(NewsNation) — 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 NewsNation.
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. embblocky in Israel is orchestrating evacuation flights and cruises for Americans in the country.
NewsNation 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.
Officials are also planning for a partial evacuation of the U.S. embblocky 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 NewsNation 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.
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