Breaking: Israel Strikes Iran – Defense Minister –“This is a joint Israeli-American attack” which the sides had been planning “for months” – Senior defense official | 28 Feb 2026 | The IDF has launched a “preemptive strike” on Iran for national security reasons, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced, warning the population of an expected retaliatory attack. In a statement cited by several local media outlets early on Saturday, Katz said that the attack sought “to remove threats against the State of Israel,” adding that authorities are imposing a nationwide state of emergency due to expected missile and drone strikes on the country’s population in the immediate future. A senior defense official told Israeli Channel 13 that “this is a joint Israeli-American attack” which the sides had been planning “for months.” RT footage from Tehran showed two large plumes of smoke rising over the buildings in the Iranian capital.