Israel vows vengeance after Iran targets hospital with ballistic missile Thursday

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Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah against joining in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

"The Hezbollah Secretary-General is not learning a lesson from his predecessors and is threatening to act against Israel in accordance with the Iranian dictator's orders," Katz wrote on X.

"I suggest to the Lebanese proxy to be careful and understand that Israel has lost patience with terrorists who threaten it," he continued.

Katz added: "If there is terrorism, there will be no Hezbollah."

The Israeli Air Force said it struck three missile launchers ready to be launched toward Israel from Iran as well as a military commander who was working to launch the missiles.

"The Air Force recently attacked three missile launchers ready to be launched from Iran into the territory of the State of Israel and a military commander who was working to launch them," the Air Force wrote on X.

The Israeli Defense Forces said it carried out a series of strikes overnight targeting dozens of targets were attacked, including military industrial sites for missile production.

"The IDF completed a series of overnight strikes in the heart of Tehran: Dozens of targets were attacked, including military industrial sites for missile production and the Spand headquarters for research and development of the nuclear weapons project," the IDF wrote on X.

More than 60 Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked dozens of military targets in Iran with "precise intelligence guidance" from the Intelligence Branch using about 120 munitions, the IDF said. It said several missile manufacturing industrial sites in the Tehran area were attacked.

Military industrial sites for the production of missile components and sites for the production of raw materials used for casting rocket engines were among the locations targeted, the IDF said.

"As part of the attacks and as part of the IDF's activities to damage the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons project, the IDF attacked the Spand headquarters building in Tehran," the IDF wrote.

The Spand headquarters, according to the IDF, is used to research and develop advanced technologies and weapons for Iran's military capabilities.

"In addition, a site for the production of a component that is a necessary basis for the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons program was attacked," the IDF said.

"During the night, the Air Force intercepted four unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran," it added.

The Israeli Defense Forces said it identified missiles launched by Iran toward Israel and that it is "operating to intercept the threat."

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the IDF said in a statement.

The IDF urged the public to "enter a protected space and remain there until further notice."

"Leaving the protected space is only permitted following an explicit directive," the IDF said. "Continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command."

The IDF also wrote on X: "Sirens sounding in southern Israel due to missile fire from Iran."

"After assessing the situation, the Home Front Command issued instructions that it is possible to exit the protected area in several areas of the country," the IDF later said on X. "Rescue forces are working at the scene where a report of a fall was received."

"You are asked to continue to obey the Home Front Command's instructions and the instructions distributed to you," it added.

No injuries have been reported.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga, applauded President Donald Trump for "giving time for diplomacy" to work with Israel and Iran amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, arguing that other U.S. would have been "already killing many innocent people."

"I’m so glad President Trump is giving time for diplomacy to work with Iran and Israel," Greene wrote Thursday on X.

"Every other American President would be dropping bombs already killing many innocent people and the neocon warmongers would be celebrating without a care of innocent lives slaughtered," she continued.

The Republican firebrand argued that this "is why he has a 56% approval rating!!"

"I’m praying for peace and prosperity for Israel and Iran and every nation on Earth, especially the USA!!!" she wrote.

The U.S. military continues to reposition assets around the world in case President Donald Trump orders a strike on Iran's main underground nuclear facility.

Satellite images of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar show empty tarmacs after all unsheltered transport and refueling aircraft were moved to an undisclosed location in case Iran tries to target the installation, Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin said Thursday on “Hannity.”

The Pentagon is confident that the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, known as a MOP, can destroy Iran's key nuclear facility in Fordo, which is buried inside a mountain underground, Griffin said.

“You can use a multiple-hit scenario with particular types of munitions,” Retired Capt. Todd Sawhill, Ret. Capt. Todd Sawhill, a former U.S. Central Command intelligence officer, told Fox News.

“Particularly those that are extremely accurate GPS-guided without much intervention from adversary systems so that you have multiple impacts in the same point," he added. "When you do that, oftentimes you'll create a large crater… and it allows a pathway for the next munition to go in even deeper and farther so that successive hits on the same point will allow increased penetration and increased lethality.”

President Donald Trump speaks to the press as workers install a large flag pole on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on June 18, 2025. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

President Donald Trump  is contemplating whether to order U.S. on Iran and will make a decision within two weeks, White House officials said Thursday, capping days of intense speculation about the president’s plan in the region—and touching off new fears of escalation, retaliation, and long-term engagement in another foreign conflict.

Trump spent much of the week musing publicly about the prospect of involving the U.S. more directly in the Israeli-Iranian conflict, as the two countries continued to carry out deadly strikes against one another. As the week went on, Trump continued to break with attempts by Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had attempted to distance the role the U.S. played in helping Israel.

Trump warned on social media Wednesday that the U.S. has "complete and total control of the skies over Iran," and demanded an "unconstitutional surrender" from Iran. 

He has also repeatedly refused to rule out the prospect of carrying out a direct strike on Iran. "I may do it. I may not do it," he told reporters Wednesday. "I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do," he said.

That statement, more than any others, illustrates the central question thrumming through much of Washington this week, as Trump continues to huddle with advisers for meetings in the Situation Room, including at least one meeting where he reportedly approved attack plans against Tehran, in the event they failed to put an end to their nuclear program, as the administration demanded. (News of that meeting was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.)

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Breanne Deppisch.

The Israeli Air Force intercepted two drones launched from Iran, the military branch said Friday morning.

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) interceptions came after alerts “regarding the intrusion of hostile aircraft between 3:09-3:13 in the Dead Sea area,” the IAF said. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

After a week of intense speculation about whether President Donald Trump will launch a strike on Iran in support of Israel’s efforts to eliminate the country’s nuclear weapons program, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced there is a "substantial chance" for renewed negotiations.

This comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is reportedly scheduled to meet with European leaders in Geneva Friday.

Speaking with reporters in the White House press briefing room Thursday, Leavitt confirmed U.S. and Iranian officials have engaged in six rounds of direct and indirect negotiations during the conflict with Israel, which broke out June 13.

Leavitt, however, did not say whether U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading the president’s negotiations with Iran, would be present for the meetings in Geneva.

Asked by Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich whether the fact that Iranian officials had found a way to get to Geneva meant they could also get to the White House to engage in negotiations, Leavitt responded: "I am not going to get into hypotheticals, but as you heard from the president yesterday, they have expressed interest in doing so."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Peter Pinedo.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with foreign officials on Thursday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with his French, Australian and British counterparts Thursday about the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.Rubio spoke with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in separate conversations about the ongoing conflict, said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

They all agreed to “continue to work together closely to commit to a path of peace and ensure that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon,” Bruce said.

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who met with Rubio at the White House, said he will travel to Geneva on Friday to meet with Iran's foreign minister alongside his French, German and European Union counterparts.

“The situation in the Middle East remains perilous,” Lammy said in a statement. "We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. Meeting with Secretary of State Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Witkoff in the White House today, we discussed how Iran must make a deal to avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.

Lammy added that it was time "to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one."

At least six people were seriously wounded Thursday morning when an Iranian ballistic missile struck Be'ersheba’s Soroka Medical Center, part of a broader barrage that also scored direct hits on Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Holon.

"We are hitting nuclear targets and missile targets precisely, and they are hitting the pediatric ward of the hospital. That says it all," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while surveying the damage at the hospital.

The attacks on Israel have left many homeless and lucky to be alive. Ariel Levin-Waldman is one such person. He was at his in-laws' home in Rishon LeZion, where he and his family had been staying for several months during renovations to their own house—when an Iranian missile struck the residential neighborhood. The attack killed two people and injured dozens; a third victim died during an earlier wave of Iranian strikes.

"At around 5 a.m., I got the same missile alert everyone in the country gets," Levin-Waldman told Fox News Digital. "I grabbed my phone, ran downstairs with my wife and kids, and we made it to the shelter. My mother-in-law joined us."

Since the conflict began on June 13, Iranian missile attacks have killed 24 Israelis and wounded over 800.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.

An Israeli army armored personnel carrier maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, southern Israel, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israel has warned residents in a northern Iranian village to leave the area before it begins military operations there.

The Israel Defense Forces requested residents in Sefidrood Industrial Park within the village of Kalash Taleshan to leave the area as soon as possible.

“The Israeli army, just as it has been attacking the Iranian regime's military infrastructure throughout Iran in recent days, will soon be operating in this area,” the IDF wrote on X. “Dear citizens, for your safety and health, we ask that you leave the designated area on the map as soon as possible.”

Nearly 600 days after he was abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, Edan Alexander returned home to New Jersey on Thursday to a deeply emotional homecoming.

Hundreds of residents lined the rain-soaked streets of his hometown of Tenafly, waving American and Israeli flags and holding handmade signs, eager to welcome him back.

Alexander, 21, was seen smiling and waving from the passenger seat of a black SUV as it slowly rolled through the 50,000-resident town, flanked by a police motorcade and cheering supporters.

"Our community has been praying for him—585 days," said Rabbi Mordechai Shain, the family’s longtime rabbi. There was a march every week for him to come home. It was like we lived it."

Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, Alexander moved to Israel at 18 to volunteer for military service in the IDF’s Golani Brigade. He lived with his grandparents in Tel Aviv and at Kibbutz Hazor, where he was part of a group of lone soldiers.

Alexander was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during its deadly assault on southern Israel when he was 19 years old.

In May, he was released after more than 19 months in captivity, in what was described as a goodwill gesture following quiet negotiations between U.S. officials and Hamas. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Special Hostage Envoy Adam Boehler, played a key role in securing his release.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson, Nate Foy and Efrat Lachter. 

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, arrives to testify during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Huckabee, the former governor and presidential candidate, answered questions on Israel and its campaign against Hamas. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

As hostilities continue to rage between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran, U.S. Ambassador to the Jewish state Mike Huckabee has indicated work is underway to provide options for Americans who want to evacuate.

"American Citizens wanting to evacuate Israel: Sign up at https://mytravel.state.gov/s/step to be on list. We're working to get military, commercial, charter flights & cruise ships for evac. If you're offered a seat, take it. Family in Israel? Tell them stay close to shelter & don't ignore sirens!" Huckabee noted in a post on X.

Like prior notices in recent days, the U.S. Embassy in Israel noted in a June 19 security alert it is directing all U.S. government employees and their families to keep sheltering in place.

"We will alert the U.S. citizen community if there is additional information to share regarding departure options," the notice states. "If you are a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident currently in Israel or the West Bank and seeking U.S. government assistance to depart, please complete this form so the Department of State can better assist you and provide you with timely updates: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/crisis-intake."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Alex Nitzberg.

Australia has suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran, citing the deteriorating security environment in Iran, and has directed all Australian officials to leave the country, Foreign Minister Penny Wong says.

“The Australian Government has directed the departure of all Australian officials and dependents and suspended operations at our Embassy in Tehran, based on advice about the deteriorating security environment in Iran,” the officer of Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said.

Ian McConville, Australia's ambassador to Iran, will remain in the country.

“We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe. Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place,” Wong's office said.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is deploying consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran. 

An explosion occurred at the residence of Norway's ambassador to Israel, the Norwegian foreign ministry says.

“We have been in contact with the embassy tonight. No staff with the embassy was injured during the incident,” the foreign ministry said in an emailed statement, Reuters reported.

The ministry did not say what caused the explosion at the home in the city of Herzliya where Ambassador Per Egil Selvaag resides.

Local reports said a grenade was thrown at the residence, but no one was injured. 

Fox News Digital has reached out Norway's foreign ministry.

United Airlines airplanes sit parked at gates at Newark Liberty International Airport on June 1, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

American Airlines and United Airlines have halted some flights to the Middle East as Israel and Iran continue to exchange retaliatory strikes.

American Airlines told Fox News Digital that the carrier has temporarily suspended flights between Doha, Qatar and Philadelphia through Sunday.

“We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and make any additional adjustments as needed,” the airline said.

United has paused flights between Newark, N.J., and Dubai. The airline told Fox News Digital that it “will continue to monitor the situation and will work to assist our customers through this disruption.”

Earlier in the week, United and Delta suspended flights to Tel Aviv after Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites.

Several Boeing 747s have been spotted on radar leaving China for Iran over the last week, according to reports, sparking concerns that the CCP is helping the Middle Eastern nation transport cargo or people out of the country as Israel continues to strike the country’s nuclear facilities. 

Starting on June 14th, FlightRadar24 shows that at least five flights traveled from China to Iran, and The Telegraph reported that the "mystery transport planes" had flown westward along northern China before crossing into Kazakhstan, south through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and then fell off radar as they approached Iran. 

Additionally, the report indicated that the flights had a final destination of Luxembourg but don’t appear to have ever crossed into European airspace.

Some experts have speculated that these types of planes are typically used for transport and could be evidence of China aiding its longtime ally Iran during the conflict with Israel, although Fox News Digital has not independently confirmed the nature of the flights. 

"I think it's important to remember what the relationship is, forty-three percent of China's oil and gas comes from the Middle East, a large volume of that from Iran," Robert Greenway, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, told "The Ingraham Angle" on Wednesday night. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller and Cameron Arcand.

Israeli forces have intercepted hundreds of drones launched toward Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday.

To date, more than 95% of threats that posed a danger and approached Israeli airspace were successfully intercepted, the IDF said.

Israeli naval and air force units were working with IDF aerial defense arrays, aircraft, missile ships, and other security personnel to defend the skies above Israel.

Israel said soldiers were working to intercept surface-to-surface missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fired in recent days toward Israeli territory.

Iran has deliberately targeted area with large numbers of Israeli civilians.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Getty Images)

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Thursday urged the United States not to get involved in Israel's war with Iran, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been wrong in the past about nuclear threats in the Middle East.

In a statement, Sanders pointed to a 2002 speech Netanyahu gave to Congress urging the U.S. to go to war with Iraq over Saddam Hussein's supposed hidden weapons of mass destruction.

"In 2002, in testimony to Congress urging the United States to go to war in Iraq, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated: ‘There is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking… nuclear weapons…. If you take out Saddam’s regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations,’” Sanders said.

“Netanyahu was wrong. Very wrong. The war in Iraq resulted in 4,492 U.S. military deaths, over 32,000 wounded, and a cost of roughly three trillion dollars," he added. "Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis also died as a result of that tragic war. Netanyahu was wrong regarding the war in Iraq. He is wrong now. We must not get involved in Netanyahu’s war against Iran.”

Sanders has repeatedly spoken out against Netanyahu, blaming him for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel's war with Hamas, and has urged lawmakers not to get the U.S. involved in Israel's wars.

A woman plays with a football near Tel Aviv's beachfront Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Israel's tourism ministry has compiled a list of 22,000 tourists seeking to board evacuation flights out of the country.

Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Danny Shachar, compiled the list as part of the "Safe Return" operation to bring back Israelis stranded abroad because of the country's conflict with Iran.

“Tourists find themselves in a situation of uncertainty and even distress amid an intense war,” he said in a statement. "Some are staying here longer than planned, sometimes under difficult financial and personal circumstances. Such operational prioritization is not only a humanitarian and necessary act but also has great political and image value: these tourists will become ambassadors of goodwill for the State of Israel."

Shachar has requested that return flights to Israel also be utilized for departure flights of foreign tourists from Israel.

At the beginning of the war, around 40,000 tourists were in Israel. Currently, there were 32,000. Some tourists left Israel for Jordan and Egypt through land border crossings, all of which are open.

US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford anchored at the Gulf of Trieste. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest warship in the world. (Photo by Andrej Tarfila/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, will set sail for the Mediterranean as the Israel-Iran conflict continues to escalate.

The ship is expected to sail to Europe possibly next week, making it the third US aircraft carrier group in the region, the New York Post reported. The voyage is part of a regularly scheduled deployment.

“The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is scheduled to conduct a routine deployment to the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, demonstrating the commitment and power projection capability of the Navy's globally deployed force," the Navy said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "As a matter of policy, we cannot discuss future operations. U.S. Navy units can be deployed globally, anywhere at any time, due to our capability for rapid mobility and persistent, sustained operations.” 

The ship will join the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Nimitz in the region.

Iran is weeks away from achieving a nuclear weapon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.

"Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the Supreme Leader to do that," Leavitt told reporters. "And it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would, of course, pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world."

The Trump administration has repeatedly said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon because it would pose a threat to the United States and Israel.

“Iran has never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt said.

President Donald Trump says he will decide sometime in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will be "directly involved" in Israel's campaign against Iran.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the announcement during a Thursday press conference, reading a statement directly from Trump.

"Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Leavitt quoted.

Israel’s military campaign in Iran has already produced "enormous achievements," according to experts tracking the conflict, with many citing the operation as the payoff for years of preparation, battlefield innovation and intelligence development.

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a leading voice on U.S. policy toward Iran, called Israel’s progress "a resounding military win."

"They’ve actually dominated the Iranian military," Dubowitz told Fox News Digital. "They’ve taken out many senior military leaders, the Iranian Air Force, and a significant percentage of missile launchers and ballistic inventory."

Still, Iran’s retaliation is taking a toll. On Thursday morning, an Iranian missile struck Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba and targeted several major cities, injuring hundreds.  Despite the heavy costs, military experts insist that the IDF continues to hold the upper hand, both tactically and strategically.

Comparing the scale of success to the Six-Day War, Dubowitz said, "It’s starting to look like 1967, when the Israelis eviscerated five Arab armies. It may take longer than six days, but they’re certainly on that trajectory."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned Iran's attack on Soroka Hospital as a "war crime" on Thursday.

Sa'ar made the comments while speaking to the press outside the facility, where more than 70 people were injured on Thursday morning.

"Behind me you can see the surgery building. It is a building in which every day, the medical team, the doctors, are making tremendous efforts to save human lives. This is exactly the place where the Iranian regime targeted - a civilian hospital. This is clearly a war crime," Sa'ar said. "It reflects the Iranian regime's consistent strategy, they are deliberately targeting civilian population, civilian targets, civilians, children, elderly people. It is unacceptable."

He went on to vow that Israel would not stop its campaign against Iran until all Israel's goals are met.

"We will continue with our operation in Iran. We have a very detailed plan. We know what we do. We will continue to hit nuclear objectives. We will continue to hit ballistic missile objectives. And we will not stop for even one minute before we complete the mission," he said.

Israel Foreign Minster Affairs Gideon Sa’ar said that Iran’s attack on a hospital in Be’er Sheva amounts to a war crime. 

An Iranian missile barrage hit the Soroka Hospital Thursday morning injuring more than 70 people, Israel says. "Behind me you can see the surgery building.

It is a building in which every day, the medical team, the doctors, are making tremendous efforts to save human lives,” Sa’ar said outside the facility. 

“This is exactly the place where the Iranian regime targeted - a civilian hospital. This is clearly a war crime. It reflects the Iranian regime's consistent strategy, they are deliberately targeting civilian population, civilian targets, civilians, children, elderly people. It is unacceptable.” 

Israel said it is attacking military objectives, nuclear program objectives, ballistic missile objectives while Iran is deliberately targeting civilians. 

Netanyahu vowed retaliation for the strike.

A trio of key Trump administration officials — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt — are in the midst of facing their first major foreign policy test in their high-profile admin roles after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran and President Donald Trump weighs involving the U.S. in the conflict.

The trio ascended to their roles with widespread fanfare among many MAGA conservatives, though many critics just months ago questioned if their prior careers prepared them for what was to come. The current flaring tensions with the Islamic Republic could be the final arbiter of which side was correct. 

"President Trump leads from the front, and he has assembled a highly-qualified, world-class team that has helped him achieve numerous foreign policy accomplishments this term," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox Digital on Wednesday when asked about the trio's test on Iran. "The American people trust the President to make the right decisions that keep them safe, and he has empowered his team to meet the moment and advance his foreign policy goals."

Secretary Hegseth was one of Trump's more controversial nominees among critics, as Democrat lawmakers and left-wing pundits slammed Hegseth as unqualified for the job.

Hegseth battled against claims he would lower previous standards for the secretary of Defense and that his vows to strengthen the military could be bluster once he was in the role and juggling oversight of the entire military.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Emma Colton

A week after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran aiming to wipe out its nuclear program, all eyes are now on the country’s reclusive supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On Thursday, following an Iranian missile strike that hit an Israeli hospital, Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that "Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes," adding during a visit to one of the impact sites that "a person like that should not exist," later calling him "the modern day Hitler," according to the Times of Israel.

Over decades of rule, Khamenei has built an impenetrable circle around him both inside and outside of Iran. Now, with Israel taking out some of his closest aides and senior security figures, as well as significantly weakening its militant Islamic allies across the region, the supreme leader is beginning to look increasingly isolated. 

"He calls himself a revolutionary, not a diplomat," Dr. Meir Javedanfar, a lecturer in Iran Studies at Reichman University near Tel Aviv who grew up in Tehran, told Fox News Digital, adding that he sees himself as a "revolutionary." 

On Wednesday, that militancy and determination to stay in power came through in statements by Khamenei, who said the "Iranian nation will not surrender" and "war will be met with war, bombing with bombing, and strike with strike," according to local media reports.

This is an excerpt from an article by Ruth Mark Eglash

As violence escalates in Israel during its conflict with Iran, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is dispatching four planes to evacuate 1,500 stranded Americans.

Mano Maritime cruise ship Crown Iris picked up the evacuees in Ashdod, Israel, and took them on a 13-hour steam trip to Lanarca, Cyprus. Most passengers were from a program called Birthright Israel, which provides educational trips to the Holy Land for young Americans of Jewish descent or creed.

Israeli airspace has been closed since the bombings from Iran began.

After the ship arrived in Lanarca under the protection of the Israeli navy, according to the Times of Israel, Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said it was a "complex and emotional operation, carried out under immense pressure, and we are proud to have brought 1,500 young adults safely to Cyprus."

From Cyprus, DeSantis and the Florida Department of Emergency Management volunteered four wide-body planes to take the Jewish Americans home.

Additionally, a Tampa lawmaker and retired Green Beret told the Floridian Press he left Hillsborough County for Israel earlier in the week as part of an effort to help get thousands more Americans home.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a public address outside Soroka Hospital after it was struck by Iranian missile fire on Thursday.

Netanyahu vowed retaliation for the strike and also addressed President Donald Trump's debate over joining Israel in the conflict against Iran.

"President Trump will do what's best for America. I trust the president. I trust his judgement. He is a tremendous friend, a tremendous leader and a tremendous friend of the Jewish people," Netanyahu said.

"And we will do what we have to do, and we are doing it. We are committed to destroying the nuclear threat, the threat of nuclear annihilation, against Israel," he added.

The IDF says Iran launched a fresh barrage of missiles targeting Northern Israel on Thursday, the second such attack in 24 hours.

The IDF did not give an estimate of how many missiles were involved in the attack, which came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited a a hospital in Southern Israel that had been struck by a missile Thursday morning.

Israel's Home Front Command has now sounded the all clear.

Iran's earlier attack wounded at least 240 people across Israel, including more than 70 who were inside Soroka Hospital.

Israel has retaliated with its own airstrikes targeting Iran's surface-to-surface missile batteries and other military and energy infrastructure.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made the most direct threat to date against Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday.

Katz says the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been instructed that Khamenei "should not continue to exist," though he stopped short of saying there was a specific operation targeting the Iranian leader.

"A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of Israel his mission, cannot continue to exist," Katz said, according to The Associated Press.

"The IDF has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist," he added.

Katz's comments come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the public outside Soroka Hospital, which was struck by Iranian missile fire Thursday morning. More than 70 people inside the hospital were injured, Israel says.

President Donald Trump is asking his advisors about the effectiveness of bunker buster bombs against Iran's nuclear infrastructure, Fox News has learned.

A U.S. official told Fox News that bunker busters are just one of the options Trump is considering, and he has not yet decided to intervene in the Israel-Iran conflict. The official noted that "all options" remain on the table.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katx also lashed out at Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday, saying the IDF "has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”

Fox News' Peter Doocy contributed to this report

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Israel-Iran conflict on Thursday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning announced the call on social media Thursday, saying Xi made a series of proposals.

"China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with all relevant parties, foster synergy, uphold justice, and play a constructive role in restoring peace in the Middle East," Mao wrote.

Mao said Xi hopes to promote a ceasefire to end hostilities, ensure the safety of civilians, open a longer term dialogue between Israel and Iran as well as galvanize the global community to push the two nations toward peace.

Israel launched 20 jets on a mission to Western Iran on Thursday to destroy Iranian missile batteries and other military targets, the IDF says.

Israel's military says it successfully destroyed multiple Iranian surface-to-surface missile emplacements. They also say they destroyed a convoy of Iranian trucks carrying more such missiles.

News of the strikes comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation for an Iranian ballistic missile that struck Soroka Hospital in Southern Israel on Thursday morning.

At least 65 people were injured in Iran's Thursday morning attacks across Israel.

President Donald Trump  appears to be downplaying talk that some of his long-loyal MAGA supporters are breaking with him over the possibility that the president will order a military strike on Iran.

This amid the nearly week-long daily trading of fire between the Islamic State and Israel, America's top ally in the Middle East.

"My supporters are more in love with me today, and I’m more in love with them, more than they even were at election time," the president said when asked about a GOP rift between some of his most vocal supporters of his America First agenda, and more traditional national security conservatives.

The president, speaking to reporters on Wednesday on the South Lawn of the White House, added: "I may have some people that are a little bit unhappy now, but I have some people that are very happy, and I have people outside of the base that can’t believe that this is happening. They’re so happy."

Asked if he would order an attack on Iran to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the president said, "I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble."

The prospect of Trump jumping into the incredibly volatile situation in the Middle East is causing plenty of consternation among some of his top political and ideological allies, and creating divisions within MAGA - a rare moment for a movement that's been firmly supportive of Trump since his 2016 White House campaign.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Paul Steinhauser

Iran's foreign minister is set to meet with European counterparts in Geneva amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, Iranian state media reported Thursday.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva for the meetings on Friday, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Fox News' Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst was outside Soroka Medical Center on Thursday after it was hit by Iran in a major missile attack.

Yingst reported that the hospital was still burning. It is located in the city of Be'er Sheva in southern Israel.

The hospital suffered a direct hit from Iranian ballistic missiles.

At least 65 people were injured in Israel during the missile barrage that began Thursday morning. It is unclear how many people were injured in the strike on the hospital.

Fox News' Lorraine Taylor contributed to this report