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The objective of the operation in Iran is to remove the ayatollahs’ regime from power, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a speech on Saturday.

At the same time, Israel’s defence forces are preparing the public for possible retaliatory attacks from Iran, reports Jerusalem Post.

Israel and the United States carried out an attack on Iran on Saturday morning, and Iranian state media reported explosions in Tehran, Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Karaj.

Israel entered a state of emergency on Saturday morning as the IDF sent a nationwide alert to all residents to remain near protected areas.

“This is a proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility that rockets will be launched at the State of Israel,” said the IDF.

Israel is also attempting to provide people in Iran with information:

Mossad launched a Persian-language Telegram channel for Iranians to follow news updates on Saturday morning, addressing “our Iranian brothers and sisters” with the message “you are not alone”.

“We have launched a super-secure and special Telegram channel for you [and] together we shall bring Iran back to its days of glory,” wrote Mossad.

From Tehran it is reported that Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is in a safe location.

At the same time, attacks are under way against his power apparatus:

Iranian media reported attacks on the intelligence headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).

An Israeli security source states that the operation has been planned for several months, writes Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu’s speech is in Hebrew, but it is possible to obtain machine-translated English subtitles on YouTube: