Israel and Iran traded strikes for the fifth day Tuesday to weigh if US troops should be more involved in the conflict.
The president will hold a meeting with his national security team, and sources say he is warming up the idea of a US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. Meanwhile, Israeli officials are waiting for Trump to make a decision. I hope the US will jump in.
Here’s what you need to know today:
Latest strike: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel plans to attack major Tehran targets. Israeli Air Force is also targeting Isfahan’s ballistic launch sites, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said. Meanwhile, Iran’s cybersecurity command said Israel had launched a “wide-range cyber war” against Iran’s digital infrastructure. Additionally, the IDF identified a new wave of incoming missiles fired from Iran and said the explosion was heard in Tel Aviv. On the ground: At least 2,725 Israeli people have evacuated from their homes since the conflict began. As of Tuesday, Israel’s death toll remains 24 years old, but more than 647 people have been injured, the government said. At least 224 people have been killed in Iran since hostilities began on Friday. Situation Room Meeting: Trump met with the national security team in the Situation Room for more than an hour this afternoon, White House officials said. More than 30 US airline refueling tankers have surged into the Middle East, giving Trump’s options, according to two sources. Trump’s idea has shifted to using US troops to attack Iran, but he remains open to diplomatic solutions, sources said. Israeli and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone ahead of a Trump situation room meeting, according to familiar Israeli sources. High Israeli officials are waiting to know if Trump will help them finish their work. Israel has called for a “defensive stance” from the United States, Israeli ambassador Yethiel Leiter told CNN, and so far “that’s what the United States is offering.” Trump’s warning: The president wrote to the true society, “We now have full and complete control of the skies over Iran.” He also called the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a “easy target” and said America had “slight patience.” In a one-line follow-up post, Trump wrote “unconditional surrender” on social media with all his caps. Defending Trump’s stance: Vice President JD Vance defended the US president’s consistency on Iran’s policy. He said Trump “may determine that further action is necessary to end Iran’s enrichment,” but he said he “is interested in using the US military to achieve American goals.” He repeated that Iran “cannot have nuclear weapons.” US Intelligence Report: National Intelligence Director Tarsi Gabbard claimed that she and Trump were on the same page around Iran’s nuclear weapon timeline. She testified in March that the US Intelligence Report “is not building nuclear weapons.” However, this morning, Trump believed Iran was “very close” to the price of such weapons and gas.
CNN’s Elise Hammond, Alejandra Jaramiro, Sara Ferris, Maureen Choudhry, Natasha Bertrand, Tamar Michaelis, Dana Carni, Katherine Nichols, Areina Tren, Kevin Lipak, Catelan Collins, Killie Rajuu, Marie England, Egan, Nicky Robertson, Hila Humayun, Netilvan Mando, Jeremy Diamond, Lauren Isso and Michael Rios contributed to this post.