The United States launched what President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations” alongside Israel against Iran early on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials, according to announcements from Washington and Tehran.
The operation, dubbed “Epic Fury” by the United States and “Lion’s Roar” by Israel, followed the collapse of US-Iran talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme two days earlier. Iran’s foreign minister called the assault “unprovoked” and “illegal”, and Tehran retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the Middle East.
The scale of the attack and Trump’s characterisation of it as major combat operations have renewed debate in Washington over whether he required congressional approval.
Under Article I of the US Constitution, Congress holds the power to declare war. It has not formally declared war in this instance. However, the Constitution also grants the president broad authority as commander-in-chief to deploy military force, a grey area that has long been contested.
Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, largely backed the operation. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the administration had informed the so-called “Gang of 8”, a bipartisan group of senior lawmakers, ahead of the strikes.
Most Democrats criticised the action, accusing Trump of initiating war without authorisation from Congress. They renewed calls for a war powers resolution that could restrict unilateral use of force. A similar bill failed last year for lack of Republican support. Prospects for passage remain slim, with only a handful of Republicans, including Congressman Thomas Massie and Senator Rand Paul, signalling openness to such a measure.
The Pentagon said three US service members were killed in action and five seriously injured, without releasing identities. They were based in Kuwait, according to CBS. Several others sustained minor shrapnel wounds and concussions and are expected to return to duty.
In Iran, more than 200 people were killed and more than 700 injured, the Red Crescent said. At least 165 people, including children, died in an explosion at a school in southern Iran, according to the state news agency IRNA.
In Israel, at least nine people were killed when an Iranian missile struck a synagogue bomb shelter in Beit Shemesh. One person died and at least 20 were wounded after a missile hit buildings in central Tel Aviv, Haaretz reported.
Iran also launched drones and missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, all of which host US military personnel. One person was killed and 11 injured at airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, authorities said.
Trump defended the operation by accusing Tehran of waging an “unending campaign of bloodshed” against the United States. He said Iran had refused to abandon its nuclear ambitions and was developing long-range missiles capable of threatening Europe, US forces abroad and potentially the American mainland.
He also cited the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, when Americans were held hostage for 444 days, and the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 service members.
In June last year, the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in an operation Trump said had “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear programme. That strike preceded a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that ended in a ceasefire.
Trump later said 48 Iranian leaders had been killed in the latest operation. Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei’s death and announced 40 days of mourning. Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify showed significant damage to part of Khamenei’s office in Tehran.
There are no indications that US ground forces will be deployed in Iran. Republican Senator Tom Cotton said the president had no plan for a large-scale ground operation, describing the campaign as extended air and naval operations.
The United States maintains about 13 bases in the Middle East, with 30,000 to 40,000 troops typically deployed. Two aircraft carriers, USS Gerald R Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln, are currently in the region.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons but has enriched uranium beyond levels typically associated with civilian energy use. No public evidence has been presented that Tehran was on the verge of building a bomb. There have also been no reports of an imminent Iranian attack on the US mainland, though major American cities said they were on heightened alert.
