John Bolton on Iran:

My only regret is that I wasn't persuasive enough in the first term to get to this point.

NEW: Trump told Israel’s Channel 12 that Iran repeatedly moved closer to a deal and then backed away, leading him to conclude they never truly wanted an agreement.

He said he had asked his team to compile Iran’s attacks over the past 25 years and found that “every month they did something bad — blew something up and killed someone.”

Trump claimed that without the June strike, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” Iran would already have nuclear weapons.

He described a “good call” with Netanyahu, saying “we’re on the same wavelength,” and added he has multiple exit options — either prolong the campaign and “take control of everything” or end it within days and warn Iran against rebuilding, noting recovery would take them years.

NEW: CENTCOM releases footage of Operation Epic Fury.

CENTCOM:

CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat.

CENTCOM:

Operation Epic Fury involves the largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation.

Italian media report that Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto is stuck in Dubai after airspace closures linked to Iranian retaliation.

He had traveled there privately and was due to return today, but his flight was canceled.

Source: The Aviationist

U.S. Embbasy in Türkiye says U.S. citizens are advised to avoid travel to southeastern Türkiye, especially near the borders with Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei:

Both Khamenei and Pezeshkian are safe and sound.

The system is working... it is not a one man ruler.

WATCH: Iranian Shahed drone striking an apartment building in Bahrain, filmed from inside the building.

Before launching “Operation Epic Fury,” Trump was warned the attack on Iran was a “high-risk, high-reward” move that could cause major U.S. casualties but might reshape the Middle East in America’s favor.

Officials briefed him on risks including missile strikes on U.S. bases, proxy attacks in Iraq and Syria, and limits to regional air defenses.

One official said the operation carried “no guaranteed outcome.”

Trump acknowledged the stakes, saying “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost,” but called it “a noble mission,” vowing to “destroy their missiles,” “raze their missile industry,” and “annihilate their navy.”

Source: Reuters

Israel’s public broadcaster, citing sources, reports that negotiations with Iran were "intended as a deception to prepare for the attack."

Newly released footage captures U.S. airstrikes hitting targets on the ground in Iran.

Israeli hackers breached a popular prayer app in Iran, gaining access to millions of users’ phones.

Through the breach, messages were sent to members of the army and the Revolutionary Guard urging them to defect and rebel against the regime.

BREAKING: Netanyahu says "there are many signs that Khamenei is no longer alive."

He provides no evidence.

Netanyahu says the operation will continue as long as necessary and calls for patience.

He says Israel has “an alliance for peace and an alliance for war,” adding that this war will lead to “real peace.”

Netanyahu:

The regime should not have any arms that could threaten our existence.

Netanyahu to anti-regime protestors in Iran:

The help you have longed for has arrived.

Soon it will be your time to take to the streets and change reality.

Netanyahu:

We have targeted the site where Khamenei was.

Netanyahu:

Today we have killed several major leaders that are involved in the nuclear program of Iran and we will continue to target several sites of this regime.

Netanyahu to Iranians:

You will have your moment, a moment where you will be demanded to take to the streets in order to finish the job and topple this regime.

Netanyahu to Iranians:

The support and aid you asked for has arrived… this is your time.