Article content

Telling the Iranian people to “shelter” in their homes as “bombs will be dropping everywhere,” U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced the declaration of war on Iran’s long-running tyrannical regime.

Article content

Dubbed Operation Epic Fury, the early stages of what Trump promised will be a robust campaign to eliminate Iran’s “missiles” and nuclear capability were felt in Tehran where there were numerous reports of explosions.

Article content

Article content

And when the bombs stop dropping, the President urged the Iranian people to free themselves from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump said in his address from a podium at Mar-a-Lago. “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,” he added.

Article content

The President, who cited the horrors of the Oct. 7th sneak attack on Israel that killed 1,200 Jews including 46 Americans, also warned the U.S. will target Iran’s “proxies” like “Hamas and Hezbollah,” which can “no longer destabilize the region or the world.”

Article content

Article content

Israel has also launched its own operation called Roaring Lion.

“Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, echoing Trump’s words.

There were reports from the ground in Tehran that explosions occurred near Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s headquarters.

“This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces,” Trump said.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

Iran’s military reportedly responded by launching missiles and drones into Israel, then following that up with strikes targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on X ministry saying the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran “will not hesitate to defend our beloved homeland with all their might.”

Article content

War is on – not just in Iran but also in the region.

Article content

In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump called it “major combat operations,” but he urged Iran’s military and police to “lay down your weapons” to receive “immunity” and be treated fairly – or “face certain death.”

This attack comes months after the joint Operation Midnight Hammer attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

As he moved aircraft carriers into the region, the Trump administration had been engaged in talks with Iran’s leadership in recent weeks. But the President had warned the talks were not going well.

Now, he said, patience has run out on “a vicious group of very hard, terrible people” and a much-anticipated military operation has been launched that Trump warned is “dangerous” and could result in American casualties.

Article content

Meanwhile, Canadian Foreign Affairs minister Anita Anand late Friday suggested any Canadians in Iran and in the region to leave if possible and warned the government would not be able to assist in evacuation should fighting leave them stranded.

Article content

She also said Canadians should not travel to the region “due to the risk of civil unrest, tensions in the region, the high risk of arbitrary detention and the unpredictable enforcement of local laws.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Anand also issued a statement Saturday morning on X saying “the Canadian government is closely following Iran-related hostilities in the Middle East.”

“Canada’s position remains clear: The Islamic Republic of Iran is the principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East, has one of the world’s worst human rights records and must never be allowed to obtain or develop nuclear weapons,” the statement said.

“Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security,” the statement added.

Article content

Article content

This war comes just a week after several major rallies by Canadian Iranians and their backers in the Greater Toronto Area that brought thousands to the street to urge Trump to tack action.

Now the Iranian military is also posting its own messages to social media – including images to try to show their own might and power.

Time will tell how Toronto authorities respond to any local security concerns and whether this could affect planned events or potential rallies.

A “no war on Iran” protest is being advertised on social media to be held in front of the U.S. Consulate on University Ave. starting at 3 p.m., which is the same location where some free Iran demonstrations have been held.

There is also a pro-Iranian freedom rally to support ending the radical Islamic regime of 47 years at 1 p.m. on Yonge St. in Richmond Hill.

Toronto Police and York Regional Police are monitoring all of it. The key will be to keep the two groups separated.

Toronto Police Deputy Chief Rob Johnson told the Toronto Sun on Saturday morning “we are reviewing intelligence” and will have more to say “later today.”

jwarmington@postmedia.com

Article content