Trump and Netanyahu Authorize Decisive Joint Military Campaign to Topple Iranian Leadership

President Trump and PM Netanyahu confirm a massive joint military assault on Iran, targeting leadership and infrastructure with the explicit goal of regime change.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 28, 2026, 6:25 PM EST

Source: Times of Israel

The Inception of Operation Epic Fury

In the early hours of Saturday, February 28, 2026, a massive wave of precision strikes involving U.S. Tomahawk missiles, B-21 Raider stealth bombers, and Israeli F-35i "Adir" fighter jets hit high value targets across Iran. The operation was not a limited retaliatory strike but a pre planned, multi day offensive designed to paralyze the Iranian state. Initial reports from the Pentagon indicate that the first phase successfully neutralized the majority of Iran’s early warning radar systems and long range surface to air missile batteries, effectively granting the coalition total air superiority over Western and Central Iran within the first six hours of combat.

Targeting the Core of the Islamic Republic

High level sources in Jerusalem and Washington have confirmed that the strikes specifically targeted the physical infrastructure of the Iranian leadership. The "Leadership House" compound in Tehran, the primary residence and office of the Supreme Leader, was a priority target and was reportedly leveled by bunker busting munitions. President Trump, speaking via a video address on Truth Social, stated that the strikes were aimed at "annihilating" the military industry and the naval forces of the "radical dictatorship." He further emphasized that the United States would no longer tolerate the destabilizing influence of Iranian proxies and was moving to "raze the missile industry to the ground."

Transformative Analysis: The Shift to Forced Regime Change

This operation marks a historic departure from the "maximum pressure" diplomatic and economic strategies of previous years, moving into the realm of kinetic regime change. By explicitly calling on the Iranian people to "seize the opportunity and take over their government," President Trump has signaled that the U.S. goal is no longer containment or a new nuclear deal, but the total collapse of the theocratic structure. This strategy relies on the assumption that the "decapitation" of senior leadership—including the reported death of the Supreme Leader—will trigger a widespread internal uprising among a population already fatigued by economic hardship and political repression.