Shockwaves of Trump's recklessness will be felt for decades

THIS was the most anticipated and telegraphed joint US-Israeli attack everand its fallout will last for decades.

- CHRIS HUGHES

Pentagon and Tel Aviv conflict-planners have been war-gaming plans to smash Iran's nuclear ambitions since the 1990s.

Israel has over the years demolished Iraq's and Syria's nuclear sites, knowing they posed" an existential threat to it.

But the attack on Iran was always held to be the most precarious, not least because of the country's air defences.

The blitz has sent shockwaves across the region, perhaps even threatening the Iranian regime by demolishing its credibility.

In response, Iran fired more than 40 missiles against Israel hours it was attacked, leaving 23 injured.

Rescuers cleared the rubble from one destroyed building in Tel Aviv's Ramat Aviv district.

Israel, meanwhile, confirmed that the bodies of hostages Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and Shay Levinson, a soldier, were recovered from Gaza yesterday.

In Gaza, Israeli forces killed at least 33 people -six of them while seeking aid - it was reported.

Relatives wept at funerals at Nasser Hospital following airstrikes in Khan Younis.

In its offensive on Iran, Israel knew it could not take out the Fordow site alone and needed US support with its bunker buster bombs.

US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been engaged in a huge deception exercise.

Trump had claimed there was not going to be an Israeli attack and suggested Iran had two weeks to avoid US strikes through talks.