Israel and the United States have jointly struck Iran, pushing the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation.

US President Donald Trump confirmed, “Short time ago, US began major combat operations in Iran.”

He added, “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”

“The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

A US official told Reuters that US strikes were being carried out by air and sea. Another US official told Reuters that the US military was expected to carry out a “multi-day operation” against Iran.