Iran ; explosions across Tehran following Israeli and US strikes, 28 February 2026

[Charlot123]

Iran has layers a bit like the Soviet Union did. (Not quite as harsh, but Iran is up there. Maybe they are more harsh??)


It took decades of infilitration within the Soviet Union. All the stories about all the spies. All the technology competitions. K-12 was geared toward overcoming the Soviet Union. I took Spanish instead of French because of the Soviet Union. We had physical fitness classes because of the Soviet Union. I majored math because STEM degrees were needed to stave off the Soviet Union.

Everytime a premier would die, everyone would get hopeful. Eventually, it collapsed from within.


But boy the US worked it's butt off dealing with the Soviet Union.

Both sides worked with each other because the leaders survived WWII and deep inside, were war-averse.

Was the Soviet Union harsh? In my time, it merely appeared sturdy. In was based on Marxist ideology, pivoted by the communist party and physically protected by CK/NKVD/KGB, "the party's avenging sword." The ruling system employed a lot of people and seemed unbreakable.

And no premier could change anything because the ideology and economy the country were based on stayed the same. One could get paranoid Stalin or laid-back Brezhnev. But you know...self-proclaimed marxists here "maybe" have read Marx. Soviet leaders were raised on Marx's and Lenin's books. It is like religion: they knew that capitalism looked good but was doomed because, you know, crises. So what was the alternative? Still, communism.

What ruins empires? Economy. The Soviet economy, exhausted by the arms race, started rapidly declining with OPEC oil glut. So from 1981 to 1991, it was all going down the drain until the communist party quietly expired overnight.

About Iran, it is different. I'd guess they are more observant than the old Soviets. It is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious. I always have the feeling that the country that existed since the 6th century B.C. is complex. We need to have the best consultants on it. Iranians are not bedouins of the desert relatively recently cemented into statehoods by oil. They lived on their land for millennia.

 

[Charlot123]

I'm still confused.
Trump said that he was all about peace and that the USA wouldn't be involved in more wars (when he suddenly withdrew troops from Afghanistan and abandoned many Afghanis who helped the Americans). Then he bombed Venezuela. Then he bombed Iran.

If the excuse is that Venezuela is bad to their citizens and Iran is bad to their citizens (and I agree they are) then what's up? Is Afghanistan good to their citizens? I think we can all agree that they aren't. Did the US Admin do anything supportive of the Venezuelans after kidnapping (against international law) Maduro? I haven't heard of anything other than laying claim to their oil (which would make the average Venezuelan poorer, not better off).

Please help me make sense of this.

I am of no help. But as long as one walks in, drops some bombs and leaves, I guess it is OK.

To get in for a longer war? Well, for starts, everyone underestimates how long it will take. Napoleon, Hitler, Brezhnev in Afghanistan, and before, McNamara in Vietnam.

 

[otto]

US fighter jets falling out of the sky.

"A spokesperson for Kuwait's Ministry of Defense announced that "several" American fighter jets had crashed. All crew members survived, he said. The occupants were taken to the hospital by local authorities and are being treated. Their condition is stable. Consultations are underway with the US military regarding the incident, the spokesperson said.

There has been no official response from the US military regarding the plane crashes over Kuwait. Earlier today, footage emerged of a plane crashing over Kuwait. That footage has been verified by CNN."

Koeweit: 'meerdere' Amerikaanse vliegtuigen neergestort • Europese gasprijs stijgt flink

Lees hier het laatste nieuws over de aanvallen over en weer in het Midden-Oosten.

nos.nl

كونا : الناطق باسم وزارة الدفاع: سقوط عدد من الطائرات الحربية الأمريكية ونجاة أطقمها بالكامل

 

[CrimeDawg123]

What would be great is if we could come up with some sort of an agreement with Iran and a half dozen or so other countries where Iran agreed to restrict their uranium to below weapons-grade, reduce their uranium stockpile and centrifuges, and allow international inspectors regular access to monitor compliance. I dunno, might work

 

[SouthAussie]

"At least 555 people have been killed in US-Israeli strikes across the country, the Iranian Red Crescent Society has said.

So far, 131 counties in the country have been affected by the US-Israeli attacks.

Relief operations, led by the Red Crescent’s humanitarian mission, are continuing without interruption, with rescue teams present in the affected areas and more than 100,000 responders on full alert nationwide.

At present, a network of about four million volunteers is on standby to deliver humanitarian services, assistance, and psychosocial support."

US jets crash in Kuwait, Iran says no talks; Israel kills 31 in Lebanon

US president says attacks on Iran will continue until all objectives are met, as Tehran keeps up raids on US assets.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[CrimeDawg123]

I'm still confused.
Trump said that he was all about peace and that the USA wouldn't be involved in more wars (when he suddenly withdrew troops from Afghanistan and abandoned many Afghanis who helped the Americans). Then he bombed Venezuela. Then he bombed Iran.

If the excuse is that Venezuela is bad to their citizens and Iran is bad to their citizens (and I agree they are) then what's up? Is Afghanistan good to their citizens? I think we can all agree that they aren't. Did the US Admin do anything supportive of the Venezuelans after kidnapping (against international law) Maduro? I haven't heard of anything other than laying claim to their oil (which would make the average Venezuelan poorer, not better off).

Please help me make sense of this.

Don't forget the US has also bombed Nigeria, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Somalia and threatened many more. The literal 'war is peace' president.

 

[JennieM]

Don't forget the US has also bombed Nigeria, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Somalia and threatened many more. The literal 'war is peace' president.

The idea of Trump “spreading democracy” in this upside down world.

Post in thread 'Israel ; explosions across Tehran following Israeli and US strikes, 28 February 2026'
Israel ; explosions across Tehran following Israeli and US strikes, 28 February 2026

 

[JennieM]

now

IDF says 'all options on table' in response to question about possibe ground invasion of Lebanon​

An Israeli military spokesperson has been briefing reporters in Israel. When asked if the IDF is preparing for a possible ground invasion of Lebanon, the spokesperson was quoted as having said that “all options are on the table”.

He said Hezbollah “made a very bad mistake” by choosing to strike Israel overnight.

“The IDF will react very swiftly and they will pay a heavy price,” he told reporters. “Hezbollah opened fire at us last night. It knew exactly what it was doing.”

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

1h ago
Here are some of the latest images coming in from Lebanon, where the country’s health ministry is saying Israeli strikes in Beirut and on the south of the country have killed at least 31 people and injured 149.

The deadly Israeli attacks came after Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia group, launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

A man takes pictures of the damage in an apartment building after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburb, on 2 March 2026. Photograph: Hussein Malla/AP

Debris covers a street beside an apartment building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh.Photograph: Hussein Malla/AP

Displaced residents from Beirut’s southern suburb sit on the ground at Corniche Al Manara in Beirut. Photograph: Wael Hamzeh/EPA

Lebanese people flee from the southern suburbs of Beirut after leaving their homes after Israeli strikes. Photograph: Wael Hamzeh/EPA

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

'It's absolutely miserable,' man fleeing southern Lebanon tells BBC​

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Beirut

We’ve just received voice notes from a man from southern Lebanon as he flees with his family.“It’s absolutely miserable,” said the 55-year-old shop owner. "We were just sitting at home and then suddenly this happened. We were shocked and we quickly packed and woke up the kids and got in the car. Now we’re stuck on blocked roads because of the massive displacement from the south.”

The father of three, who asked not to be named, says he is driving “without knowing where we are heading or where we will end up”.

He added that his parents, living in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahieh were also “stuck and trying to get out”.

"We are worn out having to leave our homes and our land time and time again,” he said.

The Israeli military has called on people in dozens of villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of possible further strikes.

Trump says ‘there will likely be more’ US deaths as Iran strikes to continue until ‘all’ goals achieved

Three American service members have been killed and casualties are reported in the UAE, Israel and Kuwait as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

Israel tells residents of more than 50 villages in Lebanon to evacuate​

Israel has told residents of more than 50 towns and villages in Lebanon to evacuate, as it warned of attacks.

People in the identified areas must move at least 1,000 metres away to open areas.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 metres away from the villages to open areas," the warning says.

"Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, its facilities or its military assets is putting their life at risk."

The villages listed are: Sarifa, Maaroub, Selaa (Tyre), Debaal, Bafliyeh, Barish, Arzoun, Qlayleh, Al-Shahabiya (Tayr Zibna), Dardghaya, Bastiyat, Arab Salim, Housh al-Rafqa, Yahmar (West Bekaa), Maydoun, Dalafi, Ain Qana, Knisseh, Mansouri (Tyre), Majdal Zoun, Mazraat Buyout al-Sayyad, Jabal al-Butm, Zibqin, Al-Samaya, Aytit, Qana, Al-Bayyada (Tyre), Deir Aames, Aita al-Jabal (al-Zout), Hanine (Bint Jbeil), Haris, Haddatha, Mahrouna, Beit Lif, Yater (Bint Jbeil), Shaqra, Houla, Baraachit, Bint Jbeil, Jmaijmeh, Aitaroun, Safad al-Battikh, Al-Bazourieh, Aaynata, Hanawiya, Jannata, Burj al-Shamali, Maarakeh, Siddiqine, Al-Majadel, Wadi Jilo, Drouiss (Baalbek), and Mais al-Jabal.

Trump says ‘there will likely be more’ US deaths as Iran strikes to continue until ‘all’ goals achieved

Three American service members have been killed and casualties are reported in the UAE, Israel and Kuwait as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

2h ago
Helena Smith

Cyprus has put authorities on alert, closing schools and evacuating people where necessary, after it was dragged into the spiralling conflict across the Middle East following a drone attack on RAF Akrotiri, a British base on the island.

In an early morning address to the nation, president Nikos Christodoulides said his country’s security was the government’s paramount concern.

“We are located in a region of particular geopolitical instability, with many challenges and problems, currently undergoing an unprecedented crisis.

“We are doing what must be done, with the safety of our country and our citizens as our foremost concern,” he said.

Cyprus’s President Nikos Christodoulides has said his top priority is the safety and security of his country. Photograph: Fabio Frustaci/EPA

The Cypriot leader said it remained the firm stance of the eastern Mediterranean island, the EU’s closest member state to the Middle East and a popular tourist destination, to not “become part of any military operation.”

“We remain committed to the humanitarian role we have fulfilled throughout this period – always as part of the solution and not the problem – and we will continue to act with the same sense of responsibility,” he said in te address.

Referring to the midnight strike, Christodoulides told the island nation that “an unmanned aerial vehicle of the Shahed type struck within the military installations of the British Bases in Akrotiri, causing minor material damage.”

Greek media reports suggested a second combat aerialvehicle, also deployed against the British facility by Iran, approximately 600 miles away, had been neutralised.


2h ago
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said it is moving families from the RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus after it was targeted in a suspected Iranian drone strike last night at around midnight local time (22:00 GMT), in an attack which caused limited damage but no casualties,

An MoD spokesperson said:

The safety of our personnel and their families is our absolute priority.

As a precautionary measure we are moving family members who live at RAF Akrotiri to alternative accommodation nearby on the island of Cyprus.

Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests.

The UK has agreed to let the US use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites, with the prime minister, Keir Starmer, saying Tehran’s actions were becoming more reckless and putting British lives at risk

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[Friday Fan]

Both sides worked with each other because the leaders survived WWII and deep inside, were war-averse.

Was the Soviet Union harsh? In my time, it merely appeared sturdy. In was based on Marxist ideology, pivoted by the communist party and physically protected by CK/NKVD/KGB, "the party's avenging sword." The ruling system employed a lot of people and seemed unbreakable.

And no premier could change anything because the ideology and economy the country were based on stayed the same. One could get paranoid Stalin or laid-back Brezhnev. But you know...self-proclaimed marxists here "maybe" have read Marx. Soviet leaders were raised on Marx's and Lenin's books. It is like religion: they knew that capitalism looked good but was doomed because, you know, crises. So what was the alternative? Still, communism.

What ruins empires? Economy. The Soviet economy, exhausted by the arms race, started rapidly declining with OPEC oil glut. So from 1981 to 1991, it was all going down the drain until the communist party quietly expired overnight.

About Iran, it is different. I'd guess they are more observant than the old Soviets. It is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious. I always have the feeling that the country that existed since the 6th century B.C. is complex. We need to have the best consultants on it. Iranians are not bedouins of the desert relatively recently cemented into statehoods by oil. They lived on their land for millennia.

Thank you for this. Well thought out.

Yes, Persia even withstood the Mongols. The Mongols eventually moved west where they took over Anatolia and eventually morphed into the Ottoman Empire.

There is a strong nationalism, which I don't believe the western media is able to capture.

 

[Friday Fan]

now

IDF says 'all options on table' in response to question about possibe ground invasion of Lebanon​

An Israeli military spokesperson has been briefing reporters in Israel. When asked if the IDF is preparing for a possible ground invasion of Lebanon, the spokesperson was quoted as having said that “all options are on the table”.

He said Hezbollah “made a very bad mistake” by choosing to strike Israel overnight.

“The IDF will react very swiftly and they will pay a heavy price,” he told reporters. “Hezbollah opened fire at us last night. It knew exactly what it was doing.”

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

Well, that escalated quickly!!!!

I go for a walk and come back to this!!

 

[JennieM]

Well, that escalated quickly!!!!

How many countries have been implicated so far? In just a couple of days

 

[JennieM]

Drone that hit British base was Iranian, president of Cyprus confirms​

IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Image caption, Police check vehicles on the road leading to RAF Akrotiri earlier today

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has shared more detail on the drone strike on a UK military base on British territory in southern Cyprus.

Just after midnight, "a Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle" crashed into the UK military facilities in Akrotiri "causing minor material damage", says the update on X. Shaheds are Iranian drones.

The president says that he is "constant contact" with Europe's leaders, and those of other countries. He adds that Cyprus "does not intend to be part of any military operation".

This follows the latest statement from the British Ministry of Defence, saying that it was moving family members out of the Akrotiri base.

Trump says ‘there will likely be more’ US deaths as Iran strikes to continue until ‘all’ goals achieved

Three American service members have been killed and casualties are reported in the UAE, Israel and Kuwait as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mo Thuairim]

British base in Cyprus hit by drone strike

The attack came shortly after U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would allow the U.S. to use British military bases to “destroy [Iranian] missiles at source.”

... While the bases are regarded as British sovereign territory, Cyprus is an EU member, now holding the bloc’s rotating presidency.

“All the competent services of the republic are on alert and in full operational readiness,” Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said in a statement Monday morning.

He confirmed that a ⁠Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle caused minor damage when it crashed into the military facilities at 12:03 a.m. local time.

“I want ⁠to be clear: Our country ‌does not ⁠participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation,” Christodoulides said.

The Cypriot president briefed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the incident. “While the Republic of Cyprus was not the target, let me be clear: we stand collectively, firmly and unequivocally with our Member States in the face of any threat,” von der Leyen said in a post on X.

Akrotiri, located on a peninsula on the southern tip of Cyprus, southwest of the coastal city of Limassol, is one the two bases Britain has maintained in its former colony since independence in 1960. It has been used in the past for military operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen...

British base in Cyprus hit by drone strike

The attack came shortly after U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would allow the U.S. to use British military bases to “destroy [Iranian] missiles at source.”

www.politico.eu

 

[JennieM]

3m ago
Experts have said the attacks by Israel and the US on Iran are illegal, as they were in violation of the ban on the use of force under the UN charter and international law.

Here is an extract from an opinion piece by Kenneth Roth, a Guardian US columnist and former executive director of Human Rights Watch who believes the attacks on Iran were an illegal act of aggression.

We shouldn’t beat around the bush: Donald Trump’s and Benjamin Netanyahu’s military attack on Iran is an illegal act of aggression. There is no lawful justification for it. It is no different from Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine or Rwandan president Paul Kagame’s invasion of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The United Nations charter allows the use of military force in only two circumstances – with authorization of the UN security council, or as self-defense from an actual or imminent armed attack. Neither was present.

In his video justification for the war, Trump spoke of Iran’s “imminent threat”, but there is no evidence to support it. He recited a litany of past attacks that he attributed to Iran, but none of them is ongoing or imminent. At best Trump sought to prevent future harm – Netanyahu used the term “pre-emptive” – but prevention is no justification for war because it would open Pandora’s box to countless armed conflicts.

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[SouthAussie]

Journalist reporting from occupied West Bank.


"Iran has launched a 10th wave of missile attacks on Israel, which has raised the level of anticipation and anxiety among people here – not just in Israel, but also in the occupied West Bank, where residents do not have access to the same home front alert systems, air raid alarms, Israeli defence systems, or fortified shelters.

.... since the morning, heavy bombardment has been coming from Iran. We have been hearing loud explosions, although it is difficult to determine whether those sounds were from interceptions or whether some rockets managed to strike inside Israel.

More Israelis are now being forced to remain in shelters compared to the fighting in June.
That indicates the intensity of the Iranian missile fire targeting Israel."

US jets crash in Kuwait, Iran says no talks; Israel kills 31 in Lebanon

US president says attacks on Iran will continue until all objectives are met, as Tehran keeps up raids on US assets.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[iamshadow21]

Thank you for this. Well thought out.

Yes, Persia even withstood the Mongols. The Mongols eventually moved west where they took over Anatolia and eventually morphed into the Ottoman Empire.

There is a strong nationalism, which I don't believe the western media is able to capture.

I suspect the flaw is that many in the US think they're the best country in the world, and therefore, no other country could have citizens who feel as strongly about their own. Patriotism or nationalism in other countries baffles them, I think, because there's this false narrative that everyone everywhere wants to be American and live in America, like everywhere else is somehow deficient. Whereas the fact is, there are plenty of people who live all over the world and love their country and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Many political refugees in exile love their countries with a passion for beyond where they are settled, even though they know they can never return.

If you can't comprehend that other people other places love their countries, whatever their injustices, trials and troubles, then you're never going to understand the lengths they'll go to to defend it. And that's a flaw you can't have if you're going to go to war with them.

MOO