US-Israeli operation against Iran was in the works for months, IDF says
Smoke rises after Iran carried out a missile strike on the main headquarters of the U.S. Navyâs 5th Fleet in Manama in retaliation against US-Israeli attacks, in Bahrain February 28, 2026. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — The massive strikes conducted by the U.S. and Israel on Saturday — dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by American forces — have been in the works over the past several “months leading up to the attack,” according to Israel officials.
In the first IDF statement following the attack on Iran, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said that “the strike included an attack on dozens of military targets.”
The statement also highlighted what appears to be the IDF’s close cooperation with United States across months of planning. The United States has not yet mentioned anything about the planning of the operation or how long it has been in the works for.
“In the months leading up to the attack, close joint planning was carried out between the IDF and the U.S. Army, which enabled the broad attack to be carried out with maximum synchronization and coordination between the armies,” the IDF said.
“The Iranian regime has not abandoned its plan to destroy Israel,” the statement continued. “The IDF has recognized that the regime has continued its attempts to fortify, protect, and conceal its nuclear programs, along with restoring the missile production process.
“The regime has continued to finance, train, and arm its proxies based within the borders of the State of Israel,” the IDF said. “These are actions that constitute an existential threat to the State of Israel, and threaten the Middle East and the entire world.”
The strikes involved a mix of U.S. aircraft and Tomahawk cruise missiles fired by U.S. Navy ships in the region, according to a U.S. official.
There are currently an estimated 35,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in the Middle East at the moment.
The U.S. already has large military bases in the region, with Al Udeid in Qatar being the largest with around 10,000 personnel. Close by in Bahrain, there are about 3,200 personnel and dependents stationed at the Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters.
There are also an estimated 1,000 U.S. troops in Syria, even as they prepare to draw down and leave the country, as well as another 2,500 troops in Iraq now mostly located in Erbil to the north.
The U.S. also has dozens more fighter jets in the Middle East than there were in mid-January.
An aircraft carrier — the USS Gerald R. Ford — along with up to four destroyers may soon join the 12 Navy ships already in the region, that includes the USS Abraham Lincoln.
In response, Iran immediately accused the U.S. of violating “all international laws and during negotiations.”
“Now is the time to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military aggression,” a statement released from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. “Just as we were ready for negotiations, we have been more prepared than ever for defense. The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to the aggressors with authority.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset hold a press conference on February 16, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Ukrainian prime minister has called for a fixed date for his country’s accession to the European Union, saying Ukraine will “do everything to be technically ready for accession by 2027.” (Photo by Diego Fedele/Getty Images)
LONDON — After talks in Geneva on Tuesday between the U.S. and Iran over the latter’s nuclear energy program and trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iranian officials expressed optimism for a deal while US-Russia-Ukraine discussions are expected to resume on Wednesday.
Following the talks with Iran, a U.S. official said that “progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss.”
The U.S. official said that the Iranians said they will “come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions.”
But U.S. Vice President JD Vance in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday said the Iranians aren’t acknowledging some “red lines” that U.S. President Donald Trump has set.
“In some ways it went well, they agreed to meet afterwards, but in other ways it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.” Vance said. “So, we’re going to keep on working it. But of course, the president reserves the ability to say when he thinks that diplomacy has reached its natural end. We hope we don’t get to that point, but if we do, that will be the president’s call.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said a “window of opportunity,” has opened with this second round of negotiations. Araqchi made the comments while giving a speech to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament after Tuesday’s talks.
“We are hopeful that negotiation will lead to a sustainable and negotiated solution which can serve the interests of relevant parties and the broader region. At the same time, as demonstrated during the aggression of 13 June 2025, Iran remains fully prepared to defend itself against any threat or act of aggression,” Araqchi said in English.
Araqchi also noted the “conduct” of the U.S. “has seriously undermined the credibility of the negotiating process,” referring to the US withdrawal from the JCPOA during the first Trump administration.
“The unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], in clear violation of an internationally endorsed agreement, dealt a profound blow to trust and stability of multilateral obligations,” Araqchi added.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law — also led American negotiators in Geneva in high-stakes talks on Tuesday regarding Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which lasted about six hours, Russian state media TASS reported.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov said the talks focused on “practical issues,” and “the mechanics of possible solutions,” in a post on Telegram Tuesday evening.
Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed talks will continue Wednesday.
The talks on Ukraine are in a trilateral format, which include American, Ukrainian and Russian representatives. They are the third installment of the trilateral format following two rounds of negotiations in the United Arab Emirates.
Those previous trilateral talks were described as constructive by participants but appeared to have failed to achieve a breakthrough on key contentious points, such as the fate of Ukraine’s partially occupied eastern Donbas region, the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and proposed Western security guarantees for Kyiv.
Asked what he expected ahead of the talks with Russia and Ukraine, Trump on Monday put the onus on Ukraine to “come to the table fast,” appearing to suggest that the U.S. and Russia “are in a position” to make a deal.
“Well they’re big talks. It’s going to be very easy,” Trump said. “Ukraine better come to the table fast. That’s all I’m telling you. We are in a position; we want them to come.”
Before the trilateral talks began Tuesday, Russia again heavily attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight with at least 396 drones and 29 missiles of various types, the Ukrainian Air Force said Tuesday morning.
“It was a combined strike, deliberately calculated to cause as much damage as possible to our energy sector,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X.
In a statement after talks ended on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said negotiators must raise the continuing Russian strikes, especially with the Americans, who proposed that Ukraine and Russia refrain from attacks.
“Ukraine is ready. We do not need war. And we always act symmetrically — we are defending our state and our independence. Likewise, we are ready to move quickly toward a just agreement to end the war,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said he was waiting on the Ukrainian delegation to report back to him.
Twelve regions of Ukraine were targeted in the Russian strikes and at least nine people, including children, were injured, the Ukrainian president said.
Among the targets was the southern port city of Odesa and the wider region, where “tens of thousands of people are without heat and water supply after the drone strike,” according to Zelenskyy.
Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command said NATO aircraft were scrambled and air defenses put on alert as a response to the Russian strikes. “No violations of the Republic of Poland’s airspace by objects that could pose a threat were recorded,” the command said on X.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down at least 151 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Trump “indirectly” involved in Iran talks
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that he would be “indirectly” involved in Tuesday’s talks with Iran.
“They’ll be very important,” Trump told reporters of the talks. “We’ll see what can happen. Specifically, Iran is a very tough negotiator.”
Trump has said the U.S. wants Iran to end all nuclear enrichment as part of any deal, while American officials have also indicated that the U.S. wants constraints on Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional proxies.
All three demands have long been U.S. goals, but such proposals have been repeatedly rebuffed by Iranian leaders.
The talks have been preceded by a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, with officials in Tehran warning that Iranian forces will retaliate against U.S. and Israeli targets if Iran is attacked.
The latest round of talks also come in the aftermath of a major anti-regime uprising in Iran, in which protests — initially sparked by the deteriorating economic conditions inside the country — spread nationwide. Trump offered his support to the demonstrators, telling them to “keep protesting,” saying, “help is on its way.”
Security forces violently suppressed the demonstrations, killing at least 7,000 people according to data published by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty, Lalee Ibssa, Joseph Simonetti, Fidel Pavlenko, Natalia Popova and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada on February 5, 2026. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images
(TORONTO) — A total of eight people were killed — most of them at a school — and more than two dozen were wounded, after a shooter opened fire on Tuesday in a small community in Canada’s British Columbia. Officials had earlier said nine people were killed before revising the death toll.
The suspected shooter — identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar — is dead from what is believed to be a self-inflicted injury, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The suspect did not currently have any firearms registered to her, according to the RCMP.
There was a documented history of police visits to the family residence over several years, with the most recent visit to the home in the spring of 2025. That visit was related to “concerns regarding mental health” and “self-harm” with respect to the suspect, British Columbia Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said, during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Van Rootselaar was not currently registered or attending the school where the shooting took place. Among the dead are members of the suspect’s family and students between the ages of 12 and 17, according to the RCMP.
Van Rootselaar was assigned male at birth but publicly identified as a female, according to the RCMP.
The police have no leads as to the motive behind the shooting at this time, McDonald said.
“It’s something we’re certainly passionately pursuing, but it would be too early to speculate on motive at this time,” McDonald said.
“We don’t have information at this time to suggest that anyone was specifically targeted,” in the shooting, he added.
Police said the suspect was “apprehended for assessment and follow-up” under Canada’s Mental Health Act “on different occasions,” over the years. In some circumstances, the suspect was taken to the hospital, McDonald said.
Police had also visited the residence in the past, where firearms were seized “under the criminal code,” McDonald said. At a later time, the “lawful owner” of those firearms petitioned to have them returned, and they were. There were no criminal charges in relation to those firearms issued, McDonald said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced seven days of mourning after the deadly shooting. A visibly emotional Carney called it “a very difficult day for the nation.”
“This morning, parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns with you. Canada stands by you,” Carney told reporters on Wednesday in Ottawa.
“We thank the first responders, the teachers, the staff, the residents, for everything that they’ve done in this terrible situation. I, on the advice of the Clerk of the Privy Council and Heritage Canada, I’ve asked that the flags of the Peace Tower here and across all government buildings be flown at half-mast for the next seven days,” he said.
The shooting consisted of two incidents on Tuesday afternoon — one at a local residence and then at the school in the community. The incident at the home occurred first before the suspect headed for the school, McDonald said.
The gunfire was reported at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at about 1:20 p.m., the RCMP said.
Officers responding to the scene found six people dead inside the school, and two people were found dead at a local residence. The two people found dead at the residence are the suspect’s mom and stepbrother, police said.
Two other victims were airlifted to the hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries. Both of these people are now in critical, but stable condition, Canadian police said Wednesday afternoon. About 25 others were being assessed for injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, authorities said.
The eight victims of the shooting include a 39-year-old female educator, three 12-year-old female students and two male students — ages 12 and 13 — who were found dead at the school, according to Canadian police.
The two victims found at the local residence were a 39-year-old female, the suspect’s mother, and an 11-year-old male, the suspect’s stepbrother, Canadian police said.
Police are not identifying the victims until all family members have been notified, McDonald said. Family notifications are ongoing, he added.
Carney said he was “devastated” by the shooting.
“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,” Carney said in the statement.
Tumbler Ridge is a small community of about 2,400 people located in the Northern Rockies in northeastern British Columbia.
King Charles III speaks on March 27, 2026 in Oxford, England. (Kate Green/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — King Charles III will address a joint meeting of Congress on April 28 as part of his upcoming state visit to the U.S., according to a joint statement issued by Congressional leaders on Tuesday.
The address, the statement said, “celebrates the 250th anniversary of American independence and the enduring special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.”
The statement was issued by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“This year, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of its independence. As we celebrate this historic milestone and recommit ourselves to the principles upon which our nation was founded, we also recognize that the American experiment endures in no small part because of the British tradition from which it sprang,” the statement said.
“We believe an address to Congress will provide a unique opportunity to share your vision for the future of our special relationship and reaffirm our alliance at this pivotal time in history,” it added.
Johnson posted about the invitation on X, noting the U.S. and U.K. “share one of the most consequential partnerships in history.”
President Donald Trump said that the state visit will take place from April 27 until April 30.
Preparations for the visit come at a tense moment between the Trump administration and NATO, of which Britain is a member, over the reluctance of allies in the intergovernmental military alliance to join the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. On Wednesday, Trump said in an interview that he is considering pulling the U.S. out of NATO.
In a press conference on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. is fully committed to NATO and that he isn’t going to change his position on the war.
“I have to act in our national interests,” Starmer told reporters. “This is not our war,” he continued, noting “a good deal of pressure on me to change my position in relation to joining the war. I’m not going to change my position on the war.”
In 2023, Congress passed legislation requiring any presidential decision to leave NATO to have two-thirds approval in the Senate or be authorized through an act of Congress.
