Dramatic new footage released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shows what officials say is the moment Israeli and U.S. forces struck deep inside western Iran — wiping out missile units and key defense systems before they could fire on Israel. The black-and-white aerial videos, captured from high above the battlefield, show what appears to be Iranian missile infrastructure nestled into rugged terrain. Crosshairs hover over the site. Seconds later, plumes of smoke erupt as precision strikes hammer the target. According to the IDF, the footage is part of Operation Roaring Lion, a “broad and joint operation” carried out alongside U.S. armed forces aimed at degrading what it calls the Iranian regime’s “existential threat” to Israel. The videos come as tensions exploded overnight.

“The mothership of terrorism is about to go down.” Sen. Lindsey Graham didn’t mince words Saturday morning as U.S. and Israeli forces carried out a sweeping joint operation targeting Iranian military infrastructure. “There’s a new dawn coming in the Mideast,” Graham said, casting the strikes as more than retaliation — but a historic turning point. The South Carolina Republican called the operation one of “the most significant things that’s happened in my lifetime,” adding that it may be “the most significant thing that’s happened in the Mideast in a thousand years.” Graham made the remarks during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Saturday morning. He argued that dismantling Iran’s military power could unlock a broader regional reset, building on the Abraham Accords brokered during President Donald Trump’s first term. “There’s an opportunity for the region to build on the Abraham Accords,” Graham said, suggesting that weakening Tehran’s grip could accelerate normalization between Israel and additional Arab nations. For years, Graham has labeled Iran the central destabilizing force in the region, pointing to its financing and arming of proxy groups like Hezbollah and Hamas as the engine behind much of the Middle East’s bloodshed. Follow The Daily Wire’s live-blog coverage of the U.S. strikes on Iran. On Saturday, he went further — elevating Trump’s approach above past GOP foreign policy icons. “The gold standard for Republican foreign policy is no longer Ronald Reagan,” Graham said. “It is Donald J. Trump.” His comments come after Trump described the joint U.S.-Israel strikes as a “major combat operation” designed to degrade the Iranian regime’s military capabilities and stop missile threats before they reach Israeli territory. Supporters say directly targeting Iran’s infrastructure — not just its proxies — marks a decisive shift. Critics warn it risks escalation. Graham made clear where he stands. If Tehran’s military network is crippled and its regional reach blunted, he argued, the Middle East could be entering a moment unlike any seen in modern history.

The exiled crown prince of Iran hailed the early morning strikes from the United States and Israel, saying the long-awaited American intervention means the Islamic Republic’s days are numbered. In a forceful message to Iranians, Reza Pahlavi praised President Donald Trump for delivering what he called promised “aid” to the Iranian people and framed the joint operation as the opening blow in the regime’s collapse. “Moments of destiny lie ahead of us,” Pahlavi wrote. “The aid that the President of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived.” He described the strikes as a humanitarian intervention aimed squarely at the regime’s “repressive apparatus” and “machinery of slaughter,” not the Iranian people. But Pahlavi made clear that while American and Israeli firepower struck the regime’s military infrastructure, the final chapter belongs to Iranians themselves. “Final victory will still be forged by our hands,” he wrote, signaling that the “time to return to the streets is near.” Follow The Daily Wire’s live-blog coverage of the U.S. strikes on Iran. Earlier on Saturday, President Trump urged Iranians to overthrow their authoritarian regime after the United States finishes its operation. “To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump said. “Stay sheltered, don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside; bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.” Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, who has lived in exile since the 1979 revolution, issued a similar call to Iranians. He said the Islamic Republic is collapsing and urged citizens to stay ready for what he called the “final action.” For now, he told supporters to remain in their homes and preserve their safety until he gives the signal. He also issued a direct warning to Iran’s military and security forces: your oath is to Iran and its people — not to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Those who continue defending the regime, he warned, risk going down with “Khamenei’s sinking ship.” Pahlavi thanked Trump directly, calling Iranians “natural allies” of the United States and the free world, and urged the president to exercise caution to avoid civilian casualties as operations continue. With Iranian missile launches met by coordinated U.S.-Israel strikes on military targets, Pahlavi cast the moment as more than retaliation — but a rare opening to break the regime’s grip for good. “We are very close to final victory,” he wrote. “Long live Iran.”

Luigi Mangione, the man who is accused of gunning down former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will not face the death penalty after prosecutors decided not to appeal a Manhattan judge’s ruling. The Department of Justice said in a letter Friday that it “will not seek interlocutory review” of the judge’s decision. Last month, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed two of the four charges against Mangione, including use of a firearm to commit murder, which made him eligible for the death penalty. Garnett said she dismissed the charges “solely to preclude the death penalty as an available punishment when the jury determines if the Defendant caused Brian Thompson’s death,” The Daily Wire reported at the time. The federal charge against Mangione that made him eligible for the death penalty accused him of “using a firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a crime of violence.” In her ruling, Garnett said the stalking offense did not constitute a “crime of violence,” and prosecutors would need to show Mangione killed Thompson while committing another “crime of violence,” NBC reported. Mangione still faces two counts of interstate stalking. If convicted, he would face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all federal and state charges. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi previously directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty last year after Mangione was arrested for the murder of Thompson. “Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said at the time. Thompson was gunned down from behind in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, 2024, as he was walking to a hotel during his company’s annual investor conference. Mangione’s fingerprints allegedly matched those found on shell casings at the murder scene. Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a five-day manhunt, and police found a firearm, suppressor, and what appeared to be a manifesto in the man’s backpack. Opening arguments for the trial are scheduled to begin in October, with jury selection set for September 8. In addition to the federal charges, Mangione faces nine counts, including second-degree murder, in a separate state case scheduled to begin June 8, NBC reported.

President Donald Trump urged “the great, proud people of Iran” to overthrow the Iranian regime after the United States and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran early Saturday morning. In an eight-minute address to the nation, Trump announced the major military operation against Iran, named “Operation Epic Fury,” and suggested that it would clear the way for Iranians to finally strip power from their authoritarian government. “To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump said. “Stay sheltered, don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside; bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.” Trump said his actions on Saturday show how the United States is committed to “backing” the Iranian people and their fight for freedom. “For many years, you have asked for America’s help but never got it,” he said. “No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who has given you what you want, so let’s see how you respond. America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force.” Trump offered members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, armed forces, and police “complete immunity” if they were to lay down their weapons. “Or, in the alternative, face certain death,” he added. Trump began his address by stating that the “major combat operation” is to “defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.” The strikes came after a long U.S. military buildup in the Middle East. The Trump administration sought to pressure Iranian leaders into agreeing to a deal to end their ambitions of obtaining a nuclear weapon.