As Iran retaliates, largest US military base in Middle East hit by ballistic missile, Qatar says

No one was injured, according to the Qatari Ministry of Defense.

ByJon Haworth, Jack Moore, Nadine El-Bawab, David Brennan, Kevin Shalvey, Meredith Deliso, and Leah Sarnoff
Last Updated: March 3, 2026, 10:02 PM EST

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Saturday, with daytime strikes in the joint U.S.-Israel attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

On Sunday, Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on Saturday.

Iran is responding to the U.S.-Israeli operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and Gulf nations. American diplomatic facilities have also been attacked.

In Lebanon, Israel is intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iranian-aligned Hezbollah militia.

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Feb 28, 2026, 7:35 AM EST

Rubio notified some members of the Gang of 8 before Iran attack

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to some members of the so-called Gang of 8 to notify them of the operation in Iran before it was underway, multiple Congressional offices confirmed to ABC News.

Members of the Gang of 8 include the top bipartisan House and Senate leaders and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

On Tuesday, hours ahead of the president's State of the Union address, Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe virtually briefed the Gang of 8 on Capitol Hill on Iran.

Immediately following the briefing, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters: "This is serious, and the administration has to make its case to the American people."

-ABC News' Mariam Khan, Jay O'Brien and Lauren Peller

Feb 28, 2026, 7:01 AM EST

'All I want is freedom for the people,' Trump tells The Washington Post

In a brief phone call with a reporter from The Washington Post just after 4 a.m. on Saturday, President Donald Trump told the paper that all he wants is "freedom for the people" of Iran.

“All I want is freedom for the people,” Trump said when asked about what he hoped his legacy would be as a result of the U.S. operation. "I want a safe nation, and that’s what we’re going to have."

Feb 28, 2026, 6:45 AM EST

Defense secretary, Joint Chiefs chairman with Trump at Mar-A-Lago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are at Mar-A-Lago with President Trump monitoring today’s strikes, according to a source familiar.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Feb 28, 2026, 6:25 AM EST

Another wave of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel: IDF

The IDF says it has identified another wave of "missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. "

Sirens sounded in central Israel.

Sponsored Content by Taboola