Senator Graham:

The goal of this operation is to change the threat, not the regime.

When this operation is over, no matter who takes over in Iran, they will not have ballistic missiles to hurt us, Israel, or the region.

A “security threat” was declared at British bases in Cyprus.

Personnel were instructed to return home, stay indoors, move away from windows, take cover behind solid furniture, and await further instructions.

Source: Cyprus Mail

No U.S. ships have been struck since the start of the attacks on Iran.

Source: AP, citing CENTCOM Spox

BREAKING: Brent oil surges 13% to $82 a barrel at open after Iran strikes.

BREAKING: Rockets were fired from Lebanon to Haifa, Israel.

CONFIRMED: Iranian drone struck the UK’s Akrotiri Air Base in Cyprus overnight, causing minor damage but no casualties.

Source: Cyprus Mail

Trump says the U.S. had identified potential successors in Iran, but they were killed in the initial strikes.

“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates… They're all dead. Second or third place is dead.”

Source: ABC News

Trump implies what worked for Venezuela would work for Iran too:

What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect scenario.

Everybody’s kept their job except for two people.

Trump:

I don't think the Arab states are needed to join the United States in striking Iran.

Trump on Iran war:

We intended four to five weeks. It won’t be difficult.

We have tremendous amounts of ammunition… stored all over the world.

We expect casualties. Three is three too many as far as I’m concerned.

Trump is already eyeing his next target: Cuba.

“The president is feeling like, ‘I’m on a roll’; like, ‘This is working,’” one administration official told the Atlantic.

Hezbollah Joins the War

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a coordinated rocket and drone attack on northern Israel shortly after midnight today.

This was the group's first direct cross-border projectile strike since the November 2024 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.

The group framed the attack as “revenge for the blood of the Supreme Leader of the Muslims, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,” and as a response to what it called repeated Israeli violations in Lebanon.

The IDF confirmed rockets were launched from southern Lebanon. One was intercepted; others fell in open areas. No injuries or major damage were reported.

Within minutes, Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes across Lebanon. Targets reportedly included:
— Beirut’s southern suburbs (Dahiyeh), a Hezbollah stronghold.
— Sites in southern Lebanon.
— Locations in the Bekaa Valley.
— Infrastructure and what Israel described as senior Hezbollah figures.

Israel also issued evacuation warnings to residents of nearly 50 villages in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Hezbollah’s rocket fire as an “irresponsible and suspicious act” that risks Lebanon’s security and provides Israel justification for further strikes.

Trump to ABC News:

Iranians now reached out to me. Somebody within the Iranian government has reached out.

I probably shouldn’t tell you who it is.

He is no longer reporting to the supreme leader.

Trump on the death of Ayatollah Khamenei:

I got him before he got me.

They tried twice. Well, I got him first.

Source: ABC

Trump ignored shouted questions about Iran war and U.S. casualties and instead pointed reporters toward new statues in the Rose Garden.

“Unbelievable statues, come take a look at them.”

Senator Graham:

Cuba’s next. They’re going to fall. Their days are numbered.

The Iranian regime is about to collapse. The captain of the ship, the Ayatollah, is stone-cold dead.

Senior U.S. officials remain skeptical that the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will lead to regime change anytime soon.

Intelligence assessments before the strike concluded Khamenei would likely be replaced by other hardliners — possibly from the IRGC — not reformists.

Officials see no signs of military defections, considered essential for any successful uprising.

One source said IRGC leaders are unlikely to surrender because they benefit from a vast loyalty network.

Source: Reuters

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani is pushing to resume nuclear talks with the U.S. via Omani mediators.

Larijani is now overseeing Iran’s security and military response after Khamenei’s killing, though he is not formally part of the interim ruling triumvirate.

Source: WSJ

The U.S. and Israel planned to strike Iran a week earlier (Feb. 21) but delayed for weather, intelligence, and coordination reasons.

U.S. officials deny the Geneva talks were a ruse, saying they made a final offer: a 10-year enrichment moratorium plus U.S.-supplied civilian nuclear fuel.

Trump’s team warned force would follow if Iran rejected it.

Source: Axios