Iran launched missile and drone strikes on U.S. military facilities across Middle Eastern countries Friday, retaliating after U.S.-Israeli attacks.

Saturday’s bombings, carried out in broad daylight, included dozens of Tomahawk missiles launched from warships that had been stationed for days in waters near Iran, with which the Israeli-U.S. coalition sought to neutralize the enemy country’s air defenses.

Tensions in the Middle East have intensified sharply after United States President Donald Trump announced that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in a large-scale joint US and Israeli military operation targeting Iran.

President Donald Trump said the objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. He said Iran has continued to develop nuclear weapons.

The president announced that "major combat operations" were launched against the country in the early hours of Feb. 28

Roughly 575 Iowa soldiers deployed in the Unites States' counterterrorism mission, 'Operation Inherent Resolve,' are returning to the Hawkeye state.

The U.S. and Israel initiated a widespread attack on Iran on Saturday. Iran launched strikes targeting Israel and U.S. military installations in the Middle East in response.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, February 17, 2026. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM/DUBAI/DOHA,