sent to area airports. Passengers who were at the airport awaiting flights are being shuttled back to various locations within Israel.