By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Israel and the US launched air strikes against Iran Saturday with Tehran immediately retaliating by attacking multiple targets in the Gulf countries and also in Israel.
A high alert was sounded in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and other nations as Iran continued to shower missiles.
Israeli media and US officials said the strike was carried out jointly. Israel declared a state of emergency.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said it has struck several US military bases in the region, including the American Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. In its statement, following the launch of missile and drone strikes, in response to the US-Israeli “aggression” , the IRGC said it severely targeted the American bases in Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as “military hideouts” in Israel. The IRGC pledged the missile and drone attacks by Iran’s armed forces will continue
Iranian news agency Irna said thick smoke was seen in the center of Tehran. “These explosions were reported to occur in two places in Tehran and several other Iranian cities,” Irna said.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has announced the start of Tehran’s decisive response to the “enemies’ aggression and vicious acts” against the Islamic Republic.
Earlier, President Donald Trump announced that US military has launched a major combat operation in Iran. “A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said.