type: timeline_event
On February 28, 2026, President Trump authorized the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a massive coordinated US-Israeli military campaign targeting Iran without congressional authorization. Codenamed Operation Roaring Lion by Israel, the strikes commenced with simultaneous attacks on Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah. Within the first 48 hours, CENTCOM reported more than 1,250 targets struck; the total exceeded 1,700 within 72 hours.
The operation deployed an unprecedented array of military assets: B-1B and B-2 bombers, F-15, F-16, F-18, and F-22 fighters, F-35 stealth jets, guided-missile destroyers, two carrier strike groups, and LUCAS autonomous attack drones used in combat for the first time. Eleven Iranian naval vessels were destroyed, including a Jamaran-class corvette. IRGC command facilities, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields were among the primary targets. The strikes also targeted the remnants of Iran's nuclear program.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's compound was destroyed; he was among several senior officials killed in the opening hours. Iran's response, named Operation True Promise IV, targeted US military facilities in Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain, as well as assets in Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
The operation was launched without a congressional declaration of war or specific legislative authorization, with Trump relying solely on his claimed Article II commander-in-chief authority. The White House framed the action as a response to "47 years of Iranian aggression" and the imminent threat of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons - a justification that intelligence assessments and independent experts substantially disputed.
The strikes represented a defining act of executive unilateralism: a president initiating what amounted to a war against a major regional power, targeting its government leadership, without so much as a formal consultation with Congress before the bombs fell. Former US military legal officials characterized the action as a clear violation of both the War Powers Resolution and the UN Charter.