Early this morning, Saturday, February 28, AlertsUSA subscribers were informed that the US and Israel had launched preemptive strikes on multiple targets inside Iran, including within the capital. Multiple explosions were reported in the Iranian capital and other locations, with smoke plumes visible and air defenses activated. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the operation—codenamed "Shield of Judah"—as a "preemptive strike to remove threats to the State of Israel." President Trump announced in a video statement that the US had begun "major combat operations" in Iran to "eliminate imminent threats from the Iranian regime" and defend American lives.

This follows directly from the alerts issued earlier in the week: On Monday, AlertsUSA subscribers were informed of the US Embassy in Beirut's security alert authorizing the departure of non-emergency US government employees and families from Lebanon due to rising US-Iran tensions and Hezbollah threats to strike Israel if Iran were attacked.

Israel began shaping operations just days later, with Thursday airstrikes targeting Hezbollah weapons storage, missile launchers, and military sites in southern Lebanon. Bomb shelters opened across Israel, with municipalities in southern and central areas—including Dimona and Beersheba—proactively ordering public shelters open amid fears of retaliation.

Early Friday, AlertsUSA notified subscribers of a security alert issued by the US Embassy in Jerusalem, authorizing departures of non-emergency personnel and families while emphasizing the need to leave Israel while commercial flights remain available.

The strikes on Iran come amid the US's ongoing military posture shift: a massive regional buildup combined with precautionary withdrawals to reduce vulnerabilities. US naval forces remain formidable, with the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and the USS Gerald R. Ford near Israel's waters in the eastern Mediterranean, supported by destroyers, cruisers, submarines, and logistics vessels. Over 150 combat aircraft, tankers, tankers, AWACS, and drones—have surged to theater bases, forming one of the largest US air power concentrations in recent history.

Iran's response is anticipated to be severe. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and IRGC commanders have long threatened strikes on US assets and bases region-wide if attacked, with recent drills demonstrating missile, drone, and naval power—including potential Strait of Hormuz closure or proxy unleashing. Iranian officials now vow a"crushing retaliation." Israel has declared a nationwide state of emergency, closed airspace, and issued proactive alerts for incoming missiles/drones.

For US law enforcement and intelligence professionals, the homeland risk remains acute: Iran's IRGC and Hezbollah maintain networks in the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico and US communities, poised for asymmetric threats—surveillance, disruption, or attacks—if full conflict erupts.

With diplomacy collapsed and direct US-Israel strikes now underway, heightened vigilance is essential for those protecting the US homeland.

Sentinel ICBM: MIRV Revival?

Whether or not the U.S. Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) will carry multiple warheads remains to be seen now that a key arms control treaty has expired.

Each of the Minuteman III ICBMs in service today, which are also designated LGM-30Gs, is topped with either a single W78 or W87 warhead, the result of a succession of arms control agreements culminating in New START. The LGM-30G, which entered service in 1970, was originally designed to carry up to three warheads, and retains this so-called multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) capability.

~ READ MORE HERE (TWZ) ~

How Would Iran Respond to a U.S. Attack?

With the prospect of war in the Middle East again on the horizon, it is important to assess how Iran might respond to a U.S. attack. This article looks back to look ahead, using the history of how Iran has attacked the United States and its allies since 1980 as a baseline for predicting how Iran might retaliate and what it says about the potential for an escalation spiral that pulls the region, if not the world, into a broader war.

~ READ MORE HERE (CSIS) ~

China’s National Security Decisionmaking

This paper presents a primer for U.S. policymakers on China’s national security decisionmaking, describing a building block framework that identifies three universal elements (information, analysis, and authorities) that shape how governments make policy decisions. The authors map this framework to China’s national security decisionmaking ecosystem, drawing on historical examples to illustrate recurring dynamics. These building blocks help identify patterns in China’s decisionmaking and cue U.S. policymakers to think about what China’s decisionmakers are likely to know, how they will interpret the available information, and who within the system makes which decisions.

~ READ MORE HERE (RAND) ~

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups based on U.S. Navy briefings, public data provided by the U.S. Naval Institute, and open source reporting. Map does not reflect this week's deployments.

AMERICAS

Cuba gives details of thwarted infiltration "for terrorist purposes"
Army reportedly shoots down CBP drone on accident
Panama seizes 2 key canal ports from Hong Kong operator
CIA issues rare statement in Persian language
Congressional testimony abruptly cut off after covert Iran ops revealed
Cruise operators to skip Mexican ports over cartel violence
Ret. USAF pilot arrested for providing defense services to the PLA
How cartel members are getting drone training in Ukraine
What to know about Defense Protection Act and the Anthropic ultimatum
DHS reverses suspension of PreCheck and Global Entry due to shutdown

EUROPE

Britain pauses ratification of deal to cede Chagos Archipelago
How Russia sends migrants into Europe through secret tunnels
Attacker clacks off explosive in Moscow, killing police officer and self
Iceland weighing to fast-track vote on joining European Union
Orban steps up oil accusations against Ukraine after vetoing loan
Russia will test NATO in the Baltic, suggests German admiral
600+ people have died trying to cross the Med in 2026, UN says
iPhone secure enough for classified NATO secrets right out of the box
NATO’s Ukraine lifeline hits a production wall

MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Questions surrounding a major American air war against Iran
Iran ‘ready to spill American blood — even at a huge cost’
Iranian military helicopter crashes into fruit market, four dead
Report: Khamenei living in underground bunker, officials blindfolded
Iran-linked terror plots targeting Israeli embassies abroad
Hezbollah vows resistance after deadly Israeli strikees in Lebanon
US military boards third oil tanker in the Indian Ocean
Sierra Leone says members of its security forces held by Guinea
DRC: At least nine killed in drone strike that eliminated M23 spokesman
Jihadists increase attacks in Nigeria-Niger-Benin borderlands
Deadly attacks by Sudanese paramilitary displace over 3,000

ASIA / OCEANIA

A Pakistani man is on trial over a plot to kill a US politician
US and South Korean militaries will have joint drills in March
Japan to deploy missiles to island near Taiwan by 2031
Australia spends $220M on parts for future AUKUS sub reactor
Drifting through confrontation and militarisation in the South China Sea
Claim: China may be behind bomb threat against AUS PM’s residence
U.S., Philippines commit to increased missile, drone deployments
7 killed after medical transport plane crashes in Jharkhand, India
US pulls non-essential staff from embassy in Beirut amid Iran tensions
China restricts exports to 40 Japanese entities with ties to military