Washington/ Tel Aviv, Feb 28 (.) Israel on Saturday announced that its latest military operation against Iran will be called “Roaring Lion,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The naming follows a precedent set during the 12-day conflict in June, when Israel’s military campaign was dubbed “Rising Lion.”

No further operational details were immediately released, but the announcement underscores Israel’s continuity in its strategic messaging regarding military actions in the region.

Israel also said it launched “preemptive” attacks against Iran and declared a state of emergency throughout the country, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.

“As a result, missile and drone launches against the State of Israel and its civilian population are expected in the very near term,” Katz said in a statement.

The Israel Defence Forces posted on social media platform X, “In the last few minutes, sirens were sounded all throughout Israel, with an advance instruction alert sent directly to cellular devices to stay within proximity to protected spaces.”

The US and Israeli strikes on Iran come a day after the third round of indirect nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran recently concluded in Geneva. The talks did not yield the results desired by Washington, but both sides planned a follow-up technical-level meeting in Vienna next week.

Iranian state media quickly noted that this is the second time Iran has been attacked amid talks with the US, following the 12-day conflict with Israel in June last year, which culminated in US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Following the talks in Geneva on Friday, Iran struck a positive tone, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying a deal was “within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority.”

“We have a historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves mutual interests,” he said.

US President Donald Trump, however, said he was “not happy” with the progress in the talks, adding: “They don’t want to say the key words: ‘We’re not going to have a nuclear weapon.’”

Washington has been pushing for Iran to agree never to develop a nuclear weapons program, but Trump has remained skeptical of Tehran’s insistence that its nuclear program is solely for civilian use.

Iranian media reported on Saturday that Tehran was preparing “revenge” for the new strikes.

As the US moved military assets into position in the Middle East in recent weeks, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued stark warnings that Tehran would retaliate over any attack.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Iran and Qatar emphasized the importance of continuing diplomatic efforts to preserve peace and stability in the West Asia region, as reported by IRNA.

Foreign Minister Araghchi held a phone conversation with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss the latest regional developments.

During the call, Araghchi expressed appreciation for Qatar’s commitment, along with other regional countries, to advancing the collective and shared interests of nations in the region.

He also briefed his Qatari counterpart on the progress of ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States.

Both sides underscored the significance of maintaining the path of diplomacy as a means of safeguarding regional peace and stability.. .