The Middle East has lurched into its most dangerous chapter in decades after Israel launched direct airstrikes on Tehran, shattering any remaining illusion that the shadow war with Iran could be contained.

Shortly after midnight, residents of the Iranian capital reported deafening explosions and air‑raid sirens, with social media flooded by shaky videos of fireballs blooming over the city’s outskirts and anti‑aircraft tracers clawing at the sky. Iranian state TV acknowledged “enemy attacks” on “military and strategic facilities,” while insisting most incoming missiles were intercepted.

In Jerusalem, the IDF confirmed “precision strikes” on Revolutionary Guard command centers, drone hubs and missile depots around Tehran and two other cities, framing the operation as a pre‑emptive response to what officials call an “imminent, multi‑front assault” planned by Iran and its proxies. “We will not wait for rockets to fall on Tel Aviv,” an IDF spokesman said.

Iran’s leadership has condemned the attack as “open war and state terrorism,” vowing a “crushing response” using ballistic missiles and regional militias from Lebanon to Yemen. Revolutionary Guard units are reportedly dispersing aircraft, relocating launchers and placing long‑range missile forces on high alert.

The United States has moved forces in the region to maximum defensive posture, deploying additional Patriot and THAAD batteries and ordering naval strike groups to reposition as a “shield against uncontrolled escalation.” European capitals are scrambling to broker an emergency ceasefire, warning that one miscalculation could ignite a regional inferno that spills far beyond the Middle East.

For millions watching live feeds from Tehran and Tel Aviv, the message is stark: the era of deniable strikes and proxy clashes is over. The war everyone feared is now fully out in the open.