Israel launched a sweeping aerial assault on Tehran following weeks of escalating missile barrages from Iran that wounded nearly 200 people in southern Israel. The campaign, carried out alongside the United States under the names Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury, was described by leaders as an effort to create conditions for regime change in Iran.

The strikes targeted high-level leadership and military infrastructure in the Iranian capital, reportedly killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's defense minister, and several senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in what officials described as the largest aerial attack ever conducted by the Israeli Air Force. The attack marked a dramatic escalation in the long-running conflict between the two nations.

Iran responded by launching missile attacks across the Middle East, targeting Gulf nations and United States military bases. Since February 28, ballistic missile strikes have killed 19 civilians and two Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Israel and injured at least 4,376 others. Eleven United States soldiers have also been reported killed in the regional retaliation.