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Hello to you, welcome to Newsout from the BBC World Service.

We're coming to live from London this Saturday.

I'm Sean Lay.

It was sometime before nine on Saturday morning in Iran that the sirens first sounded,

warning that an attack was underway.

Cities across the west, central and southern Iran have reportedly been the target of aerial attacks.

Israel announced what it called a preemptive strike on Iran.

It did not say what it was preempting.

Just over an hour after the assault began,

in the very early hours of the morning in Washington, D.C.,

Donald Trump published this message on Truth Social.

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.

Its menacing activities directly in danger, the United States, our troops, our bases overseas,

and our allies throughout the world. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted

death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the

United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries. The exchanges are not confined to Iran and Israel.

The Iranians have hit back at countries which host U.S. military bases,

Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and here in Bahrain.

In Iraq, the base of a pro-Iranian group was also hit, suggesting the Israelis and Americans are attempting to neutralise possible attacks from Iranian proxies in neighbouring countries.

Mr Trump's message to the Iranian military, defect from the regime or face the consequences, and to civilians opposed

...