Operation Epic Fury got underway and dominated the world's leading outlets, portraying President Donald Trump as the force behind the joint operation.
"War against Iran," blared the top headline of the German Bild, which has a reputation for being pro-Israel. "Israel and the United States have gone to war. The first missiles hit Tehran at 7:00 a.m. Trump's message to the mullahs: lay down your weapons, or you will die." The outlet also published Trump's speech in full, in which he spelled out the reasons and objectives of the strike.
Germany's Der Spiegel led with a somewhat more measured headline, reporting that "the United States and Israel are attacking Iran, Tehran responds with a massive counterattack." The main story on its website noted that US President Trump was speaking of "major combat operations" and calling on the Iranian people to take control of their government.
The Guardian reported, "US-Israel attack on Iran: Tehran launches retaliatory strikes as Trump says 'major combat operation' underway. The outlet also reported on strikes against American bases in Gulf states and on airspace closures across several countries in the region.
Britain's Daily Mail reported that "Trump has ordered a massive strike alongside Israel, and Iran is responding with a wave of missile attacks on American bases in the Middle East and on Israel." In a separate story, Trump was quoted as telling soldiers in Iran to "surrender or die" and declaring that "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon."
In France, Le Monde told its readers that "the United States and Israel announced Saturday that they had carried out multiple strikes on Iran, following weeks of threats of military intervention. Iranian missiles were fired in response against American bases." Le Parisien focused on the fate of French nationals previously accused by Iran of espionage who are currently under "house arrest" at the French embassy in Iran, headlining, "Israel's strikes on Iran: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are unharmed. Explosions across the region."
Spain's El País reported that the United States and Israel had launched a strike on Iran and noted that "the attack is also aimed at leaders with the goal of forcing regime change. Israel has declared a state of emergency and closed its airspace." The country's other major outlet, El Mundo, quoted Trump's earlier remarks that Iran "will never be able to possess a nuclear weapon. We will destroy their industry." The site emphasized the US-Israel coordination and Trump's call on the Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.
Italy's Corriere della Sera reported that "the United States and Israel are attacking Iran, Tehran responds: we will strike American bases in the region, rockets are aimed at the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait. Explosions in Tel Aviv." La Repubblica similarly noted the Israeli-American cooperation against Iran, devoting one story to "pillars of smoke over Tehran" and another in which several women were seen celebrating after strikes on Khamenei's residence.
Sweden's Aftonbladet led its website with coverage of the joint strike on Iran and noted that "several senior Iranian officials were killed," while also reporting on explosions heard in Israel and in several Arab countries as part of Iran's response. Norway's NRK reported on a "major war" that had broken out and said "a number of Iranian leaders were killed in the strike."
