() The fighting between Israel and Iran reached new heights overnight Thursday as the Islamic Republic fired missiles across Israel, injuring dozens and significantly damaging one of its largest hospitals.
One day prior, Israel targeted Tehran in the early hours of the morning. The countries have traded missile strikes for a week, and officials estimate at least 224 have been killed in Iran and dozens in Israel.
Now, the world waits to see if President Donald Trump will enter the U.S. into the conflict with strikes against Iran.
Trump has been weighing his options for American military involvement in the region for days and has reviewed attack plans on Iran, a source has confirmed to .
He has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” while Iran has warned that any U.S. action would result in “irreparable damage to them.”
A primary target for any U.S. involvement would likely be the Fordow fuel enrichment site, buried deep underground, which Israeli officials have acknowledged only America’s so-called “bunker-buster” bombs could fully destroy.
Evacuations ensue amid Israel-Iran conflict
The U.S. embassy in Israel is orchestrating evacuation flights and cruises for Americans in the country.
confirmed one of the evacuees is Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli hostage who was held captive in the Gaza Strip for more than 19 months and released in May.
Smoke rises from locations targeted in Tehran amid the third day of Israel’s waves of strikes against Iran, on June 15, 2025. (Photo by Khoshiran / Middle East Images via AFP) Missiles fired from Iran are pictured in the night sky over Jerusalem on June 14, 2025. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / GETTY-AFP) A general view shows heavily damaged buildings, following an overnight Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam on June 15, 2025. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN /Getty-AFP) Israeli rescuers search through the rubble at the site of an overnight Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam on June 15, 2025. (Photo by Menahem Kahana /Getty-AFP)
Officials are also planning for a partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Iraq, sources said on Wednesday.
“The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad, and this decision was made as a result of a recent review,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Reuters when asked about reports of the partial evacuations.
A White House official said Trump was aware of the move.
US military jets, ships shift toward Middle East
The USS Gerald Ford the Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier will head to Europe next week. The move is part of a previously scheduled deployment, but it will give Trump a third aircraft carrier option as he weighs potential U.S. involvement in the Middle East.
A Pentagon official confirmed to that the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Nimitz will be in the Middle East at the same time as they hand over responsibilities.
The move was “pre-planned” and “just happened to coincide with region tensions,” the official said.
Earlier this week, the U.S. military deployed fighter aircraft including F-16, F-22 and F-35 jets to the Middle East amid the conflict, two officials told Reuters.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
